Why does Creatine make us stronger?
Any activity a cell undertakes is paid for with molecules of Adenosine TriPhosphate, or ATP. This is true whether the creatine was produced in a test tube or in the the kidneys and liver. Simply, ATP is a molecule of adenosine attached to three phosphates molecules. Through the ages the cell has learned to store energy in the bonds between phosphate groups. ATP pays one phosphate group for just one tiny part of a single muscle fiber to move. Large, multi-joint movements can cost millions of phosphate groups! After being spent ATP becomes ADP, Adenosine DiPhosphate, which has much less spending power, energetically speaking.
This is where creatine comes in... Creatine quickly replaces ATP's spent phosphate group. Think of this as a loan. Creatine accomplishes this by obtaining a phosphate group of its own to become PhosphoCreatine, or PCr. It is this phosphate group that PCr later donates to ADP to recreate ATP. The end result is that ATP is recharged to power muscular activity with the help of PCr.
Therefore, to conclude this part of the article: 1. Creatine is something our body naturally contains and acquires as necessary. 2. Ingesting synthetic creatine monohydrate appears to do the same as naturally derived creatine. That is, increase exercise capacity by increasing the amount of creatine inside our muscles.
