THE MYTH OF CREATINE WATER RETENTION
The subject of creatine water retention is surrounded by a ton of confusion and misinformation…
This is perpetuated both by average lifters who lack the proper understanding of creatine supplementation, and by supplement companies looking to push the “latest and greatest form of creatine” down your throat.
You may have heard that creatine monohydrate causes “bloating” and “puffiness” and that it will cause your muscles to take on a soft and smooth appearance.
In reality, this is complete and total nonsense.
Yes, creatine does cause the muscles to hold on to a greater amount of water. This is because creatine is stored in the muscles and requires additional water to be held there.
However, this extra water weight is entirely intra-cellular and NOT subcutaneous.
In other words, creatine drives more water directly inside of the muscle cell itself and does not cause water retention underneath the skin.
If anything, creatine water retention will actually cause your muscles to appear harder and more defined.
So where did this whole myth come from?
First of all, it could be the result of those who are supplementing with creatine in conjunction with a high calorie diet.
When your overall carbohydrate intake increases (as well as sodium and other nutrients), your levels of subcutaneous water retention can increase.
Many people mistakenly believe that this is a result of creatine supplementation, when in fact it’s their diet that is causing it.
Secondly, it’s an invented problem created by supplement companies to sell you their “advanced” form of creatine.
How many times have you seen “does not cause bloating” as a selling point on a particular creatine product?
It’s pretty much guaranteed to be mentioned, and it’s totally misleading since all of the research performed on creatine has never demonstrated any type of bloating as a side effect.
At the end of the day, the entire creatine water retention issue isn’t even worth worrying about.
Creatine is the most studied sports supplement ever released and has been research proven countless times to significantly improve strength, performance and overall muscle growth.
Fall for the creatine water retention myths out there and you may end up missing out on some serious benefits both in and out of the gym.
All it takes is 3-5 grams taken once daily to improve your workouts and accelerate your gains.
Make sure to find a high grade CreaPure based formula, as this is the German grade of creatine which is the highest quality in the world.
– Sean
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