The Power Of Creatine

It’s hard work to build our bodies up to the physical standards we see in the movies, masses of rock-hard muscle and ripped figures, it just doesn’t happen sitting at a desk all day! So, people who are really dedicated to owning a super-heroic body spend hours in the gym working out to make their dream physique a reality. It’s not just the workout that makes that muscle, it’s also critical to eat a healthy, high-protein diet to fuel your efforts. Now, thanks to the discoveries of modern science we have ways of boosting our muscle-gaining efforts.

One of the best methods to give your body extra muscle power is to take creatine supplements, a natural energy source that gives your skeletal muscles added flex power. The ingestion of Creatine brings a steady supply of energy to tired muscles so you can continue to work out longer and harder. Creatine can help build strength, and it has the added benefit of being good for your brain’s health, too!

Around half of your body’s natural Creatine supply, 1 to 2 grams per day, is derived from your diet, in particular foods rich in proteins like the following:

• Milk –  Cow, goat, and sheep milk

• Red Meat – Beef, pork, sheep, goat, and antelope

• Fish – Salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, cod, and trout

• Shellfish – Clams, oysters, squid, and crabs

• Fowl – Chicken, duck, and turkey, as well as eggs

• Dairy Products – Cheese, cottage cheese, and cream cheese

• Nuts –  Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and cashews

• Seeds – Pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds

• Legumes – Kidney beans, black-eyed peas, white beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, and peanuts

The other half of your body’s creatine is naturally produced in your kidneys, pancreas, and liver. These vital organs are responsible for around 95% of the creatine your skeletal muscles utilize during heavy physical activity like a gym workout. The rest of the creatine produced is used by the heart, brain and other bodily tissues.

So, if you are considering adding Creatine to your body’s natural creatine supply by taking supplements, what will happen?

Most of the ingested creatine will be taken by your skeletal muscles, which will convert it into a compound that contains Creatine and phosphoric acid, which is called phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate. This phosphocreatine then assists in the creation of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP,  a source of energy for your cells to draw upon when you are exercising. All of this means that added Creatine helps you to maintain a non-stop energy supply for your muscles to use while engaged in intense exercise like weightlifting.

Not only does Creatine produce more energy to increase the growth of muscles, but it can also speed up muscle recovery, as well as increase anabolic hormones that contribute to growth and tissue repair like insulin, human growth hormone, testosterone, and estrogen. Creatine also boosts water content in muscle cells resulting in improved cell hydration that promotes muscle growth while reducing dehydration. Creatine also induces a flux of phosphocreatine in your brain, which improves cognition and memory. It all adds up to Creatine being the best supplement there is!