Bulldog Nutrition is focused first and foremost on ensuring our customers know what they are buying, and that they are educated in the world of sports nutrition and dietary supplements. Creatine is one of the most controversial and talked about supplements, for better or for worse. We have touched on the benefits of creatine and why it should be a part of a health and fitness regimen as a sports nutrition cornerstone, especially for bodybuilders and those who aim to build muscle and utilize their body in short spurts of energy. We recently debunked some myths you’ll hear about this supplement, but those were just the tip of the iceberg. We want to bring some more myths to light and do our best to debunk them, making sure that anyone interested in using creatine knows enough to make an informed decisions.
- Any Athlete Can Benefit from Creatine – This stems from another stigma that creatine is the miracle supplement, the one that can lead to all of the gains you’ve ever wanted. While this can be true to a degree, it is not true for every kind of athlete. Because of the nature of ATP, creatine is meant for athletes who aim for energy in shorter time frames, mainly bodybuilders, weightlifters, powerlifters, and other athletes in that realm. Long distance runners and athletes who are more on the endurance side of sports may not find as many benefits from creatine, which means it has certain usages and best practices.
-
Creatine will Stunt Growth – This is like saying amino acid consumption will cause someone to shrink. There is no connection between creatine and growth plates, and any athlete, whether in grade school or high school, has creatine in their body. As such, it does nothing to prevent growth or maturation of a male or female who is still developing and is not harmful to student athletes.
- The only weight you gain is water weight – Yes, it is true you will retain water when you add creatine to your fitness and supplement regimen. This is because water enters your muscles along with the creatine. However, you are not only gaining water weight while taking creatine. It simply requires your body to retain more water, but this also helps with joint lubrication and energy. If you are a bodybuilder who is about to get on stage or someone who needs to make weight for something like a wrestling meet, then cycling your body off of creatine can help you lose the water weight while keeping the newfound muscle mass.
As we have said before, there are countless stigmas, faux pas, and myths that surround creatine. We hope that some of the explanations above make it clear that creatine has numerous positive benefits and the supposed detriment of this supplement are all but unfounded. Don’t be afraid to add creatine to your stack, especially if you are an athlete who relies on shorter, strong bursts of energy to compete at your optimal level.
Here at Bulldog Nutrition, we understand the importance of