Creatine

Creatine occurs naturally in meat and fish and is also naturally synthesized in you body from amino acids. Creatine in your muscles exists in two forms: free creatine (Cr) and creatine phosphate (PCr). The PCr is important in exercise because it contributes to rapid energy production. For this reason many athletes who engage in high-intensity, intermittent exercises supplement their diet with creatine in the form of a powder. However, just because a person takes more creatine does not mean that he will have more PCr available for energy production. Although studies have demonstrated that participants who have supplemented their diets with creatine can train harder and may get more training benefits compared to participants who do not use creatine. Creatine has also been shown to increase body weight quickly (too quickly, in fact, to be muscle weight). This excess weight, a result of water retention, can be a disadvantage for athletes who have to move that extra body weight during competition. In addition, some people experience gastrointestinal distress from taking creatine supplements.