If you are someone who is interested in achieving top performance in the gym, creatine is one of the best supplements you can take to help you achieve your fitness goals. Creatine can help you increase your strength, muscle mass, and overall performance, while additionally improving your brain function and lowering your blood sugar!
Muscle cells contain a natural supply of creatine that helps them produce energy when you are engaged in strenuous activities like heavy lifting or other types of high-intensity exercise. Enhancing your body’s natural levels of this amazing substance can be accomplished by consuming creatine supplements, and is one of the most popular choices for athletes, bodybuilders, and anyone who wants to improve their physical health and stamina.
On the chemical level, creatine is very similar to amino acids, the essential compounds the body uses to help manufacture protein. Amino acids like arginine and glycine are used by the body to produce creatine. Foods like seafood and red meat are the source of around half of your body’s stored creatine, while additional amounts come from amino acids in the kidneys and liver.
Inside your body, your muscles store about 90% of its creatine supply, while an additional 10% is located in the testes and the brain. This creatine is in a form called phosphocreatine, a type of energy that is stored in your cells. These essential phosphocreatine stores can be increased via the consumption of supplements, which assists your body in the production of adenosine triphosphate, or “ATP”, a high-energy molecule that has been referred to as the energy currency of the human body. The more ATP you have, the better your body will be able to perform when engaged in exercise.
Creatine improves power and strength during the performance of high-intensity exercise. Under normal circumstances, your ATP supply is depleted after about 10 seconds of intensive activity. Taking creatine supplements will allow your body to produce more ATP, which will allow you to maintain optimum levels of performance for longer periods of time.
Studies have shown that creatine supplements have the power to aid in a wide variety of high-energy sports like:
- Cycling – Creatine is a source of extra energy that cyclists can use to power through the race’s final sprint.
- Resistance Training – Creatine builds the muscle strength and stamina needed for heavy lifting.
- Swimming – Creatine provides extra power for energy-intensive strokes like breaststroke and butterfly.
- Football – Creatine can contribute to better sprinting and jumping performance among players.
These highly desirable effects are thanks to your body being able to produce more ATP because of the boost provided by creatine supplements.
Further research has indicated that creatine supplements also foster some other major health benefits such as:
- Assisting in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
- Lowering levels of blood sugar.
- Supporting the general health and optimum function of the heart.
- Reducing damage from strokes.
Creatine is highly supportive of brain health and exercise performance, a win-win for anyone who wants to improve their athletic performance and overall health.
