- [Narrator] When I started
this channel a year ago I set out with a very distinct purpose to dispel misinformation
regarding health and training. The same misinformation,
which I often fell victim to when I began caring more
about my health and strength. The first time I heard
the mention of creatine I wasn't quite sure what it was, how it worked, or if it was even safe. - Avoid creatine. - Do not recommend teenagers use the muscle building
supplement creatine. - [Narrator] Setting out to
understand whether it was safe led me to have to understand how it works on a biological level. What I found out ended up
being pretty incredible. It really changed my
perspective on the supplement as more and more people
began requesting a video on it in the comments, I knew that the time
had come to tackle one of the most misunderstood supplements in the fitness industry. Creatine. First a quick refresher. To understand how creatine works you need to understand why exactly
it is your one rep max is less than your 10 rep max. One of the major reasons is
throughout a set your muscles may seem to lose strength, but what they are really losing is energy. While we rest between sets most of this energy comes back to us. Our muscles get their energy from a molecule called ATP,
adenosine triphosphate. Triphosphate for the
three phosphate molecules attached to it. When the third phosphate
on the chain gets released, a burst of energy is given off. This is what powers a muscle contraction. Your muscles begin a set,
filled to max capacity with ATP. The problem is ATP is
an unstable molecule, so your muscles can only
store a limited amount. Let's see what happens when
you hit that first rep. Boom, you explode. There's enough stored energy
to cover the first few seconds of a sprint or get you
at least a few seconds into that big one rep max. One, two, three. Now what? We've done three seconds and
we're out of power all ready? Well, not so fast because
your body has a trick up its sleeve. When your body uses an ATP it only uses the third
phosphate in the chain, so there should still be
something left over right? There is, adenosine diphosphate. Without that third phosphate
though they're pretty useless and that's where something
incredible happens because your body has
already planned for this. Embedded in your DNA is a gene,
an instruction to your cells to produce an enzyme. That enzyme is called creatine kinase. Enzymes exist in cells and facilitate some sort
of cellular reaction. Think of an enzyme like a middle man, but what is it connecting? Well, stored in your muscles and ready to be deployed at a moment's notice is another molecule, creatine phosphate. These molecules were sent here
by your liver and are holding onto something just for this
moment, their own phosphate. And this is their moment to use it. In an instant they activate, rapidly binding with ATP molecules, giving up their phosphate, reviving those ADPs into fresh ATPs, which can continue powering your muscles. This is why your four rep
max is still around 90% of your one rep max. This creatine phosphate
has managed to take an initial supply of ATP and recycle it to last nearly 10 seconds. As an interesting aside,
studies have found the baseline creatine kinase levels are higher in African Americans than in Whites. So, if you're African
American you can enjoy an explosive advantage there. But the real limiting
factor isn't the number of creatine kinase connectors. They need something to connect. So the true limiting factor is the creatine phosphate supply. When it runs out your body
is forced to notch down to its next most powerful energy system, the anaerobic system. Which, although good, can't
produce the same amount of energy as the phosphagen system. This is why your 12 rep
max weight is so much less than your three rep max weight. So, you see creatine kinase
enzymes are found naturally in our cells, along with a
supply of creatine phosphate to revive those ADPs into fresh energy. This is our body's own system. It's called the phosphagen system. The issue becomes that your
muscles are rarely filled to their creatine phosphate capacity. When you ingest a creatine
monohydrate supplement, your body turns it into creatine phosphate and shuttles it into these vacant spaces, allowing your body's
energy reviving trick, the phosphagen system, to be used to its full ability. It's no wonder that by the early 90s Olympic athletes the world over
were taking the supplement. Now the foods you eat
do contain some creatine with the highest amounts in
foods such as beef and chicken. But according to a survey the
average 19 to 39 year old male gets just one gram in a day, with women getting even less. This is why if you consume five grams of creatine supplement,
the recommended amount, it's been shown to be
80 to 100% bioavailable and translates into a 15 to 20% increase in creatine phosphate
stores in your muscles. This added creatine in your
muscles becomes noticeable. Many people notice their
muscles appear larger a few days into taking creatine. Is this muscle growth? Not really, although you might notice your muscles appear fuller and you may even gain five to 10 pounds. The reason for that is a
concept called homeostasis. As more creatine phosphate
molecules are shuttled into storage in your muscles, your body needs to pack
in additional water to store them comfortably. So, although you aren't
adding muscle fibers, increasing water content in muscle cells still increases their diameter. One investigation found
Type I, IIA, and IIX fibers increased in diameter by 9%, 5%, and 4%. New research is even showing
that this cell volumization also helps increase
skeletal muscle glycogen, which is utilized during
anaerobic activity, which is a system that kicks in after the phosphagen system's done. This leads to the real world implications of creatine supplementation. A meta-analysis found that groups doing a strength training
program without creatine noted a 12% increase in strength, while the groups using creatine
and doing the same program had a 20% increase in strength typically. There is also some research which suggests that the cell volumizing effects
can promote a faster rate of muscle growth but up regulating
certain genes associated with muscle growth. I've linked to this and
all the other studies in the description. Also on the cutting edge, scientists are now beginning to uncover some additional benefits in the brain. In children with traumatic brain injuries, creatine supplementation
dramatically reduced the amount of headaches and dizzy spells they had. Some rat studies are even
indicating that taking creatine can be protective against brain injuries if taken prior to the
infliction of trauma. Rats which were given creatine prior to being given brain damage had a three to 36% reduction in injury. It's thought that this has to do with maintaining better ATP
levels in the injured brain. But, I know what you've all
most likely heard, concerns. Creatine can cause hair loss,
kidney damage, liver damage. I'm gonna be compiling these
concerns into a FAQ video on creatine in the coming weeks. When you look at the fact that your body has an entire energy system which relies on creatine phosphate and
that stores are really full, supplementing it seems pretty obvious, if you want the absolute best performance. If you are just a casual lifter though, whether you will go with or
without creatine comes down to your own personal preference. Is a slight boost in performance
worth the cost to you? That's something you'll have to decide. New research is always coming out though so please remember to subscribe. Until next time. D Man, signing off. (upbeat instrumental music)
