today I'm going to tell you everything I know about creatine and yes I've supplemented creatine myself so I know firsthand what it does and does not do to the body the main highlights of this video are the benefits and side effects of taking creatine creatine is naturally found in the body it is an amino acid that supplies energy to the body particularly the muscles although creatine is naturally occurring the body creates just a small amount of this amino acid this is where creatine supplements play an important part so how does creatine really improve athletic performance
what about side effects like weight gain and digestive issues how true are they continue watching till the end and I'll share with you other important information I learned about creatine the science behind creatine creatine is found throughout the body with 95 of it stored in muscle cells most people can get creatine through dietary sources like red meat and seafood the primary use of creatine in the body is for energy and the more energy you have the better your athletic performance is which in turn leads to increasing however even with the levels of creatine from food
and the body combined they aren't enough to maximize the full potential of this compound it's why so many people opt to boost their creatine orally in addition others take creatine to improve the symptoms of certain health conditions like heart disease and muscular dystrophy which I'll be detailing more in a while for now let's break down the major benefits of taking creatine supplements top benefits of creatine number one improves athletic performance according to preliminary studies creatine supplements enhanced strength and lean muscle mass during weight lifting and other high intensity exercises in the same studies it was
reported that positive results were experienced mostly by young people around 20 years old researchers deduced that the intake of creatine has allowed a more efficient usage of fuel during exercise and helped in the development of muscles aside from high intensity exercises creatine is also one of the best supplements for strength and power-based movements this is because adenosine triphosphate ATP energy is crucial for such exercises a six-week training study found that the intake of creatine aided in increasing the weight by five percent to a one rep max bicep curl additionally a weight training study concluded that
creatine enhanced maximum Squat and bench press strength as for Endurance Sports creatine has less of a benefit since endurance exercises are low in intensity and require less rapid ATP energy regeneration that said there is one potential benefit of creatine still and that is the ability to improve your training sessions which in the long run can improve endurance performance one thing skinny guys always aim for is to get bigger if you feel the same way then all the more reason to look into creatine here's why number two increased body mass increased creatine content in the muscles
has been linked to bigger body mass and no this isn't because creatine builds muscle rather it's because creatine causes the muscles to hold water AKA water retention in fact it's not weird to gain two to five pounds during the first week of creatine supplementation the water retained by the muscle cells isn't necessarily A Bad Thing your muscles aren't growing yet but the increased water is essential for future muscle growth also another way that creatine increases body weight is due to increased muscle mass this supplement is highly effective at boosting strength and endurance as such it
lets you work out for longer and thus helps you build more muscle muscle is denser than fat which means putting on even just a small amount of muscle while losing fat is Monumental enough to cause the scale to go upward as you put on muscles and loose fat your body becomes leaner and your water weight becomes less noticeable the takeaway here is that yes creatine does cause weight gain however the added pounds are in fat so you can stop worrying now number three repairs damage after injury research also suggests that creatine supplementation can help prevent
muscle damage and improve the recovery process of an athlete after he has experienced an injury moreover creatine may act as an antioxidant after an intense session of resistance training which then may help reduce cramping it may also contribute to the rehabilitation of the brain and other injuries in addition to those three Fitness related benefits of creatine two of which I've experienced myself there are also other potential health benefits associated with taking creatine one of which has improved muscle dystrophy but more on that coming up other possible uses of creatine number one deficiency syndromes creatine is
a naturally occurring substance that plays a role in various body functions for instance bent an average young male weighing 70 kilograms has creatine stores of around 120 to 140 grams the amount differs depending on your muscle mass and muscle fiber type creatine deficiency is associated with a wide range of conditions chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD depression diabetes multiple sclerosis Ms muscle atrophy fibromyalgia osteoarthritis while creatine supplements May provide relief more evidence is still needed to prove that it's truly an effective treatment for most of these conditions increasing the creatine in the brain through supplements can
however help relieve seizures symptoms of autism and movement disorders reduce risk of heart disease is another possible health benefit of taking creatine here's why number two heart disease do you have high concentrations of triglycerides or fats in the blood consider taking creatine supplements based on studies involving people with heart failure who took creatine along with having the standard medical care they were able to exercise for longer before becoming fatigued in another study of 20 people with heart failure it was found that short-term intake of creatine along with standard medication help boost their body weight and
muscle strength creatine has also been reported to help reduce homocysteine an amino acid that when elevated in level can contribute to heart disease including heart attack and stroke number three muscular dystrophy in many cases those with muscular dystrophy have fewer creatine stores which may be associated with muscle weakness according to a study taking creatine led to a slight increase in muscle strength compared to to those who did not take the supplement short and medium term creatine treatment in people with muscular dystrophies is well received studies show that taking creatine daily for 8 to 16 weeks
can help enhance muscle strength and reduce fatigue brought on by muscular dystrophy on the other hand it pays to know that not all Studies have come to the same conclusion speaking of muscle related symptoms there's another disease that is characterized by such and thus benefits from creatine that is none other than number four Parkinson's disease a common symptom of Parkinson's disease is decreased muscle fitness this means poor muscle mass and muscle strength and increased fatigue based on one study people with PD who took creatine were able to enhance their exercise ability and endurance in a
different study creatine supplements boosted the participants moods and reduced their need for medication compared to those who didn't take the supplement now that I've discussed the good things about creatine it's time to delve into the unpleasant side of it just so you know what you're getting yourself into before you fully commit to creatine supplementation here goes nothing side effects of creatine first and foremost let me just say this creatine is a relatively safe supplement that said there have also been reports of creatine causing a few side effects because of these potential side effects it's best
to take creatine under the supervision of a healthcare provider the said adverse effects are as follows muscle cramps muscles strains and pulls stomach upset diarrhea dizziness high blood pressure personally I didn't experience those things I did have a mild case of upset stomach once or twice but only at the start also it's important to note that some of these conditions can be due to the excessive consumption of certain vitamins for instance taking too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea besides if there were any major negative effects they would have been all over the Internet and
news by now have you tried creatine yet if yes then did you experience any of those side effects comment your answers below but to be safe I recommend you take creatine only if you're a healthy adult and have no kidney problems in addition only by creatine sup implements from reputable companies as you've learned creatine is a natural compound produced by the body and so is your testosterone both are essential components in the growth of muscle therefore aside from boosting your creatine you should also be doing the same for your T levels more on that coming
up shortly dosing the amount of creatine you take is of Paramount importance in order to get the maximum benefits the body naturally creates about one to two grams of creatine every day but that's nowhere near the optimum dosage needed to build muscle according to the international Society of Sports Nutrition the safe dosing schedule for creatine monohydrate is loading dose start with 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for five to seven days divided into four doses throughout the day maintenance dose follow it up with three to five grams per day thereafter for up
to five years bonus content for those who stick around until the end of the video here's the promised additional information everyone should know about creatine common FAQs about creatine supplementation number one what is the best type of creatine supplement supplements in general vary in form with some having better quality than others for creatine I highly recommend taking creatine monohydrate there are a ton of other supplements that will try to lure you into them but many of them are mostly made of junk pre-workout supplements are a classic example of this garbage they advertise to contain creatine
and such when in fact many of them do not even have the minimum amount of the promised nutrients to yield results so absolutely powder is your best option it's affordable and you can mix it with other healthy foods and drinks number two what are the best natural sources of creatine just as the human body produces creatine this compound is also found naturally in some foods popular choices are Beef Pork Herring and Sam a raw pound of beef or salmon has one to two grams of creatine some people avoid creatine because of the anecdotal reports of
kidney damage and liver problems is that really the case find out the truth here number three does creatine affect the kidneys and liver fact creatine can slightly increase the levels of creatinine in the blood creatinine is a common marker in diagnosing kidney or liver conditions however it's also a fact that raised creatine levels do not translate to a danger to the liver or kid creatine is one of the most researched and studied Sports supplements and today no study of creatine used in healthy individuals has proven to harm those two organs that said if you do
have a history of liver or kidney problems take creatine supplements with caution better yet ask your doctor how to proceed with it the benefits of taking creatine are plenty and have significant effects on having a bigger and healthier physique the thing is you shouldn't just stop there you must do more to gain more and to do that simply follow what the next video says so make sure to watch the link to accomplish your ultimate fitness goal
