CREATINE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH: COMPLETE GUIDE
Creatine has been included in bodybuilding supplementation programs for over 15 years now and is the most widely used natural compound for increasing muscle mass and gym performance.
But what are the real facts on creatine? Should you supplement with creatine for muscle growth?
Creatine For Muscle Growth: The Facts
Many lifters don’t know this, but creatine is actually the most widely studied sports supplement on the market with mounds of peer-reviewed research behind it.
What does that research say?
Simple: Creatine is highly effective at improving lean muscle growth and gym performance, and is completely safe both in the short and long term.
Here are the 2 main ways that you can use creatine for muscle growth…
#1 – Muscle Cell Volume Expansion
When you supplement with creatine at the standard 3-5 gram dosage each day, the levels of creatine in your muscles gradually rise and peak after about 3 weeks.
In order for that creatine to be stored, it has to pull additional water into the muscle cells with it. The result is a “super hydrating effect” that gives your muscles a fuller, harder overall appearance.
This increased water also improves the overall anabolic state of the tissue, since muscle is comprised of around 70% water to begin with.
Some people fear that this increased water may cause them to appear soft or bloated, but this would only occur if the extra water was stored directly beneath the skin. Creatine drives more water inside of the actual muscle cell itself and therefore ends upincreasing overall definition and muscle separation instead.
#2 – Muscular Strength & Power Boost
The entire basis for building lean muscle tissue is to gradually increase the amount of weight you’re able to lift over time.
By improving muscular strength and power, creatine helps you pack on lean, solid muscle mass at a faster rate.
It accomplishes this by providing additional phosphate groups to your muscle cells while you workout. These phosphate groups allow you to move heavier weights by improving the efficiency at which your body utilizes ATP, which is the primary energy molecule used during weight training.
Creatine For Muscle Growth: How To Use It
Supplementing with creatine for muscle growth is very simple…
Just take 3-5 grams per day at any time that is most convenient, and mixed with whatever liquid tastes best for you. (Juice or tea works well)
You don’t need to perform a “loading phase”, and you don’t have to mix your creatine with a bunch of sugar like some people recommend.
After about 3 weeks, your muscles will be completely saturated and that creatine will begin to exert its full effects.
Don’t fall for the hype behind any “advanced” forms of creatine either. Just stick with pure, micronized German grade “CreaPure” creatine monohydrate. Make sure to avoid cheap, low quality alternatives as they may contain impurities.
– Sean
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