Creatine: a magic potion or an expensive placebo? Well, maybe a little bit of both. Creatine is an acid that naturally occurs in our bodies. Its job is to help supply energy to our muscle and nerve cells. And though researchers have known creatine’s role in muscular energy production since the beginning of the 20th century, creatine didn’t really gain notoriety as a performance-enhancing supplement until the early 1990s and is now the most popular and commonly-used sports supplement on the market today.

So what does creatine do?

To be honest, we’re not exactly sure. There is a tremendous amount of research out there and theories abound, but we don’t completely understand all the biomechanics of creatine. However, there are some specific “facts” as agreed upon within the scientific community about the role creatine plays in our body and they include:

1. Provide Additional Energy for Muscles

Within your bodies we have a compound called ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). An ATP reaction provides the body an excellent source of quick energy. (You have other sources of energy such as carbohydrates and fat but they take longer to convert into a useable energy source.) When you are doing an intense “quick burst activity” such as lifting a heavy weight or sprinting, your muscles must contract and need a quick source of energy to do so. This immediate energy comes from ATP.


When your muscles use ATP for energy a chemical process happens where the ATP is broken down into two simpler chemicals ADP (adenosine di-phosphate) and inorganic phosphate. This process of ATP turning into ADP releases the energy that gives your muscles the ability to contract. Unfortunately, we do not have an endless supply of ATP. Here is where the creatine comes in. Without going into all the scientific details, the majority of creatine that is stored in the muscles bonds with abundant phosphorus stores in the muscles and is converted into Creatine Phosphate (CP). And is the CP that reacts with the ADP in your body and turns "useless" ADP back into the "super useful" energy source - ATP. More ATP in your body means more fuel for your muscles.

2. Volumisation of your Muscles

Volumization is just a fancy term for the process of pulling fluid into the muscle cells and thus increasing the volume of the muscles. Creatine has been shown to do this. And sometimes it’s all about appearances isn’t it?

3. Buffer Lactic Acid build-up

New research has shown that creatine can help buffer lactic acid that builds up in the muscles during exercise. It’s this build-up of lactic acid that causes your muscles to be sore after a strenuous workout. So in theory, if you’re not as sore, you’ll work out harder (and more often). More research needs to be done to see if this is really true.

4. Enhances Protein Syntheses

There is some data to indicate that creatine helps put the body in a more anabolic state where protein synthesis can occur. The more protein synthesis the greater the muscle gain you can see from lifting weights.