Why Use Creatine As A Bodybuilding Supplement

Creatine was discovered in 1832, by Michel Eugène Chevreul. As it was isolated from a basified water-extract of skeletal muscle. He named the precipitate after the Greek word for meat - kreas, and lately, the compound was named creatine. It is a nitrogenous organic acid, which is synthesized by the human body, from 3 specific compounds: L-arginine, L-methionine and glycine.

Nowadays, creatine has various uses, for example the creatine content in meat, as percentage of crude protein, is an important indicator for meat quality. 

Evidently, as you may be aware already, creatine is widely used by athletes, for performance improvements.

So, how exactly does creatine work, if used as a supplement for bodybuilding?

One of the main effects of creatine is the elevation of the body's capacity to undertake high intensity workouts. Creatine phosphate specifically supplies the type 11b muscle fibers, considerably improving their contraction. This results in the athlete able to do more reps, increase the rate of the reps, or simply to increase the intensity of their workouts.

Another significant benefit of creatine is that it boosts muscle recovery. During a study in 2004, the effects of creatine supplementation on muscle cell damage were investigated, on 18 endurance runners, for a 30 km race. Various cell damage markers such as, prostaglandin-E, creatine kinase or lactate dehydrogenase, were investigated. Each athlete used 20 grams of creatine monohydrate every day for 5 days, in a mix with maltodextrine. All markers were reduced compared to a group of 16 other runners, who only used maltodextrine. Conclusion was that creatine supplementation, reduces cell damage and muscle inflammation after endurance exercise.

Creatine also increases muscle size, that's why most bodybuilders use it as their main "pumping" agent. Along with the strength and endurance boost, creatine offers muscles a much heavier appearance. However, it also serves as a stimulus for protein syntesis.

Last but not least, creatine does not come with potentially dangerous side effects like steroids for example, also used for quick mucle mass gain. However, cases of kidney and liver damage were reported due to heavy creatine use, that's why it's not recommended to people with a precarious health condition of these organs.

Now, creatine is used for muscle building in conjunction with various other supplements, by most bodybuilders. There are many supplements formulas out there that actually include creatine. For example, to have a look at some of them, check this source.