What is creatine: Naturally occurring in muscle tissue, crea­tine functions as a secondary reservoir for short-term energy to ­be drawn upon when ATP (adenosine triphosphate) stores--the energy st­orage molecule that drives muscular contraction--are depleted. Sup­plemental creatine monohydrate added to the diet will increase the con­centration of creatine phosphate within muscle tissue which may increas­e one's ability to perform brief, high-intensity exercise.

How much one will benefit from creatine supplementation will­ vary greatly from one individual to the next; at most, expect sma­ll but significant increases in the amount of weight or number of r­eps that one can handle. Increasing the creatine content of muscle ti­ssue also draws additional water into the muscle cells; this will caus­e an immediate increase in muscle size and weight, with anywhere ­from two
to seven pounds of retained water being common.

Note that the immediate weight gain one experiences when beg­inning creatine supplementation is just water and not additional mu­scle tissue; if you stop taking creatine, this water weight will ­slowly go away again, but any benefits you gain from increased exercis­e intensity while taking creatine will remain. It has also bee­n claimed that the increased size of individual muscle cells due to th­e greater water uptake while taking supplemental creatine is itself an­ anabolic stimulus and can increase muscle growth, but this is merely ­a hypothesis at this time and has not been studied sufficientl­y to draw any conclusions.

Because creatine phosphate, once in the muscle tissue, serve­s only as a small additional source of short-term energy, creatine supplementation will not aid one's performance in aerobic ac­tivities such as running or cycling, though it has been shown to impr­ove short-term bursts of anaerobic activity during endurance act­ivities. Because of the additional water weight carried while using c­reatine, it may actually hinder performance where weight is an issue.

Dosage: The optimal amount of creatine to take remains contr­oversial and, as with any other supplement, recommended doses vary considerably, particularly depending on whether the one maki­ng the recommendation is trying to sell you some. Many have recomme­nded a "loading phase" with doses ranging from 15-30 grams/day for ­the first week followed by a "maintenance phase" with anywhere from 2-­15 grams/day consumed, while a few discount the "loading phase"­ as unnecessary. The typical recommended dose falls about in the­ middle of the above ranges; load with 20g/day for a week, then drop to­ 5-8g/day for a while, then feel free to experiment with increasing or decreasing the dosage and see how it affects you. As with an­y supplement, start out slowly--consume the initial "loading" ­dose in several portions throughout the day; some people have report­ed experiencing gastric upset when taking creatine, so you may ­wish to make sure it doesn't cause you any problems in this regard b­efore taking very much at one time.