How to Increases Muscle Mass with Creatine

by: Robbie Durand

creatine, testosterone, infinite_labs — Other studies have reported that ingestion of creatine enhances muscle IGF-1 responses as well in conjunction with increasing satellite cell activation.

Creatine has become the mostly widely researched ergogenic aid to date and the research is overwhelmingly clear that creatine not only increases muscle strength but now creatine does what no other supplement can do…creatine lowers myostatin. In a study in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, researchers examined how creatine impacted myostatin levels in resistance-trained men. In a double-blind design, 27 healthy male subjects were assigned to resistance training and creatine supplementation groups. Amazingly, the study found that creatine supplementation added to a resistance-training program amplifies the training-induced decrease in serum levels of myostatin, increasing the effects of exercise on muscle strength and mass. Other studies have reported that ingestion of creatine enhances muscle IGF-1 responses as well in conjunction with increasing satellite cell activation. Just when you think creatine can’t get any better, it does.

Creatine Increases Resting Testosterone and Reduces Cortisol

Twenty active males were randomly assigned to either a creatine group (Cr) or placebo group (Pl). At the first visit, all participants given 4 × 5 g.d−1 dose of creatine or dextrose and maintained for seven days. All testing or exercise sessions began after approximately 12 hours overnight fast and 8 hours sleep. Participants performed resistance exercises at day 3, 5, and 7; and also tested at day 4, 6, and 8. Volunteers were on their ordinary diet, not permitted to use nutritional supplementation, and did not consume anabolic steroids or any other anabolic agents known to increase performance. Under the direction of professional fitness instructors, all resistance exercise sessions took placed in a weight training room. Participants performed resistance exercises at day 3, 5, and 7. During each session, subjects performed 3 sets × 10-repetitions of 9 exercises that included: Bench press, shoulder press, lat-pull down, arm curl, squats, leg press, leg extension, leg curl, and abdominal crunches. The intensity of program was determined at 75 or 85% of one repetition maximum. A minute break between sets of exercise was allowed for rest. The subjects were not allowed to increase the lifting load during exercises. At the end of the study, subjects of the Cr group showed significant increases in testosterone concentrations and decreases in cortisol concentrations, in comparison with Pl and baseline, after 5 and 7 days of Cr loading.

There were no significant changes in heart rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate and rate pressure product. Results of the present study suggest that more than 5 days of creatine supplementation, associated with resistance exercises is sufficient for increasing testosterone concentrations and decrement in cortisol concentrations. If your not taking creatine, this is the perfect study to get you motivated to take creatine monohydrate.

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Deldicque L, Louis M, Theisen D, Nielens H, Dehoux M, Thissen JP, Rennie MJ, Francaux M. Increased IGF mRNA in human skeletal muscle after creatine supplementation. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2005 May;37(5):731.

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Candow DG, Chilibeck PD, Burke DG, Mueller KD, Lewis JD. Effect of different frequencies of creatine supplementation on muscle size and strength in young adults. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jul;25(7):1831-8.

Cinar, V., Polat, Y., Balaci, A., Mogulkoc, R. Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Testosterone Levels of Athletes and Sedentary Subjects at Rest and after Exhaustion. Biological Trace Element Research. 2011. 140, 18-23.

Arazi, F. Rahmaninia, K. Hosseini, A. Asadi Effects of short term creatine supplementation and resistance exercises on resting hormonal and cardiovascular responsesScience & Sports, , Available online 4 February 2015,