The Truth About Creatine Monohydrate

This posting is going to talk about the truth behind creatine monohydrate and some of the myths that accompany it. It's one of the most controversial products because people do not fully understand what it is and how to use it properly. I'm hopefully going to answer some of your questions and clarify some of the crazy claims that people make about creatine in general.

What is Creatine Monohydrate? It is one of the most effective supplements available over the counter to build lean muscle mass and increase strength and energy. The basic product itself is very in-expensive and gives you great gains for the cost you pay out of your pocket. Creatine is naturally produced in the body and supplied to your muscles as energy. (Most commonly used in ATP). It's 100% natural and also found in food such as red meat,  salmon, and tuna. The most effective form of creatine is creatine powder. These supplements are 99% pure creatine and a small dosage daily is all that is needed to increase creatine levels in your muscles.

By taking creatine monohydrate you can expect to see strength gains of 5 to 7 percent. When you take that into consideration, that means you are likely going to be able to add 10 pounds to your bench press or 5 pounds to your bicep curls. It's not a magic poison that will increase your strength gains considerably more than that.

You do not need to load creatine, if the packaging is telling you to do so, it's simply trying to get you to use more product quicker. A standard 5 gr serving is all that your body needs to increase the amount of creatine delivered to your muscles via the bloodstream.

Creatine will not  make you fat, fat will make you fat. It will however make your muscles look fuller as they will hold more water. If fat is present, you'll look fat and it's not because of creatine. This i'm speaking from experience as i took 20 grams of creatine daily up until the day of each fitness show that I did in the fall of 2011.

Cycling creatine is a must and normally recommended that you do 30 days on 30 days off. This is great guidelines that are safe and you will see results from doing so. I personally have seen greater success by using 60 days on and 30 days off. It allows my body to capitalize on having the extra creatine in my system longer before cycling off of it. 

Creatine will not work if you do not workout. You need to stimulate the muscles to be able to utilize the creatine from the supplement. Drink plenty of water, eat clean, and train hard