WHAT DOES CREATINE DO FOR MUSCLE GROWTH?

Are you training without creatine? No joke? Why?

Creatine has been scientifically proven to enhance your strength, which can equate to muscle growth. If you love mixing your pre-workout before training and can’t stay away from the protein once you’ve finished, do yourself a favour and add creatine to your stack.

This feels like a good place to start.

Creatine is a substance found naturally in your muscle cells and is known to help your muscles produce energy during exercise while supporting muscle strength and growth. As you can imagine, it is one of (if not) the most popular supplements in the sports nutrition industry.

Produced in the liver, kidneys and pancreas, creatine acts as a fuel source during intense exercise and can provide your body with the energy required for demanding activities like weightlifting or sprinting. While your body can be ingested through red meat and seafood, adding a creatine supplement to your nutrition regime can help you increase the amount of creatine stored in your muscles, which can lead to improved muscular endurance, strength, power output and energy (Mawer, R. 2017).

Basically, if you want bigger, fuller muscles, trust creatine.

Still not convinced? Let’s talk about creatine benefits, and then we’ll change your mind.

As you’ve probably heard through gym talk and social media, creatine is excellent when it comes to building muscle and increasing volume.

Creatine turns into creatine phosphate in the body, which in turn transforms into a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the source of energy that is used and stored at a cellular level and is commonly referred to as the “energy currency” of the cell (Dunn, J et al. 2023). The ATP provides the energy required for muscle contractions and blood circulation and can promote increased strength and power output during intense exercise.

When it comes to the benefits of creatine, you’re not just going to condense it into one sentence because there are A LOT of benefits when it comes to supporting muscle growth.

It helps muscles produce more energy

As we touched on above, creatine works by increasing your muscles’ phosphocreatine stores, which in turn promotes the formation of ATP. That ATP is broken down during intense exercise to produce energy.

Creatine supports muscle mass

Creatine is famous for its ability to facilitate added muscle mass. The most obvious method is the way creatine supplements can increase the water content in your muscles as the cell volumisation helps to increase muscle size. Creatine can also alter certain cellular pathways that lead to new muscle growth (Mawer, R. 2019).

Creatine can enhance strength and power

Creatine is one of the most reliable supplements when it comes to increasing strength and power output because of its role in ATP energy production. Creatine supplementation can increase the ratio of phosphocreatine in skeletal muscle tissue, which can improve the limit for rapid ATP resynthesis during repeated, high-intensity exercise (Wu, S et al. 2022).

Creatine can accelerate muscle growth

Creatine has been shown through research to significantly increase lean body weight and muscle size. It is one of the best options available if you’re trying to capitalise on your hard work at the gym and accelerate muscle growth. With long-term usage, creatine can assist with muscle fibre growth, signalling key biological pathways while supporting your training performance (Mawer, R. 2019).

This is the question we know you’ve been waiting on. How does creatine help build muscle? We’ve touched on it already, but let’s make it clear.

One of the best things about creatine is that it is suitable for anybody, from beginners to advanced weight lifters. In fact, one particular 8-week study found that creatine could increase muscle mass when incorporated into a regular workout routine. This included improved strength and muscle mass in resistance training, while myostatin levels (a protein that inhibits muscle cell growth) were also reduced (Saremi, A et al. 2010).

Creatine is known to increase the water content in your muscle cells, which can improve the volume of your muscles, presenting the appearance of bigger and fuller muscles.

Furthermore, creatine can increase the IGF-1 hormone, which plays a critical role in muscle growth. During training, supplementing with creatine can help you reduce muscle breakdown, which can lead to a greater amount of muscle growth in the long term while also giving you the fuel to endure longer sets and repetitions, while even lifting heavier weights during your sets (Mawer, R. 2017).

So, what is the best creatine to take for muscle growth? Creatine monohydrate is definitely the most reliable form of creatine on the market and offers the best safety record and scientific research to support its effectiveness.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the best creatine monohydrate supplements in Australia.

If you’re looking for a reliable and affordable creatine formula that can help you build muscle, Evolve Creatine Monohydrate can provide what you’re looking for. With formula is 100% pure creatine monohydrate that is pharmaceutical-grade and free of any additives and fillers.

This pure and high-performing supplement uses micronised creatine monohydrate that dissolves easily and absorbs quickly into the muscles. As one of the best creatine monohydrate formulas in Australia, Evolve Creatine Monohydrate is perfect for athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts who want to build muscle, increase strength, and improve their exercise performance.

Switch things up with Switch Nutrition Creatine. This formula is made with the highest quality of micronised creatine monohydrate and works to enhance muscle strength, size, and endurance.

One of the most appealing aspects of Switch Nutrition Creatine is its versatility. This supplement is suitable for anyone, from elite athletes to gym enthusiasts just starting out and can help you improve your strength, exercise performance and muscle volumisation. With no artificial additives or fillers, this flavourless powder can be stacked with your favourite supplements to combine the benefits and accelerate your muscle growth goals.

If those powders and scoops don’t suit you, turn your eyes to the best creatine capsules on the market. Max’s Creatine Capsules are easy to swallow and convenient for those who lead busy lifestyles while delivering pure micronised creatine monohydrate.

These creatine capsules provide your muscles with the energy they need to endure intense sets of exercise, helping you to lift heavier weights, improve your lifting capacity or sprint faster for longer. Regular use of Max’s Creatine Capsules can help you to build muscle mass, increase strength, and improve muscular endurance, maximising the results of your workouts.

When it comes to taking creatine, the best way to enhance absorption is to combine it with complex carbs or a creatine transport system like Creatine RX. This formula contains creatine monohydrate, along with a creatine-transport system that can help you utilise the creatine that you consume. The best part? It actually has flavour. If you’ve ever tried creatine on its own, you’ll know it basically tastes like chalk. Not in this case; Creatine RX is like nothing else on the market, coming in refreshing apple and pine orange flavours that will leave you wanting more.

This formula contains GlycerSizeTM can enhance hydration, improve stamina and promote fully saturated muscles. Astragin is included to enhance absorption, allowing you to maximise the absorption of creatine while you train and can actually enhance the effectiveness of creatine by approximately 33% (Hoermann, G. 2021).

In blunt summary, creatine can improve your muscle growth by enhancing ATP production, promoting muscle mass and inciting strength and endurance that can fuel you through high-intensity training. Creatine is tried, trusted and supported by science, so don’t sleep on this supplement. Creatine is versatile and can be stacked with your favourite pre-workout and protein shake.

Want to learn more about the benefits of creatine? Check out our blog on The Best 7 Creatine Supplements and, for any of you ladies who are worried about creatine, read Creatine for Women: Benefits and How to Take.

If you need help finding the best creatine to take for muscle growth, our friendly team at ASN can help you out. Simply reach out online or visit us in-store for help finding the best creatine in Australia.

Mawer, R. 2017, ‘How Creatine Helps you Gain Muscle and Strength’, Healthline, accessed 26 April 2023, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/creatine-for-muscle-and-strength

Dunn, J et al. 2023, ‘Physiology, Adenosine Triphosphate’, National Library of Medicine, accessed 26 April 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553175/#:~:text=Adenosine%20triphosphate%20(ATP)%20is%20the,three%20serially%20bonded%20phosphate%20groups.

Mawer, R. 2019, ‘10 Health and Performance Benefits of Creatine’, Healthline, accessed 26 April 2023, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-creatine

Wu, S et al. 2022, ‘Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth: A Scoping Review of Randomized Clinical Trials from 2012 to 2021’, National Library of Medicine, accessed 26 April 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8949037/#:~:text=Creatine%20monohydrate%20supplementation%20can%20increase,12%2C13%2C14%5D.

Saremi, A et al. 2022, ‘Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on serum myostatin and GASP-1’, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, accessed 26 April 2023, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0303720709006388?via%3Dihub

Hoermann, G. 2021, ‘AstraGin®: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage And Supplements’, Fitness Informant, accessed 26 April 2023, https://fitnessinformant.com/ingredients/astragin/