What's the point of creatine?

[dextar]

Is it true that all creatine does is make you appear buffer by filling up your muscle cells with water? Isn't that kind of like when women get fake boobs? lol. Anyway, when you stop taking creatine, don't all your gains disappear? So what's the point? I don't want to look big only when I'm taking the supplement.

[GimpyPaw]

Just taking a wild guess here, but you didn't run a search on this topic, did you?

Creatine is just one of the many amino acids found naturally in meats. Fish has the highest levels of it, if I remember correctly. What it does is basically help pump more water into your muscle cells. What it DOES NOT DO is puff your muscles up. I very seriously doubt a tape measure could detect a difference in your arm size when using creatine vs. not. It's a simple matter of cellular hydration. Fluid GOOD, no fluid BAD. When the muscle cells are hydrated they work better.

The main reason I take creatine is the increased muscle recovery. I'm not as sore after workouts, as compaired to when I'm off creatine, and the soreness does not last as long. I can also detect a small but noticable increase in energy levels durring my workouts. Nothing huge, but it does help me work harder and up the intensity of my workouts.

As for loosing the gains, that doesn't happen either. Yes there is a slight drop in workout energy levels, but again, it's only slight. As long as you've got your nutrition, sleep, and training in order the use of creatine will just help accelerate your muscle building. Body building is like traveling a long road in a car. If food is the gas that runs the car, then using creatine would be like adding some octaine booster to the tank. You will get down the road a little faster, but it's not like you slam the car in reverse if you don't add more octaine the next time you fill up.

[dextar]

I see, thanks for clearing things up. Is it hard on your liver though? That's the only other bad thing I've heard about it.

[Zachattack43]

I see, thanks for clearing things up. Is it hard on your liver though? That's the only other bad thing I've heard about it.

maybe you should become deaf like me, because what you hear is total BS, please read some very informing articles about creatine by Tallon and a few others. Also if you take some basic sports science classes you will understand how creatine comes into play with regards to ATP-Creatine Phosphate system in your body