Perhaps of all the supplements you have ever heard about before, Creatine is the most talked about and one of the most highly used. The reason why? Because it flat-out works, and it helps with weight gain.
It is a tough thing to be able to get to the point to say a weight gain or muscle-building supplement actually works but considering the multitude of research that has been performed on the substance, creatine seems to have come up smelling like roses. The fact is, creating occurs naturally in the body and is part of a process that helps you build muscle. Supplementing with it just helps increase that process. Here’s how it works:
First of all, creating is a bi-product of a naturally occurring amino acid. Your body’s normal processes actually produce the reaction that forms creatine and it is stored in your muscles. In addition, creatine is also found in red meat and certain types of fish. Now, when you do something explosive, say sprinting or lifting weights, your body needs energy. Enter ATP.
Adenosine Tri-Phosphate, or ATP is what your body uses for fuel for explosive movements. It releases the energy by breaking apart and forming Adenosine Di-Phosphate or ADP. Once the ATP is depleted, your muscles become fatigued and cannot work out any longer… you know, that feeling of fullness, where your muscles start to fail. So… you need an additional source of ATP to keep the energy flowing and keep your muscles working out longer…enter creatine.Creatine is stored in your body as creatine phosphate… I think you see where I am going here. ADP borrows a creatine phosphate to create ATP and VOILA! Instant energy! This process happens MUCH more quickly than if your body were to rely on the process of carbs and sugars breaking down to eventually create the energy needed, so supplementing with creatine can speed up the process and allow you to workout longer and harder, therefore allowing you to build more muscle, and allowing you to gain more weight.
PHEW! Ok, enough with the science lesson. Here’s something to keep in mind. Creatine is NOT a steroid. It will not make you huge just because you started drinking a few creatine drinks per day. It will also not help you gain muscle just by taking it alone… you have to workout! All creatine does is to help you workout longer and harder. It is the workouts themselves that provide the real results. Some people think that creatine is a cure-all for all things exercise related, but this simply isn’t the case.
For instance, evidence shows that there may be little if any benefit of taking creating for endurance sports such as long distance running as the processes in the body needed to create energy for these activities are totally different.
The bottom line is, if you are looking for weight gain creatine is a great supplement to take. Just follow the directions and put in the necessary work required by dieting and training correctly and you’ll be filling the sleeves of your t-shirt in no time!
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