“Potential ergogenic benefits of creatine supplementation

• Increased single and repetitive sprint performance

• Increased work performed during sets of maximal effort muscle contractions

• Increased muscle mass & strength adaptations during training

• Enhanced glycogen synthesis

• Increased anaerobic threshold

• Possible enhancement of aerobic capacity via greater shuttling of ATP from mitochondria

• Increased work capacity

• Enhanced recovery

• Greater training tolerance”

“Examples of sport events that may be enhanced by creatine supplementation

Increased PCr

 • Track sprints: 60–200 m

 • Swim sprints: 50 m

 • Pursuit cycling

Increased PCr Resynthesis

 • Basketball

 • Field hockey

 • America Football

 • Ice hockey

 • Lacrosse

 • Volleyball

Reduced Muscle Acidosis

 • Downhill skiing

 • Water Sports (e.g., Rowing, Canoe, Kayak, Stand-Up Paddling)

 • Swim events: 100, 200 m

 • Track events: 400, 800 m

 • Combat Sports (e.g., MMA, Wrestling, Boxing, etc.)

Oxidative Metabolism

 • Basketball

 • Soccer

 • Team handball

 • Tennis

 • Volleyball

 • Interval Training in Endurance Athletes

Increased Body Mass/Muscle Mass

 • American Football

 • Bodybuilding

 • Combat Sports (e.g., MMA, Wrestling, Boxing, etc.)

 • Powerlifting

 • Rugby

 • Track/Field events (Shot put; javelin; discus; hammer throw)

 • Olympic Weightlifting”

Summary of Creatine

“Position of the international society of sports nutrition (ISSN)

After reviewing the scientific and medical literature in this area, the International Society of Sports Nutrition concludes the following in terms of creatine supplementation as the official Position of the Society:

1. Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes with the intent of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.

2. Creatine monohydrate supplementation is not only safe, but has been reported to have a number of therapeutic benefits in healthy and diseased populations ranging from infants to the elderly. There is no compelling scientific evidence that the short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate (up to 30 g/day for 5 years) has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals or among clinical populations who may benefit from creatine supplementation.

3. If proper precautions and supervision are provided, creatine monohydrate supplementation in children and adolescent athletes is acceptable and may provide a nutritional alternative with a favorable safety profile to potentially dangerous anabolic androgenic drugs. However, we recommend that creatine supplementation only be considered for use by younger athletes who: a.) are involved in serious/competitive supervised training; b.) are consuming a well-balanced and performance enhancing diet; c.) are knowledgeable about appropriate use of creatine; and d.) do not exceed recommended dosages.

4. Label advisories on creatine products that caution against usage by those under 18 years old, while perhaps intended to insulate their manufacturers from legal liability, are likely unnecessary given the science supporting creatine’s safety, including in children and adolescents.

5. At present, creatine monohydrate is the most extensively studied and clinically effective form of creatine for use in nutritional supplements in terms of muscle uptake and ability to increase high-intensity exercise capacity.

6. The addition of carbohydrate or carbohydrate and protein to a creatine supplement appears to increase muscular uptake of creatine, although the effect on performance measures may not be greater than using creatine monohydrate alone.

7. The quickest method of increasing muscle creatine stores may be to consume ~0.3 g/kg/day of creatine monohydrate for 5–7-days followed by 3–5 g/day thereafter to maintain elevated stores. Initially, ingesting smaller amounts of creatine monohydrate (e.g., 3–5 g/day) will increase muscle creatine stores over a 3–4 week period, however, the initial performance effects of this method of supplementation are less supported.

8. Clinical populations have been supplemented with high levels of creatine monohydrate (0.3 – 0.8 g/kg/day equivalent to 21–56 g/day for a 70 kg individual) for years with no clinically significant or serious adverse events.

9. Further research is warranted to examine the potential medical benefits of creatine monohydrate and precursors like guanidinoacetic acid on sport, health and medicine.”

Taken from the ISSN position statement