Creatine: effects and use in training

Creatine’s effect on training is the simple reason this supplement has remained a talking point among gym-goers for years. Here, we unpack the ideas in an older article in plain Estonian: what creatine does in your body, when to take it and why taking it with carbohydrates may work better in some cases.

Why does creatine matter?

Creatine is no new buzzword. The French scientist Chevreul discovered it in muscle fibers back in 1832. Later, in 1932, researchers reported that the human body contains approximately ~100gr of creatine, with 95% of it found in the muscles. Those figures offer a pretty good clue as to why athletes talk about it so much.

The simple truth is that creatine helps your muscles use energy more quickly during short, intense efforts. It will not do your workout for you. But it may help when you need that extra rep or two at the end of a set, a little more sharpness in a sprint or a reserve of strength on a tough day.

Creatine is also known by the chemical name methylguanidoacetic acid. In the body, it is associated with amino acids such as arginine, methionine and glycine. Creatine is produced mainly in the liver and, to some extent, in the kidneys. It travels through the blood to the muscles, where it is converted into creatine phosphate, also known as phosphocreatine. A kinase plays a role in this process, helping creatine bind to a phosphate group.

The average person’s metabolism requires approximately ~2gr of creatine a day. Your body usually produces this itself to maintain its levels. Once creatine has done its job, some of it is converted into creatinine and leaves the body in urine. This is why blood tests also measure creatinine when assessing how well the kidneys filter the blood.

It is important to keep things in perspective here. The original text emphasizes that although creatine may raise creatinine levels, toxicity and kidney damage have not been reported with normal use. If you have kidney disease or your doctor is monitoring your test results, ask for advice before taking the supplement. That is not a sign of weakness; it is a sensible check.

Dietary creatine comes mainly from meat and fish. An example from the older article was quite telling: to achieve a performance benefit, you would initially need to eat approximately ~5kg of meat over five days, followed by 1kg a day. In practice, that is unrealistic for most people, even with a healthy appetite.

How does creatine work in the body?

Creatine’s main value in training is that it helps muscles replenish energy more quickly during short efforts. According to the older article, 2 effects are particularly important: greater muscle work capacity thanks to increased energy availability, and higher creatine levels in the muscles. That may not sound glamorous, but it is often a difference you can feel in the gym.

Creatine enters muscle cells along with water. The more creatine your muscles store, the more water the muscle fibers may contain. This does not simply mean “puffiness” under the skin. It concerns muscle cell volume, which may be linked to better protein synthesis and slower protein breakdown.

This is why many people see their body weight rise in the first few weeks. The original text emphasizes that the greatest benefit may come during the first couple of months, and that after one month of use, muscle creatine stores are already fairly full. Frankly, it is worth taking this in stride: water can also account for weight gain, but the quality of your training is a better measure than the number on the scale in the morning.

The older material refers to early work in The Journal of Biological Chemistry 26 (1926): 29-41. More than 70 years ago, it was already suggesting that creatine could help build muscle mass and raise nitrogen levels. In 1981, the New England Journal of Medicine published an article on the work of Dr. J. Sipila and colleagues, who observed increased strength and a 10% increase in body weight in patients with gyrate atrophy, as well as a 2-second improvement in one athlete’s 100-meter sprint time.

Later, Dr. Eric Hultman, P. Greenhaff and colleagues at Karolinska University developed the loading approach: 20gr/day for one week, followed by 5gr a day. Dr. Greenhaff’s work at the University of Nottingham in 1993 and 1994 described the same idea in more detail. Muscle biopsies showed that 20gr a day, divided into doses throughout the day, could increase creatine levels in muscle fibers by up to 25%. Those levels could then be maintained with smaller amounts, such as 2-5gr.

Taking creatine: when and how much?

When and how you take creatine depends on your goals, your body and your routine. The classic approach is a loading phase followed by maintenance. The original text describes a protocol using 20-30gr for seven days, followed by 5-10gr for 4-5 weeks, before starting the cycle again.

Does everyone need this? Not necessarily. Many people do well with a simpler daily dose, but the older article’s aim was to explain the research-based loading model used at the time. If you are asking when to take creatine, the original text gives a very practical answer: the best time is immediately after a workout. At that point, conditions in the muscles may favor creatine transport.

A. Almada described another protocol for competitive athletes. Creatine use is stopped 2-3 weeks before competition to allow levels to fall. According to Dr. Greenhaff, a 4-week break may be better. Supplementation then resumes 10-14 days before competition, with 20-30gr a day taken with dextrose and divided into equal doses throughout the day.

So what actually happens? With more creatine in your muscles, you can often train a little more and for longer. The original text suggests that after 2 weeks of taking creatine, muscle growth may become more noticeable precisely because you can increase your training volume. This is an important distinction: creatine does not build muscle without training; it helps you train more effectively.

Creatine and carbohydrates

The old article places strong emphasis on combining creatine + carbohydrates. It claims that creatine works up to 60 % better when combined with carbohydrates such as dextrose or glucose. The laboratory at Creighton University and Dr. Paul Greenhaff attributed the improved effect specifically to insulin helping transport creatine into muscle cells.

Using Phosphagen HP as an example, the article described how creatine + carbohydrates could improve anaerobic performance by up to 30% more than pure creatine. In Dr. Green’s study, creatine uptake by muscle cells improved by 50% and glycogen synthesis by 200%. These are large figures quoted in the original text, so they should be treated as part of a historical article rather than as a present-day recommendation on what to buy.

Experiments by A.Almada and colleagues used a combination of 35gr of dextrose and 5gr of creatine. Later, 1gr of taurine, amino acids, disodium phosphate and potassium phosphate were added. The formulation was named Phosphagen HPtm Hight Perfomance Creatine Transport Systemtm. The study involved 30 participants, divided into three groups of 10: a placebo group receiving 35gr of carbohydrates, a group receiving 5gr of creatine, and a Phosphagen HP group. All had three years of training experience. Measurements included body mass, bench press strength, 100m sprint performance and vertical jumps.

The original text states that over four weeks, the Phosphagen HP group saw greater gains in muscle mass, strength, speed and jumping performance, as well as a greater reduction in body fat, than the other groups. However, today’s readers should remember that the mention of an old product name does not automatically mean it is the product to buy. The broader point is that taking creatine and carbohydrates together may work better for some people than creatine alone.

Creatine safety and practical considerations

On safety, the original article states explicitly that creatine is a safe supplement, even at the doses used by elite bodybuilders. It cites a study involving men and women aged 32-70. They took 20gr of creatine five days a week, followed by 10gr for fifty-one (51) days. No adverse effects were observed, strength increased and cholesterol levels fell by 22%.

This does not mean you should try everything blindly. Some people have sensitive stomachs. Some do not drink enough water. Some do little training and expect a supplement to work miracles. If you use creatine, combine it with regular training, sensible eating and adequate fluid intake.

Dr. P.Greenhaff found that 2 out of 10 athletes did not respond well to creatine. This is an important observation. If you are among those who see no change in strength, reps or recovery, you do not have to force yourself to keep taking the supplement. A training log will tell you more here than how you feel when you look in the mirror.

The original article was fairly skeptical about cycling creatine. The idea comes from steroid use, where cycles are used to manage side effects and receptor adaptation. Dr. Greenhaff’s studies showed that cycling creatine offers no particular advantages. When you stop taking it, your body’s own creatine production resumes.

In practice, consistency matters. If you take creatine only when you remember, its effects are harder to assess. If you follow the same routine every day, you can see more clearly whether your reps, the weights you lift and your recovery are moving in the right direction.

FAQ: creatine at a glance

Does creatine build muscle on its own?

No. Creatine may help you train harder and at a slightly higher volume, but muscle growth still depends on the combined effects of training, food and recovery.

When should you take creatine?

According to the original article, the best time is immediately after your workout. Consistency is still the main priority, because creatine’s effects depend on building up the stores in your muscles.

Do you have to take creatine with carbohydrates?

No, but the old article describes how creatine + carbohydrates may improve uptake. It particularly emphasized the role of dextrose and glucose through their effects on insulin.

A wide range of creatine products, HERE!

Author: Fibrill

Source: WHO – physical activity.

Come and train! ArtGym