Most women think of creatine as a supplement only suitable for men who want to gain massive muscles or strength. They’ve also heard that creatine causes water retention and weight gain.

Research however debunk these old beliefs about creatine and women, particularly when it comes to building lean muscle without the appearance of bulk.

What is creatine?

Creatine is a substance found naturally in your body — particularly in muscle cells. It is made up of three amino acids- L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine. It makes up about 1 percent of the total volume of human blood.

Studies show that creatine can improve strength, muscle mass and overall exercise performance.

The body produces some of the creatine it uses. It also comes from protein-rich foods such as meat or fish.

How does creatine work?

Creatine helps your muscles instantly replenish energy stores. During any strenuous activity, your body gets energy from a molecule called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). And through the metabolic process called creatine kinase reaction, ATP is broken down to Adenosine Diphosphate (ATP) during the workout. In this case, Creatine helps add back a phosphate molecule to ADP to produce ATP which in turn helps you keep going in the gym.

With that, creatine has also been shown to:

• Reduce fatigue.
• Benefit during endurance sports.
• Strength and power during strength training.
• Improve recovery.

Does Creatine Make Women Bulky?

Most women stay away from creatine supplementation, fearing they’ll get too bulky and bloated. But thanks to modern studies, this has been clarified. Creatine is actually beneficial to women’s fitness goals. Its main feature benefit is to boost workout results. Women will not get bulky when using creatine.They don’t build muscle at the same rate as men due to lower levels of testosterone.

According to research, creatine is not a form of steroid and in fact a completely different chemical compound that is not at all related to hormones. So if you’re worrying to get a result just like steroids does, better shake it off. Creatine is actually an essential safe supplement.

Bloating and Water Retention

And for the bloating side effect which is caused by water retention, sometimes women will yes retain water in the first few weeks of using creatine, but this effect will diminish over time. If you start taking creatine, give your body enough time to see results before you decide to stop using it.

Further, if women take creatine in recommended dosage (i.e. 3 g/dl – grams per deciliter) and not excessive then water retention will not be an issue.
Ultimately, according to a position stand released by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine is actually the most effective nutritional supplement available to gym-goers, athletes and bodybuilders regardless of gender. It gives you maximum endurance to keep you going. So the longer you train, the more calories you will burn!

Recommended Product:

A lot of women feel hesitant to consume creatine because of the belief that it causes water retention. Some women do experience water retention after the initial couple of weeks after they start consuming creatine powder. To battle this problem, MMUSA – the leading health supplement brand – has formulated a creatine serum to undo the side effects caused by creatine on women’s bodies.

Presenting Empower Creatine Serum – a pre-workout formula containing creatinol-o-phosphate designed for women. A reliable formula for getting firm and tone muscles quickly without any side effects.