5 Ways Creatine Can Improve Your Workouts

What is Creatine?

Often confused as a steroid or hormone, creatine is actually a compound of three amino acids and naturally produced by the body. It is found primarily in the muscles and brain. Creatine is also found in animal muscles and can be consumed by eating meats such as beef, pork, and fish. It has many benefits including: enhanced exercise performance, support for muscle growth, faster recovery times, improved cognitive function, and it is convenient and cheap.

1. Enhanced Exercise Performance

Perhaps the most well-known advantage of creatine supplementation is enhanced exercise performance. During exercise, a molecule known as ATP becomes ADP. Creatine helps turn that ADP back into ATP to help muscles with a more steady supply of energy during high-intensity workouts like weightlifting or sprinting. The increased amount of energy made available due to this process can help to train harder and for longer.

2. Support for Muscle Growth

Because creatine helps boost exercise performance, it can also help support muscle growth. Creatine allows for more volume during a workout which, over time, can lead to more muscle growth. Studies have also shown that people who take creatine consistently were able to increase their strength and fat free mass.

3. Faster Recovery Times

In addition to boosting exercise performance and muscle growth, creatine can aid in recovery after intense workouts. Research has shown that creatine may reduce dehydration and muscle soreness due to its ability to help with water retention in the muscles. This benefit means less downtime between training sessions which allows individuals to train more frequently and effectively.

4. Improved Cognitive Function

A surprising benefit of creatine actually extends beyond physical performance. Relatively new research suggests that creatine supplementation may also benefit brain function. Creatine may be able to enhance short-term memory and reduce mental fatigue. For students engaged in intensive study periods or individuals undergoing demanding mental tasks, creatine could help enhance focus and performance.

5. Convenient and Cheap

Another benefit to creatine supplementation is that it is convenient and cheap. One scoop of creatine is equal to the amount of creatine found in 2.8lbs (1.3kg) of beef. Not only is getting all your creatine from meat a lot of calories and inconvenient, it also gets very expensive very quick. A 500g container of creatine can cost as little as $20 and last around 100 days if taken consistently. However, 2.8lbs of beef costs roughly $18 and, for 100 days, would end up costing around $1,800. Creatine supplementation is much cheaper and, because it is mostly in a powder form, can easily be mixed in with a smoothie, milk, or water.

Conclusion

In summary, creatine is a great supplement to add to your daily routine. It can significantly improve various aspects of physical performance and daily life. Creatine's versatility, from increased exercise performance and recovery to improved cognitive function and its affordability, makes integrating it worth considering.