Does Creatine Build Muscle?

Exciting new research has shown that creatine does build muscle, but indirectly. This is fantastic news for creatine users, who now not only get the proven anaerobic energy benefits creatine provides (thus enhancing their workouts and recovery times), but also receive this secondary muscle building benefit, too. We’ll take a look at both of these mechanisms through which creatine works and explain how both help you to build muscle.

Increased Anaerobic Energy Supply

This is the most widely known way in which creatine works. In a nutshell, it boosts anaerobic energy which enables you to lift heavier weights for longer, and recover more quickly.

You can read more in more detail about this process here: http://www.creatinefiend.com/how-creatine-works/

Decreased Myostatin

This is the mechanism uncovered by new research. Myostatin is a protein, but a protein which muscle builders don’t want – because it’s actually a protein which inhibits muscle growth!

A study conducted in 2010 shows that myostatin levels are significantly reduced in creatine users, which means people who are currently using creatine will likely be capable of packing on more muscle mass than if they weren’t using creatine.

You can see this research here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20026378

Conclusion

At risk of probably preaching to the choir (hey, sue me), it has to be said that creatine alone will not build significant muscle. Nor will it transform a poor diet and muscle building regime into a working one. Your workout regime and diet must already be solid and capable of building muscle for creatine inclusion to have an appreciable effect. Many who use creatine do so out of desperation to ‘fix’ a fundamentally broken diet/training regime and find themselves disappointed.

Don’t put the cart before the horse. Capisce?