Does Creatine Make Your Muscles Bigger?

If you’re not familiar with creatine, it is a nutrient that increases muscle performance in short-duration, high-intensity resistance exercises. It is one of the most well-researched supplements available, and it has been shown to have numerous benefits for athletes of all skill levels. Tonal coach and certified personal trainer Joe Rodonis uses creatine as part of his training regimen, and he says it has helped him to make bigger gains in the gym by allowing him to train harder for longer periods.

Does creatine make your muscles bigger works through a few different mechanisms, but one of the most important is that it makes your muscles bigger by volumizing them. This means that the cells fill up with water, which can lead to some temporary weight gain as a result of the cell expansion and the fact that it also increases protein synthesis, which is how your muscles grow.

Size Matters: Understanding the Impact of Creatine on Muscle Growth

Another way that creatine increases muscle growth is by reducing the amount of myostatin that you have, which is a protein that limits muscle growth. A study published in 2000 in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that trained weight lifters who took creatine had lower myostatin levels than those who took a placebo.

If you want to get the most out of creatine, it’s a good idea to use a product like Kre-Alkalyn or creatine hydrochloride, as this allows you to skip the loading phase and just start taking the dose that is recommended on the label. Generally, you’ll want to take your creatine on an empty stomach to avoid digestive issues. For best results, try to stick with the same time every day to take your creatine, so that it can be consistently absorbed into your muscles.