It’s about as far away from that concept as you can get. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in the body and obtained through the diet, primarily from meat and fish. It plays a vital role in energy production and storage, particularly in activities that require short bursts of high-intensity effort (sounds like a perfect fit for baseball)!!!! With that said creatine has been perhaps the most widely research supplement in the world and as a result has been proven to provide benefits in areas that reach far beyond baseball performance. With that, let’s take a deeper look into the potential benefits of creatine and a loose understanding of how to consume it, should you decide to supplement it (you probably should).
Ok, here is a general understanding of what Creatine does in the human body and why it’s so crucial for baseball performance…
Creatine is involved in the body's energy production system. It helps to regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy source for cells, particularly during short, high-intensity activities. When muscles contract, ATP is broken down to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), releasing energy in the process. Creatine, in the form of creatine phosphate, donates a phosphate group to ADP, converting it back to ATP, thus replenishing the energy supply for muscle cells.
Creatine supplementation has been shown to increase power output during high-intensity activities, such as weightlifting, sprinting, and jumping. By providing a more readily available source of ATP, creatine allows athletes to perform at higher intensities with greater force and speed, resulting in improved performance.
Creatine supplementation can lead to an increase in muscle cell water content, a phenomenon known as cell volumization. This results in a fuller, more muscular appearance and can have positive effects on muscle protein synthesis, contributing to muscle growth.
Creatine has been shown to help reduce muscle inflammation and damage following exercise, which can aid in recovery. Faster recovery allows athletes to train more frequently and with greater intensity, resulting in better adaptation and improved performance over time.
Creatine supplementation can improve an athlete's work capacity by increasing the amount of work that can be performed during a single training session. This increased work capacity can lead to greater training adaptations and improvements in strength, power, and muscle mass.
Creatine supplementation, when combined with resistance training, has been shown to increase muscle mass, strength, and power more effectively than resistance training alone. This improvement in training adaptation can translate to improved athletic performance in various sports and physical activities.
In case this short article wasn’t clear enough you need to be supplementing creatine ASAP, because basically there is essentially zero downside! I know you have heard stories of it causing balding, stomach issues, or needing this long loading phase to uptake properly in your system → all rubbish! (Well the stomach issues will be there if you test the waters higher than 5 g). Most if not all downside issues associated with taking creatine have all been debunked through peer-reviewed research as the upside potentials keep being unearthed. So, how do you take it, when do you take it, and how often? Your best bet is to go after simple creatine monohydrate in the powder form, mix 5g with any sort of liquid you want, whenever you want, each day. It’s as simple as that! Now like always we must say each individual has their own specific needs and limitations due to diet restrictions and a host of other variables. To this point, it is our suggestion that you always consult your medical professional or a nutritional professional prior to beginning the supplementation of any product.
