Health & Fitness Blog: Creatine is a waste of money

There are times when I get so tired of hearing about the glory of creatine supplementation. A lot of weightlifters and bodybuilders take this particular supplement but, for the most part, it is way overrated. Creatine helps your muscle cells retain water and stored energy (mainly by helping increase levels of ATP, somewhat). By doing what they call "creatine loading," it generally helps your body exert itself to the fullest. But does it help repair muscle? And does it help you gain muscle mass? If your body is low on creatine, then, yes, this supplement may also help with protein synthesis for repair and possibly boost a bit of growth, as well. But are you really low in this substance?

You will typically gain a few pounds from the supplementation itself fairly quickly, but that is mostly from water retention and not from actual tissue formation. Who normally wants to have water gains? Now, in some cases, it helps people work harder to achieve higher gains in their lifts, etc., even though this can normally be achieved without taking supplements of creatine. Your body produces a lot of this good stuff, but vegetarians and older people are often on the edge of not having enough - especially if they are participating in intense workouts for bodybuilding purposes.

Personally, I think creatine is a complete waste of money for most people! Only unless you're a vegetarian, an older person that could use a boost in muscle energy, or a hardcore bodybuilding beast with the ambition to achieve a steroid-like freaky build (even then, creatine is not totally your answer - maybe something illegal like steroids, perhaps), you may find this supplement worthy of the high dollar sign. I usually detest the unnatural route, and especially when it can be avoided. For the ones that are looking for natural forms of creatine, it is abundantly found in most meats. I'd recommend red meat & fish or seafood, for example. Foods like Salmon & Tuna are really packing the natural form of creatine, but I understand that not everyone eats fish all the time.

Since this supplement mainly hydrates your muscle cells with a possible side of a little extra ATP production, I see no need why a healthy eater would need this unless, like I said before, you're a strict vegetarian, getting on up there in years, or an intense weightlifter. Hence forth the title, "Creatine is a waste of money - for most people!"

Now, if you're "doing it big" and don't mind a little extra water weight on your body for a fuller pump, and you are seeking a fairly safe supplement (for the most part), then creatine may not be a waste of money. I still wouldn't overdo it, though, since your body normally produces what your diet lacks. If you decide to take a decent amount of creatine, just make sure you add extra water to your diet or else you may just add "muscle cramps" to your list of gains, as well. Ha!

If you need some extra energy, try ginseng as an herbal supplement and make sure you're eating healthy while also getting enough protein. Zinc & Magnesium intake is also important during physical fitness training. You can get most of the minerals (that help support muscle growth and a high level of testosterone) you need by adding nuts, seeds, and legumes to your existing diet (but you might want to add Vitamin C to combat the phytic acid in those so you can absorb more nutrients). Anyway, be wary of the hype and don't waste your money on crap that you don't need. Cheers!

...Need a natural source of Creatine? Eat this: