Should I Use Creatine?

Whether or not you should use creatine depends upon your circumstances and what your goals are, because creatine can either help you or hinder you. Therefore, this question must be broken down into scenarios, and an answer given for each scenario as to whether you should take use creatine or not, and why.

Should I use creatine if…

…I’m trying to lose weight?

Are you asking if you want to lose any kind of weight, or only lose fat weight, because there’s a huge difference. Creatine can help a person to lose fat because it not only provides the body with superior anaerobic energy for heavy duty weight training which helps to burn fat during a workout, but also after a workout as the muscles have to repair more deeply, and also as it reduces myostatin levels in the body and re-restricts muscle growth, and more muscle means you have a better shot at burning fat levels and keeping your fat levels lower. In this instance, yes, you should use creatine.

If, however, you want to lose any kind of weight to keep within a weight class for a particular sporting activity then I would strongly advise against it unless your training program isn’t hypertrophy based. Creatine can also cause a person to horde more water in their bodies which can also cause a bump in overall body weight.

…I’m trying to build muscle?

Yes, you should use it in this instance. Creatine has been shown to improve anaerobic strength training endurance, top end strength, and recovery and hypertrophy. This is the ideal task for which creatine can be used.

…I’m trying to lose fat?

This question has already been answered in greater detail, but to recap: Yes. Creatine, coupled with a heavy duty weight training regime and a calorie restricted diet will help you to lose fat.

…I’m competing in sports?

Creatine will help you in explosive events (or events that require explosive power and speed), but it will do little-to-nothing for longer endurance events. At the time of writing, creatine isn’t banned in most sporting competitions at professional level and shouldn’t be banned at lower levels, either. Creatine isn’t a stimulant, and is naturally found in many foods so really can’t be banned. Make sure you always keep up to date with the rules, however, as things can always change.