Will Creatine Help Me Gain Muscle?
I have been e-mailed & asked this question many times this week. Will creatine help to gain muscle mass? The answer is no! creatine does not help you to gain muscle mass, at least not directly. What creatine does is help you to sustain longer workouts. The way it works is it increases the levels of creatine phosphate [CP] in the muscle, thereby producing more energy, and decreasing fatigue.
The downside is that it prohibits water entering the muscle, which can cause severe muscle cramping, & dehydration, and also contributes to muscle soreness. Muscle soreness is the result of protein synthesis, {protein repairing the muscle} and dehydration. The good news is that your body already produces CP. So how do we produce energy?
Our source of energy is taken from the foods we eat. The human body does not use food in the form that is ingested; rather it is broken down into nutrients to be used, such as carbohydrates, fat, & protein, and is stored in the organs & tissue, which can be later used for energy. CP starts off as pyruvate, which is converted to adenosine triphosphate & CP and is produced in the mitochondria, also referred to as the powerhouse of the muscle cell. The body also produces other various energy systems that all result from the initial production of CP, adenosine triphosphate [ATP] & pyruvate. Those sub systems however, are aerobic in nature, and therefore do not come into play for this discussion.
The body uses nutrients in a hierarchy, though no one is more important than the other, and it is important to know what that order is, so that you can plan your energy requirement needs, according to the type of training you are doing. First we use carbohydrates, secondly fat, third protein. Protein can be used as fuel, and in some cases is, when all other energy sources are depleted, though it is not recommended; because it is an inefficient source of energy; and keep in mind, anaerobic exercise {weight lifting} does not burn fat.
The most important thing to consider before taking creatine or any other supplement, or worse, steroids is what effect it will have on your hormonal system! Nature intended our bodies to exist in a homeostatic state. Taking any of these supplements alters that state; and may cause serious undesired effects. So unless you are a professional body builder, or power lifter, and are under the supervision of a dietician or nutritionist, do not attempt to prescribe these supplements to yourself. If you want more energy for your workouts, eat more carbs! Your diet should consist of 55%-65% carbohydrates daily anyway!.
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