One of the most popular supplements in the history of bodybuilding is creatine monohydrate.

Unfortunately, accompanying its popularity have also been exaggerated claims and misleading information. Creatine monohydrate can both benefit and hinder athletes' performance depending on its application. This is why it is important to understand the function of creatine in the human body and its effects on performance. In humans 95% of the total creatine content is located in skeletal muscle.

The idea behind supplementing with an oral dose of creatine monohydrate is the belief that skeletal muscle is capable of storing significantly more creatine than is supplied by the diet (beef, red meat, tuna, herring and salmon) and by the body's own production of creatine by the liver, kidney and pancreas.

With supplementation of creatine monohydrate, the muscle becomes saturated with creatine and thus theoretically is able to delay fatigue, refuel itself faster during high intensity, short duration exercise and increase performance.

Another application of creatine monohydrate is hydration. As the muscle absorbs creatine, it also brings in water, thus contributing to the muscle's 70% water content, making the muscle look larger and fuller.

Furthermore, evidence suggests the accelerated production of new proteins and the decrease of protein breakdown happens when muscle cells are well hydrated which in turn causes them to grow.

It is now clear why supplementing with creatine monohydrate is so attractive to bodybuilders. It allows the bodybuilder to train harder and longer, hydrates the muscle giving it a larger, fuller appearance, and accelerates protein synthesis to promote muscle growth.

Evidence also suggests that supplementing with creatine monohydrate may actually worsen performance during prolonged continuous exercise such as distance running, basketball, soccer, etc.

The gains in size and strength when supplementing with creatine occur within the first month (the length of time for muscles to become saturated). The gains will remain as long as supplementation is maintained.

However, once supplementation is discontinued, the levels of creatine drop back to pre-supplementation levels in about one month. Fortunately, the actual muscle mass gained due to the increased work capacity while on creatine will remain.

Side effects from creatine supplementation include: headaches, gastric disturbances, muscle cramping and clenching of teeth. Short term use does not appear to have any detrimental effects on the kidneys, however adequate  long term studies have not been conducted as of yet.

Creatine monohydrate supplementation has shown to improve performance in very high intensity exercises, especially where repeated bursts of energy are required with short recovery periods. It is not recommended for endurance athletes and will actually hinder performance.