What does creatine do?<\/a> Creatine is perhaps the most popular supplement you can take and for good reason! Creatine is one of the most studied supplements in the world and the results are clear: creatine works! Yet we find that there are still many questions about creatine. For example, for many athletes the creatine effect is unclear. Therefore, in this XXL Nutrition blog we answer the question; what does creatine do? So you know what creatine does to your body and what benefits it has for strength athletes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back to overview <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Creatine plays a role in providing muscles with energy to perform (especially short explosive) movements. For your muscles to move, your body needs energy. This allows your muscle to contract. Your body gets energy from ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). In addition, your body can supplement this using fatty acids, amino acids and glycogen (carbohydrates). But creatine can also be used for this purpose, in the form of creatine phosphate. Depending on the duration and intensity of the movement you want to make, your body chooses the most efficient energy source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During short explosive efforts, such as power training or sprinting, your body uses creatine phosphate. In your body, creatine is converted to creatine phosphate to replenish the supply in the creatine phosphate system. Because this supply is limited, you often cannot sustain an explosive movement for long. After about 10 to 15 seconds, you already notice a reduction in muscle strength and explosiveness. There is no longer enough creatine phosphate present to make more ATP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By taking creatine in supplement form, you can ensure that your body stores a larger supply of creatine phosphate in your body. This contributes to easier performance of explosive strength efforts, as shown in this scientific study. This makes creatine a popular supplement among strength athletes. Taking 5 grams of creatine daily stores more creatine in your muscles. During explosive strength efforts, your body can therefore produce more creatine phosphate, which means more energy is available to contract your muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back to overview <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Above you have been able to read how creatine works. But what does creatine do to your body when you start taking creatine? When you take creatine in powder form, it is absorbed in your stomach and intestines. It is then transported to your muscle cells and stored there. This causes your muscle cells to attract more water, causing them to swell. They increase in volume and this leads to a small increase in your body weight. Your muscles also look bigger, but this is mainly optical (because the muscle cell volume increases) and not a direct increase in muscle mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A larger supply of creatine in your body allows your body to release more energy during explosive movements. In this energy system, creatine phosphate is used for short and explosive strength efforts. For strength training, creatine is therefore ideally suited. Read more about creatine’s effects and benefits below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creatine effect explained<\/a>
What does creatine do to your body?<\/a>
Creatine benefits<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat does creatine do?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Creatine effect explained<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What does creatine do to your body?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n