What is Creatine?

Ask any bodybuilder or athlete and they will be able to tell you exactly what creatine is because it is a valuable part of their workout regimen. Creatine is different from other supplements people use because it is not a mineral, an herb, a vitamin or a hormone; it is a normally occurring amino acid found in the human body. The technical name for this amino acid is methyl guanidine-acetic acid.

Since creatine is an amino acid it is, as are all amino acids, part of the building blocks of protein. Protein is very important to both bodybuilders as well as athletes in maintaining healthy muscle mass and in the recovery of muscle mass after a workout. About 95% of the creatine in the human body is found in the skeletal muscle system and the remaining is located in the brain.

Normally, creatine can be obtained by eating foods such as eggs, meat, fish and dairy products. Once in the body creatine is manufactured in the pancreas, liver and the kidneys. The body can’t create enough creatine as can be obtained through supplements and this is why so many bodybuilders use creatine supplements on a consistent basis.

When used by bodybuilders in conjunction with their workouts, or by athletes when they train, creatine is able to help their muscles recover more quickly than if they did not take the supplements. Creatine supplements can be taken in a couple of different ways; as a powder mixed with liquid and ingested or in liquid creatine serum form. The liquid creatine can be directly ingested without the need of mixing with other liquids like milk or juice.