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Creatine is an effective and legal supplement used to build muscle tissue and increase your strength. The energy molecule, ATP stored in your body is needed for short burst and explosive movements.
Creatine has both positive and negative aspects to your body, therefore you need to consider the pros and cons to determine whether the supplement is right for you.
Pros:
1. Stronger: Creatine act as a supplement for strength and is used as number one weight training because it gives instant results. It makes you strong within a few weeks into its use.
2. Bigger: Short burst movements makes you muscle size bigger. As you get stronger, the more strength to lift more weight and this helps to increase the muscle size.
3. Retain muscles: It helps to retain your muscles during fat loss. The supplement helps maximize the performance during your normal workout. It effectively maintains your strength as well as retain the muscle size.
4. Safe and effective method: Creatine is a safe and effective muscle building component for both short and long-term use.
5. Cost effective: Creatine is the most effective and cheaper muscle building supplement compared to going to the gym and lifting weights to gain muscles.
6. Water retention: It causes an additional water retention which is directly stored in the muscle cells.
7. Decrease muscle cramps: A study carried on 1500 athletes indicated that, use of creatine reduce muscle cramping during high-intensity activity.
8. Enhances brain function: Creatine is an important neuroprotection agent that enhance survival of the nerve cells. It is also made of three amino acid components which improve brain function.
9. Medication for various health issues: Creatine is be used to treat some diseases like concussions, muscle loss, and even neuromuscular disorder.
10. Enhance performance: The stored creatine in your body helps the muscle to produce more energy during rigorous exercise thus enhancing your performance. The excess creatine is metabolized to boost your liver and later excreted inform of urine.
Cons:
1. Temporary supplement: Creatine is a temporary boost to your strength and when it is done right, it is more effective. If you have to maintain your strength and muscle gain, you need to continuously use it.
2. Affects protein intake: The aftertaste of the supplement affects your taste buds and therefore you have to fight the urge of adding sweeteners to offset the taste. If you’re using the powdered supplement, you need to add 5grams of it to your proteins every day.
3. Less effective: It doesn’t work for every activity and if you’re a casual gym person or an endurance athlete, then creatine will be less effective for you.
4. No shortcuts: Creatine is effective if you workout to improve muscle size and strength. Without exercises, the drug is ineffective
5. Dehydration: Although the supplement helps to store water in the muscle cells, it is advisable to take 200-250ml of water per 2.5g of creatine taken. This helps reduce dehydration over a long time.
6. Noticeable improvement: Sometimes taking the supplement is not a guarantee you will notice any performance improvement. The supplement may or may not help you.
7. Does not do anything on its own: Unlike steroids which directly increase your muscle mass, creatine only gives you additional energy to keep your muscles from being toned easily. You can only notice your performance during weight training or sports.
8. Long-term investment: If you want to maintain your athletic performance, you have to part away with huge investment although the final results it is worth it.
9. Drug interactions: High quantities of creatine affect you kidney especially if you have a history of kidney diseases. The supplement can interfere with kidney and diabetes drugs.
10. Side effects: Taking caffeine and creatine leads to some health risk like the stroke. It also causes mania to those with bipolar disorder.
