So you’ve been looking into supplements to help you towards your goals. Some mates and people online keep talking about creatine. Is creatine cheating? What is it? Is it safe? Natural? How do I use it?

Creatine is a very safe and natural, over the counter sports supplement. No it is not a steroid, no it is not a drug and no it is not cheating to use it. Wondering if creatine is cheating would be the same as thinking chicken consumption is cheating. Creatine is incredibly well-researched and has been evaluated and proven in helping to increase strength and muscular development. When people ask “is creatine cheating”, I say NO! This is one of those supplements that actually works!

Is Creatine Cheating?  – How does creatine work?

When we work our muscles, we use up molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to activate muscle contractions. Once ATP is used up, the muscle is unable to contract and your muscles seem to tire out. Read my online article (link here) on how muscles work to learn more about this. 

Creatine assists your muscle endurance by helping to resupply your stock of the high-energy molecule ATP, which means more short-term work can be performed – more reps, more weight lifted, and better athletic performance in anaerobic sports. Creatine also may increase muscle cell hydration and protein synthesis. Think of creatine as a turbocharger that can increase the performance of your engines. It doesn’t make your muscles any bigger, but it can increase your performance in order to stimulate more muscle growth (assuming you are training properly and eating the correct nutrition to fuel your body). 

Even though creatine is created naturally in the human body from amino acids and foods such as red meat, herring, and salmon, you would have to consume ridiculously huge amounts of these foods to get what you’d get in one teaspoon of creatine powder. That’s why people supplement with creatine to ensure they have plenty in the body.

Which creatine should I buy?

I recommend Creatine monohydrate. It is simple and cheap and there is no need to buy any other variations or forms of creatine. I recommend you buy it in capsule form or in powder form. If you get a typical 200-serving tub, it will last for at least 3 months!

How much creatine should I take?

Simply consume 3-5 grams per day every day. You can take it any time of day but just make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day. Some take it pre-workout, post-workout or before bed, or before breakfast. It really doesn’t matter as long as the creatine is taken consistently, your body’s creatine levels will remain elevated for use in the gym.

What is loading I’m hearing about and do I need to do it?

Loading is a period of time where you take larger doses of creatine at the start of your supplementation in order to “saturate” the body with maximum amounts of creatine in your system. This normally involves a week of taking 5 servings of 5g of creatine to a total of 25g of creating each day for the first week.  No, you don’t need to go through this loading phase because your body will eventually become saturated simply by taking 5g of creatine per day. Loading simply increases your creatine levels faster and you get the effects starting sooner. If you want to load, then you can.

Will I feel anything when I take creatine?

Creatine is not a stimulant. Don’t expect more energy or power, but you may find you can get one or two more reps out of your exercises or might be able to move a little more weight during your training. These effects of creatine become apparent after a week or so from the start of your supplementation. After a few weeks, you may find when you push yourself, that you can keep going longer and harder than you thought you could. Keep pushing that weight to failure. Watch my video on training to failure here. (http://www.GeorgeHealth.com/videos/)

If I take it, is creatine cheating, and do I still need to go to the gym?

Hell yes! Creatine does not directly stimulate muscle growth, it only helps you push your body harder and longer when you do your workouts. This in turn will stimulate muscle growth as long as you are training correctly. To get the best effects of creatine, you need to make sure you are already pushing hard in the gym. If you don’t work hard and put effort into your workouts then you won’t get the best results. Creatine simply works by helping you push yourself harder than you already do. If you don’t know if you are doing the right exercises, sets or reps then invest in my specific personalized workout program and I will ensure you are getting maximum results from your workouts (link here – http://www.GeorgeHealth.com/store/weights-program/).

Are there any side effects to taking creatine?

Some people experience bloating or dehydration. However, if you simply ensure you are drinking plenty of water then these effects will reduce soon. Creatine uses water and draws water into the muscles to do so. Because of this, you need to drink more water than normal in order for creatine to be most effective. I recommend you drink 3 – 5 liters of water a day and ensure your urine remains clear. If you feel thirsty then you are already dehydrated.

My weight drops and I look smaller after stopping creatine, am I losing muscle?

Don’t worry you are not losing muscle when you stop taking creatine. The muscle you gain while using it will stay with you as long as you continue to eat and train correctly. Remember that creatine supplementation draws water into your muscle cells. What you are experiencing is simply that water retention reducing back to the levels they were at before you started taking creatine.  The water in the cells isn’t as much as it was but the muscle you grew during using creatine will stay with you. Expect your body weight to drop by around 1kg during the week after you finish taking creatine.

So should I cycle creatine use or just keep taking it continuously?

Most people believe it’s fine to take creatine as long as you like. However if you wish you can take it for 3-4 months and then take a 3-4 month break before starting again.

What other supplements should I take?

The best advice I can give here is to really make sure you have a proper diet and have all your nutrition in check. To get the best effects of creatine and muscle growth, you must eat enough calories, protein, carbs and fat a day, taken in the correct amounts and at the right time. If you don’t, your body be signalling to grow muscle but will have no raw material or ability to grow it. Supplements aid the process but if the process is not happening, they aid nothing and are wasted.