The word “creatine” is derived from the Greek word “Creas” and means meat. Creatine is an amino acid that our body can produce itself. If we consume enough protein, our body can produce 1 – 2 grams of creatine per day via the kidneys, liver and pancreas.
In particular, by taking food supplements and a diet with a lot of red meat, creatine – Admission are encouraged. The amino acid creatine is mainly stored in the muscles, in the heart and in the brain.
If the creatine stores are full, you can do a short sprint give full throttle longer and hold out for a few seconds longer. Why is that? Our body has the fascinating “phosphagen system”. This system supplies the muscles with energy, which we need for very short but very intense loads (10 seconds or less).
Our muscles are very demanding: The only fuel they can use is ATP (= adenosine triphosphate ). The phosphagen system is able to replenish the used ATP quickly and sustainably.
And this is how this process works:
- ATP consists of three phosphates (therefore adenosine- tri-phosphat)
- As soon as a phosphate is split off, stored energy is released -> energy that our muscles can use
- What remains is the ADP ( = Adenosine- di -phosphate) -> a molecule that consists of 2 phosphates
- In order to produce more ATP from ADP, the muscle needs new phosphate and quickly 😊
- This is where the creatine phosphate comes into play: This converts the ADP back into ATP, which enables you to finish the sprint as desired.
Simply put: more creatine -> more ATP -> more performance with short intense exercise
However, when preparing for a marathon, you need to reduce your intensity. Here your body switches to another type of energy supply, in which creatine does not play a role.
Simply put: Creatine gives you energy during short and intense loads, such as Pull-ups, sprints – but not in a marathon.
When the muscles store creatine, the body also draws more water. As a result, the muscle often appears more defined and plump. In the long term, a good creatine supply also affects other elements of muscle metabolism:
- Faster build-up of muscles
- Better regeneration after intense strength training
- Muscles can store more glycogen (= carbohydrates), these provide energy and are not converted into fat
Creatine is generally well tolerated and a safe food supplement. In healthy people, no clinically relevant side effects that can be traced back to creatine intake are known to date.
With very high !! Dosing may cause digestive problems or stomach cramps. The fluid intake was mostly neglected.
The positive effect is observed with a creatine intake of 3 – 5 grams per day. If you have not yet taken a creatine food supplement, you can insert a 1-week recharge phase before switching to a maintenance phase:
- Recharge phase: 1 week, 0.3 g creatine per kg daily – Take your body weight
- Maintenance phase: 3 – 5 g daily
Use the dosages as a guide: “More helps more” doesn’t do anything here.
Meat with a lot of creatine:
(= data per 1 kg of red meat)
- Minced beef or steak: approx. 4.6 g creatine
- Chicken: approx. 3.4 g creatine
- Offal such as In contrast, the liver, kidneys and lungs contain significantly less creatine
The same applies to a good creatine supplement as to all other food supplements. It should be free of prohibited substances, artificial colors and flavors and free of other chemical additives.
Creatine is one of the most popular dietary supplements in strength and speed sports. It is cheap, safe, well tolerated and promises a positive effect on the muscles if taken consistently.