Every morning I walk into the rink and one of the first stops is the supplement table. Vitamins, creatine, protein. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the stuff we’ve been told to take for as long as we can remember. I grab some, mix others, and get on with my day.
Recently I stopped at that table and had a thought that honestly should’ve come a lot sooner: I don’t actually know what most of this does. Not really, anyway. I have a broad understanding that vitamins cover deficiencies and I take them because I don't want to get sick. I know protein helps build and repair muscle but I don't know exactly how. Creatine though? Something I've been taking almost every day for years. The best I could come up with was that it draws water into my muscles.
That was it. My entire understanding of something I put in my body daily.
I don’t think I’m alone in that. Most athletes are running on the same autopilot. Taking what they’re told to take, trusting the broad explanation they got from a trainer or a teammate years ago, never really asking what it’s actually doing once it’s in your system. It’s supposed to be beneficial, so why question it?
I’ve started questioning a lot of things recently. I think it’s important to understand what you’re putting into your body. Creatine felt like the right place to start since most athletes take it and few of us can fully explain what it does.
So what does creatine actually do?
Your body runs on a molecule called ATP. Think of it as a charged battery that powers everything from a sprint to a thought. When your muscles use ATP for energy, it loses a phosphate group and becomes ADP. A dead battery. Your body is constantly recycling ATP. Every stride, every rep, every shift. The harder you go, the faster you burn through it and the faster your body needs to recharge. That’s where creatine earns its value. It's your body's quickest way to get that energy back.
Creatine is stored in your muscles as phosphocreatine. Creatine with a phosphate group attached to it. When ATP gets used up, phosphocreatine donates its phosphate to recharge the dead battery back into a live one. More creatine means faster recharging, which means more energy available for the next rep, the next stride, the next shift.
That’s it. Creatine is a battery charger for your cells and it’s one of the most proven supplements in sports science.
Creatine does draw water into your muscle cells, which is why you notice a few pounds of weight gain when you get back on it (I always do). The most noticeable effect became the whole explanation.
I’ve taken this every day for years thinking the side effect was the whole story.
Even with all the existing research, the science on creatine is still evolving. Your brain burns through roughly 20% of your daily energy and runs on the same ATP system your muscles do.
If creatine helps your muscles produce energy faster, why wouldn't it do the same for your brain?
Early studies are showing benefits for focus under stress, mental performance on limited sleep, and even brain injury recovery. As a hockey player, all three hit close to home.
Next time you're standing at that supplement table, stop and ask yourself if you actually understand the what and the why behind it. The way you now do with creatine.
With creatine, keep taking it. I take ten grams a day. Recent studies suggest higher doses may have more benefit on the cognitive side. The most important thing is consistency. Try and build it into your routine.
I’ve been grabbing the same supplements for years without thinking about it. I was told they worked. I just didn’t know why. I think a lot of us are in the same boat. Not just with creatine, but with most of what we take.
If you take something every day, I think it's worth understanding.
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— Ethan Edwards
Natural Athlete Co.