Creatine is, by far, one of the most popular and most effective bodybuilding supplements in use today due to its quick-resulting size and strength gains. It is not uncommon to gain 6 lbs or more of body weight within 2 to 3 weeks of use with noticably larger muscles. Creatine is a great way to build lean muscle quickly and safely!

The 4 different types of creatine products:

Kre-Alkylyn - Latest pH buffered creatine. More absorption.
Creatine Ethyl Ester - More readily absorbed. Less bloating.
Creatine Monohydrate - The original - most economical.
Creatine All In One Products - combined with nitric oxide, glutamine, amino acids etc to maximize gains. Usually taken during the critical windows 30 minutes prior to and 30 minutes after your balls to the wall intense training session.

WHAT IS CREATINE?
Creatine is an amino acid (a protein building block) which is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine and excreted as the by-product creatinine in the urine. Creatine in the form of creatine phosphate (phosphocreatine) is an important form of high-energy phosphate found in skeletal muscle cells.

During high-intensity exercise lasting for a short time (15 to 30 seconds), phosphocreatine is broken down into phosphate and creatine. The energy released is used to regenerate ATP, the primary source of energy.

As phosphocreatine becomes depleted, output power drops because ATP cannot be regenerated fast enough. Therefore, more energy is available for use. In short-duration, high-intensity anaerobic sports such as weight lifting or sprinting, it is logical that more creatine phosphate in the muscles would allow greater ATP regeneration to produce more energy and increase performance. Dosages of 20-25 grams have been used in most studies relating to athletic performance.

Creatine is not useful to increase performance in endurance (aerobically oriented) exercise.

CREATINE SOURCES:
About half of an individual's daily need of creatine is synthesized in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas from the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine. The other half is provided from the diet.

Meat or fish are the best natural sources of creatine. There is about 1 g of creatine in a half pound of raw meat. However, for purposes of "loading" the skeletal muscles to gain ergogenic benefits, it is not feasible to get extra creatine from the diet alone. Supplementation is necessary.

CREATINE SIDE EFFECTS:
The only well-documented side effect has been weight gain. This is due to water being stored in the muscle cells (volumization), general water weight gain, and also an increase in lean muscle tissue. Unsubstantiated side effects, which have been reported, include greater incidence of muscle cramping, strains, and pulls; gastrointestinal distress; kidney impairment; and liver damage. However, studies have been done which negate these claims.

HOW TO TAKE CREATINE:
The recommended dosage for creatine monohydrate products is 20 grams per day for 5 days in divided doses during a "loading" phase and then 5 grams (1 teaspoon) per day during the "maintenance" phase. The loading phase is not necessary, though, but it'll just take longer to fully saturate the muscle cells with all the creatine that it can hold. Example: take upon waking, 1 hour preworkout, 1 hour post workout and in evening. On non-workout days, take 1 dose every 4 hours. (The most important times to take is pre-workout, post-workout and morning.) Studies show that taking creatine with a simple sugar such as grape juice will give an insulin response that will shuttle more creatine into muscle cells. The new wave of creatine supplements have the sugar mixed in with the creatine. Specifically Dextrose. These formulas have special types of sugars as well as added ingredients (lipoic acid etc.) to deliver even more creatine to the muscle cells! I personally prefer Muscle Tech's Cell Tech due to the addition of Taurine, Dextrose and Lipoic Acid to the formula. My second choice would be TRAC when I am really trying to avoid those extra sugar calories. V12 shows some promise but I have not yet tried.

Important! The new Creatine Ethyl Esters and Kre-Alkylyn products do NOT require a loading phase and people seem to respond on only 2-3 grams per day. Less water retention, bloating and cramping have been reported with these new products! I have used MuscleTech Creatine Ethyl Ester, VPX CEX Creatine and Kre Alkalyn Creatine and like these products very much! For those looking for an All In One Product, it is tough to beat BSN's Cell Mass

People repond to creatine differently. Some guys (gals) blow-up on it while others only see moderate gains. My brother is very sensitive to creatine and after the loading phase he gets huge and pumped. He is a thin set person. I am a more moderate responder maybe due to the fact that I tend to be heavier set than him. Almost everyone experiences some type of strength/weight gain. If you are a low responder to Creatine (about 10% of lifters) try an Nitric Oxide Vasodilator which causes huge pumps and strength gain via a totally different pathway - nitrous oxide loading. Or do like me and stack both for maximum gains!

Read more about different creatines by clicking here!