Creatine: How to Best Use It for Muscle Growth (Avoid Side Effects)
Creatine is one of the few supplements out there that is actually well-backed by research in terms of its effectiveness. However, there’s a lot of confusion out there as to how to take creatine and how creatine works. In terms of “what does creatine do”, it simply allows a faster regeneration of ATP in our muscles. Since ATP is the main form of energy for our muscles, this enables us to perform an extra rep or two during our training. As for the best creatine to take and how to use creatine effectively, stick to creatine monohydrate and take your creatine with your post-workout meal. There seems to be a slight benefit to taking creatine post-workout, and it actually drastically improves its effectiveness by taking creatine with carbohydrates and protein. Now as for whether creatine causes hair loss or other side effects, research is inconclusive at the moment. Long-term creatine supplementation does not cause any adverse health effects but may increase DHT which is a hormone that accelerates male pattern baldness in those who are susceptible or have it in their family history. Thus, those who are susceptible may want to consider that. But more research is definitely needed – the findings aren’t as serious as many people make it out to be.