Creatine: Is it healthy? Should I take it? What does it do?

I think one of the questions I get the most from men aging 18-20 is "Should I take Creatine?" or "What does creatine do?" or even "What are the side effects of creatine?" With creatine being one of the most heavily researched supplements on the market, there is plenty of trials out there to illustrate exactly what its purpose is in regard to resistance training, building a physique, and getting stronger. I will start by saying this. If you take the serving size amount of creatine monohydrate (5g), you should not have any negative side effects to creatine. Although, the supplement industry is NOT regulated, therefore, make sure you are getting creatine from a trusted supplier and always check the ingredient list. HOWEVER, if you are curious or have any preexisting medical conditions you are curious about, ALWAYS ask your doctor first.

I am not a doctor, I am not licensed, I can not make prescriptions for any exact caloric intake or supplement intake BY LAW.

That being said, if you came to this blog to read a college kid dive into the effects of creatine in a way that doesn't sound like rocket science. You came to the right place.

The main purpose of Creatine Monohydrate and why it is actually proven to work in most cases has to do with your body's ATP-PCr system. Your ATP-PCr system is held responsible for handling the energy production your body needs to do the most intense, short period bouts of exercise. In other words, exercise bouts that last 1-5 seconds such as a squat, bench press, row, etc.

ADP and Phosphocreatine react to form ATP and creatine. As many of you know, ATP is what is used as cellular energy to produce muscle contraction and a number of other processes. Creatine is also a byproduct of this reaction. The two, in conjunction with one another, allow for optimal muscular contraction and stored muscular energy. This can lead to an increase in strength in resistance training. An increase in creatine intake via supplementation has been studied a numerous amount of times with a large amount of legitimate feedback. Many of these studies use different hypotheses and different exercises to test stored creatine before and after a bout of exercises, such as a cycle ergometer or other kinds of resistance training. The general consensus being that creatine can affect strength and weight after only 6 days in some cases! The studies also show a proven increase in phosphocreatine and a lower amount of lactate in the muscle during and after exercise.

Creatine can also draw water into your muscle cells causing muscles to actually look larger as well, in essentially a 'Swelled' fashion! Depending on the way you look at it, this could be a good or bad thing. Due to the water retention, you may notice you look a bit bloated and have gone up in weight by a few pounds.

So, depending on your goals, I would go for creatine after you've done the proper amount of research on your own and potentially had a conversation with your doctor if needed. I have been taking creatine myself for about 2 years and I have loved it. Its cheap, proven to be effective in many cases, and, as long as you are taking it properly, it's safe!