Your body has a special gate called CRT-1 that pulls creatine into muscle and brain cells by using salt particles as helpers, so your cells can store energy for when you need it most—like during a tough workout or thinking hard.

Your body has a special door called CRT-1 that lets creatine into muscle cells by using salt particles (sodium and chloride) as helpers — it doesn’t need potassium to do this, and it can pull creatine in even when there’s already a lot inside the cell.

Imagine creatine needs to get into cells through a special door that only opens one way. When creatine teams up with salt ions (sodium and chloride), the door becomes much less likely to let creatine slip back out, so it keeps moving in even when there’s already a lot of creatine inside the cell.

When creatine teams up with salt particles (sodium and chloride), it becomes much less likely to stick around inside the cell, so it can keep getting pulled in from outside—even when there’s already a lot of creatine inside.

Your brain, heart, and muscles need a special exit door for creatine, because the main door they use gets clogged and lets too much creatine build up inside — so they need a second door to let the extra creatine out quickly.

Your brain, heart, and muscles need a special helper molecule called MCT-12 to quickly get enough creatine inside them, because the usual one (CRT-1) is too slow to keep up with what your body needs.