How Creatine works
Share
Creatine is a substance found naturally in muscle cells. It helps your muscles produce energy during high-intensity exercise or heavy lifting. Here's how it works:
1. **Increased Phosphocreatine Stores**: Creatine supplementation increases the stores of phosphocreatine in muscles. Phosphocreatine helps regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the main energy carrier in cells. During high-intensity exercise, ATP is broken down to produce energy, and having more phosphocreatine helps to replenish ATP more quickly.
2. **Enhanced ATP Production**: With more available ATP, your muscles can perform better during short bursts of intense activity, such as sprinting or heavy lifting.
3. **Improved Muscle Cell Hydration**: Creatine causes muscle cells to retain more water, which can increase muscle volume and may contribute to muscle growth over time.
4. **Increased Workload**: By improving strength and endurance, creatine allows for more work or volume in a single training session, which can contribute to greater gains in muscle mass and strength over time.
5. **Enhanced Cell Signaling**: Creatine may also improve muscle repair and growth by enhancing cell signaling pathways that lead to muscle hypertrophy (growth).
6. **Reduced Protein Breakdown**: It might also help reduce the breakdown of proteins in muscles, aiding in better muscle recovery and growth.
Overall, creatine is effective for improving performance in high-intensity, short-duration exercises and for increasing muscle mass and strength.
1. **Increased Phosphocreatine Stores**: Creatine supplementation increases the stores of phosphocreatine in muscles. Phosphocreatine helps regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the main energy carrier in cells. During high-intensity exercise, ATP is broken down to produce energy, and having more phosphocreatine helps to replenish ATP more quickly.
2. **Enhanced ATP Production**: With more available ATP, your muscles can perform better during short bursts of intense activity, such as sprinting or heavy lifting.
3. **Improved Muscle Cell Hydration**: Creatine causes muscle cells to retain more water, which can increase muscle volume and may contribute to muscle growth over time.
4. **Increased Workload**: By improving strength and endurance, creatine allows for more work or volume in a single training session, which can contribute to greater gains in muscle mass and strength over time.
5. **Enhanced Cell Signaling**: Creatine may also improve muscle repair and growth by enhancing cell signaling pathways that lead to muscle hypertrophy (growth).
6. **Reduced Protein Breakdown**: It might also help reduce the breakdown of proteins in muscles, aiding in better muscle recovery and growth.
Overall, creatine is effective for improving performance in high-intensity, short-duration exercises and for increasing muscle mass and strength.