Sometimes many men and women wonder is creatine a steroid, protein or drug while they are doing bodybuilding or simply they want to build some muscles. This question has been asked on numerous occasions on popular websites like yahoo and Reddit.
Well if you are one of them then don’t worry because this post is to make you understand exactly what creatine is and debunk all they myths about this popular bodybuilding supplement.
It’s natural tendency of people to clear all their doubts before taking any protein supplement and it’s wise idea because you are going to ingest it to your body and one must know what they are really putting in their body.
Since Creatine is so popular in fitness and bodybuilding industry many myths and rumors spread across the internet. Recently I was researching this topic and I got many people asking the questions like
Is creatine a steroid yes or no
Is creatine a protein
Is creatine a drug, peg, stimulant
Is creatine monohydrate a steroid for bodybuilding etc.
So, I thought to research about this and write a dedicated post which can help a lot of men and women to clear up their doubts and start taking creatine without any hesitation in their mind whatsoever.
I know you are really curious to know about this in simple terms is creatine a steroid yes or no then I am not going to waste more of your precious time and let’s see exactly what creatine is?
Is Creatine a Steroid, Protein, Drug – Yes or No in Bodybuilding
I will break this article into sections so that I will be able to explain each term more accurately so let’s take the first one.
Is Creatine a steroid yes or no
No. a big no… creatine is not a steroid. Creatine is 100% legal and safe to use and you can easily get it from any multivitamin or supplements shop without the doctors prescription.
Whereas in the case of steroids you will not get it from local supplement store and if you will go to market then you can easily acquire creatine but you will struggle to get steroids.
Creatine is from of amino acid which is naturally produced in the human body mainly in kidneys, liver and pancreas in the amount of 2 to 3 grams.
You can also find creatine in red meat or fish but the amount is not sufficient to see great muscle growth and that is why bodybuilders take creatine in the form of the supplement to enhance their performance in the gym.
Creatine helps to increase your training intensity which allows you to do more reps and lift more weight. This is done because of instant supply of ATP ( Adenosine Triphosphate ) which acts as a rescue when your body needs more energy to do few more reps during your workouts.
Creatine is mainly composed of amino acids (L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine) which are circulated in your blood and passes to your muscle cells.
What this does it when you are doing heavy intense workouts your body gets depleted with the amount of energy and you refill this energy creatine helps by providing ATP to your body which acts as an energy booster.
With the help of creatine, you can do more reps without getting the feeling of exhausted and your recovery will be much quicker.
Now let’s talk about what is steroid
A steroid is an organic compound with four rings attached to themselves. Steroids are the synthetic version of male sex hormone testosterone.
Steroids are mostly anabolic and androgenic. These anabolic properties of steroids cause rapid muscle growth, power, and strength boost.
Androgenic properties refer to develop male characteristics features like excessive facial hair and deepening of the voice.
Some steroids are highly anabolic in nature like trenbolone, Dianabol etc while others are mild like anavar, Winstrol which is also known as stanazolol.
Is Creatine a Steroid, Drug, Ped, Stimulant
You know guys there is no match between creatine and steroids since they both are completely different things. But why many people think that is creatine a steroid is because of its performance-enhancing effect and yes this is common both between steroids and creatine but by no means you can say that creatine is a steroid. No.
Creatine is mainly consists of amino acids whereas steroids are synthetic version of male sex hormone testosterone. Creatine is legally sold around the world without any restriction whereas steroids are illegal in the US however they are manufactured and sold in the black markets.
Since Steroids world is the billion dollar industry and you will not easily get access to it, however, you can buy creatine in any medical store and that too without a prescription.
Is Creatine a Protein and Helps in Bodybuilding
Yes, Creatine indirectly acts as protein in your body and definitely helps in bodybuilding. Like I said earlier creatine helps you to take your workout routines to next level and you can hit hard in the gym lifting weights.
It helps you to push yourself to do that one or two extra reps which would not be doable if you are not taking creatine monohydrate supplement.
Now how it indirectly acts as protein Since you are able to lift more weight and do more reps. This increased the workload in your muscles and the more contraction your muscles get the muscle fiber becomes stronger which ultimately results in muscle growth.
Creatine helps to retain water in your muscle cells which help in volumizing of your muscle cells and gives your body a more muscular and fuller look.
However, during the initial 4 to 5 day of creatine monohydrate supplementation, you will gain around 3 to 4 pounds of water weight but this will gradually fade away once your body gets completed saturated with creatine and all the gains thereafter will be pure lean muscle mass.
So yes creatine definitely helps in bodybuilding and muscle gains.
Final Conclusion:
Creatine is not a steroid neither it is a drug, ped or stimulant it’s legal supplement to use without any side effects. However, there are many side effects of steroids which I never recommend to my readers because it will do harm to your kidney and liver and can cause serious long term damages which are irreversible.
So, I hope I was able to clear all your doubts about creatine, and if yes then please share this with your friends and your fellow gym members so that they can start taking creatine freely without breaking their head after this myth.
I would really love to know your thoughts on this topic in the comments section and last but not the least don’t forget to read our other posts. Thank you.
