As a trainer I'm often asked about creatine. It's the most popular bodybuilding supplement of the last two decades and despite countless studies and unlimited products on sale there are a lot of people using this supplement who are a little unsure as to what exactly it is meant to do for them.
When it comes to supplements the majority of us are sold by hype. Big claims about piling on slabs of rock hard lean muscle way easier than we could even dream about, right? That's why the supplement market is a billion dollar industry. This often leads us to buy products which we don't really know enough about.
When we get down to it, this is a very simple supplement 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 the point where most of us get a little bit lost. Companies will often try to over complicate matters with needless science in a bid to confuse you into thinking you must buy their miracle product over anybody else's. None of that talk here please.
Think about when you sprint outside. For the first fifteen seconds you practically fly at full speed, but then what happens? Usually you'll be forced to slow down by you body as a burning sensation fills your legs. This sensation is known as lactic acid and is your body's way of telling you it can't keep exercising at the same level of intensity.
Your body has ran out of this natural explosive strength resource. You can still run, just nowhere near the same high intensity you could before. If you were to carry on jogging you'd notice after a few minutes you had built up sufficient strength to sprint briefly again.
Using this supplement allows you to briefly increase that small period of explosive strength.
A better example would be in the form of a boxer. How many fights have you watched where one competitor appears to have run out of gas only to suddenly get another burst of energy, often referred to as a second wind, and win the fight?
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.
When it comes to supplements the majority of us are sold by hype. Big claims about piling on slabs of rock hard lean muscle way easier than we could even dream about, right? That's why the supplement market is a billion dollar industry. This often leads us to buy products which we don't really know enough about.
When we get down to it, this is a very simple supplement 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 the point where most of us get a little bit lost. Companies will often try to over complicate matters with needless science in a bid to confuse you into thinking you must buy their miracle product over anybody else's. None of that talk here please.
Think about when you sprint outside. For the first fifteen seconds you practically fly at full speed, but then what happens? Usually you'll be forced to slow down by you body as a burning sensation fills your legs. This sensation is known as lactic acid and is your body's way of telling you it can't keep exercising at the same level of intensity.
Your body has ran out of this natural explosive strength resource. You can still run, just nowhere near the same high intensity you could before. If you were to carry on jogging you'd notice after a few minutes you had built up sufficient strength to sprint briefly again.
Using this supplement allows you to briefly increase that small period of explosive strength.
A better example would be in the form of a boxer. How many fights have you watched where one competitor appears to have run out of gas only to suddenly get another burst of energy, often referred to as a second wind, and win the fight?
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.
About the Author:
About the Writer: Russ Howe is an established Personal Trainer. See our free guide to get the most from creatine today.
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