As a Fitness Instructor one of the most popular questions I am asked is about the effects of creatine when using the gym. Over the last 20 years or so, it has become the most researched and purchased bodybuilding supplement of all time. But not so many people actually know what it is supposed to do.
Most of the supplement industry is built around hype. Each product will tell you that you 'need' it to get a good workout and try to make you believe it's the best thing since sliced bread. That's just life. But usually this also leads to companies trying to over complicate matters by simply confusing people with science. Most people never get past the beginner stages of supplement knowledge because they're led to believe that you need to be a rocket scientist to build muscle.
This supplement is no exception. How can a product with so much scientific fact behind it be so unclear to people? Because when money is involved things become unclear. Companies want you to buy their latest products after all. But when you get down to it, this supplement is really simple to understand.
First thing first, it's a perfectly safe supplement to use. In fact your body creates this product by itself already, it's the substance it calls upon when you perform an explosive strength movement of any kind. So feel free to rid yourself of any worries you might have held about it being steroid-like or illegal, it's perfectly safe and used by all top athletes.
So what effect does it have on you, and who should be using this product?
This is where most folks get lost in jargon, each supplement trying to over sell you with scientific know how to beat their competition and simply leaving you with a sore head. We're not going to do that here.
The next time you go for a run I want you to sprint as hard as you can and watch, or father feel, what happens in your legs. For the first 15 seconds you'll be at full speed but then suddenly a burning sensation will hit your legs and your body will literally force you to slow down. That burn is called Lactic Acid and is your body's way of telling you to stop.
That initial explosive strength you had comes from your body's natural resources of this supplement. When it's gone, it's gone. You'll notice you can carry on running but you need to slow down considerably. As you recover from the burning pain in your legs you're levels of the substance are building back up slowly in the background. After a couple of minutes you are able to briefly sprint once more, as your levels have now built back up.
Using this supplement allows you to briefly increase that small period of explosive strength.
Now think about a boxer. Often when somebody looks to have run out of gas they will suddenly get a second wind from somewhere.
Now put this into a gym situation. Having that little bit extra explosive strength to call upon can allow you to go a little bit harder for a little bit longer, and make literally all the difference when it comes to increasing your strength and building lean muscle mass.
Whether it's a heavier bench press or forcing out another rep on your weakest exercise, you will notice great gains here. Once you cut out all of the hype and sales talk, that's as simple as creatine is.
Most of the supplement industry is built around hype. Each product will tell you that you 'need' it to get a good workout and try to make you believe it's the best thing since sliced bread. That's just life. But usually this also leads to companies trying to over complicate matters by simply confusing people with science. Most people never get past the beginner stages of supplement knowledge because they're led to believe that you need to be a rocket scientist to build muscle.
This supplement is no exception. How can a product with so much scientific fact behind it be so unclear to people? Because when money is involved things become unclear. Companies want you to buy their latest products after all. But when you get down to it, this supplement is really simple to understand.
First thing first, it's a perfectly safe supplement to use. In fact your body creates this product by itself already, it's the substance it calls upon when you perform an explosive strength movement of any kind. So feel free to rid yourself of any worries you might have held about it being steroid-like or illegal, it's perfectly safe and used by all top athletes.
So what effect does it have on you, and who should be using this product?
This is where most folks get lost in jargon, each supplement trying to over sell you with scientific know how to beat their competition and simply leaving you with a sore head. We're not going to do that here.
The next time you go for a run I want you to sprint as hard as you can and watch, or father feel, what happens in your legs. For the first 15 seconds you'll be at full speed but then suddenly a burning sensation will hit your legs and your body will literally force you to slow down. That burn is called Lactic Acid and is your body's way of telling you to stop.
That initial explosive strength you had comes from your body's natural resources of this supplement. When it's gone, it's gone. You'll notice you can carry on running but you need to slow down considerably. As you recover from the burning pain in your legs you're levels of the substance are building back up slowly in the background. After a couple of minutes you are able to briefly sprint once more, as your levels have now built back up.
Using this supplement allows you to briefly increase that small period of explosive strength.
Now think about a boxer. Often when somebody looks to have run out of gas they will suddenly get a second wind from somewhere.
Now put this into a gym situation. Having that little bit extra explosive strength to call upon can allow you to go a little bit harder for a little bit longer, and make literally all the difference when it comes to increasing your strength and building lean muscle mass.
Whether it's a heavier bench press or forcing out another rep on your weakest exercise, you will notice great gains here. Once you cut out all of the hype and sales talk, that's as simple as creatine is.