If you are a little unsure about what to expect from using a creatine supplement don't worry, you aren't alone. Not by a long shot. Despite being the most purchased muscle building supplement of the last twenty years, as a trainer I meet gym users every day who don't know what this supplement is actually supposed to do for their muscle growth progress.
Most of the supplement industry is built around hype. Each product will tell you that you 'need' it to get a good workout and try to make you believe it's the best thing since sliced bread. That's just life. But usually this also leads to companies trying to over complicate matters by simply confusing people with science. Most people never get past the beginner stages of supplement knowledge because they're led to believe that you need to be a rocket scientist to build muscle.
When you cut to the chase, however, this supplement is very easy to understand.
First thing first, it's a perfectly safe supplement to use. In fact your body creates this product by itself already, it's the substance it calls upon when you perform an explosive strength movement of any kind. So feel free to rid yourself of any worries you might have held about it being steroid-like or illegal, it's perfectly safe and used by all top athletes.
So what does it actually do to you and why should you use it?
This is the point where most people get completely lost, with supplement companies trying to out science each other to make you think you need to buy their product over the others on offer. None of that right here.
Next time you hit the treadmill try sprinting hard and see what happens. For the first fifteen to twenty seconds you'll be flying by at a great pace but then suddenly you will notice an overwhelming burning feeling creeping up on you through your legs. This is called lactic acid, and it's a sensation designed by your body to tell you you have to slow down temporarily.
Your body's natural resources of this supplement have ran out. You will be able to carry on running, albeit at a greatly reduced speed, while it builds back up in the background. After a few minutes you will probably be able to blast out another high intensity sprint when your levels of explosive strength have regenerated.
Using this supplement allows you to briefly increase that small period of explosive strength.
Watch any Rocky movie and you'll notice just when a fighter appears to be completely done they manage to draw strength from somewhere within for another short blast. This also happens in real boxing and is down to the exact same thing discussed above.
Now put this into a gym situation. Having that little bit extra explosive strength to call upon can allow you to go a little bit harder for a little bit longer, and make literally all the difference when it comes to increasing your strength and building lean muscle mass.
This can result in a slightly heavier lift, or maybe another rep you previously could never perform. And in a nutshell, without any over complicated science talk, that's how creatine works.
Most of the supplement industry is built around hype. Each product will tell you that you 'need' it to get a good workout and try to make you believe it's the best thing since sliced bread. That's just life. But usually this also leads to companies trying to over complicate matters by simply confusing people with science. Most people never get past the beginner stages of supplement knowledge because they're led to believe that you need to be a rocket scientist to build muscle.
When you cut to the chase, however, this supplement is very easy to understand.
First thing first, it's a perfectly safe supplement to use. In fact your body creates this product by itself already, it's the substance it calls upon when you perform an explosive strength movement of any kind. So feel free to rid yourself of any worries you might have held about it being steroid-like or illegal, it's perfectly safe and used by all top athletes.
So what does it actually do to you and why should you use it?
This is the point where most people get completely lost, with supplement companies trying to out science each other to make you think you need to buy their product over the others on offer. None of that right here.
Next time you hit the treadmill try sprinting hard and see what happens. For the first fifteen to twenty seconds you'll be flying by at a great pace but then suddenly you will notice an overwhelming burning feeling creeping up on you through your legs. This is called lactic acid, and it's a sensation designed by your body to tell you you have to slow down temporarily.
Your body's natural resources of this supplement have ran out. You will be able to carry on running, albeit at a greatly reduced speed, while it builds back up in the background. After a few minutes you will probably be able to blast out another high intensity sprint when your levels of explosive strength have regenerated.
Using this supplement allows you to briefly increase that small period of explosive strength.
Watch any Rocky movie and you'll notice just when a fighter appears to be completely done they manage to draw strength from somewhere within for another short blast. This also happens in real boxing and is down to the exact same thing discussed above.
Now put this into a gym situation. Having that little bit extra explosive strength to call upon can allow you to go a little bit harder for a little bit longer, and make literally all the difference when it comes to increasing your strength and building lean muscle mass.
This can result in a slightly heavier lift, or maybe another rep you previously could never perform. And in a nutshell, without any over complicated science talk, that's how creatine works.
About the Author:
Writer: Russ Howe is a respected Personal Trainer. See our free guide to get the most from creatine today.
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