Creatine
Creatine monohydrate can rightly lay claim to
being the most popular and arguably most effective bodybuilding supplement
currently available. The beauty of creatine is that it is 100% natural and
occurs in many foods so it's unlikely to be banned from any sports or
competitions.
Let's first establish what creatine actually
is. In brief, creatine is produced naturally in our bodies to help supply energy
to the muscles. It is produced in the liver, pancreas and kidneys before being
transported in the blood to our muscles. It is then converted into
phosphocreatine which is a powerful metabolite used to regenerate the muscles'
ATP source of energy.
From a bodybuilder's perspective, creatine can
significantly increase lean muscle mass quickly, improve performance in high
intensity exercise, raise energy levels and speed up recovery rates. Creatine's
ability to raise energy in muscles is due to its muscle protein synthesizing
action whilst reducing the breakdown of protein. This happens because creatine
has the effect of super-hydrating muscle cells with water. It also improves
muscle growth adding size and strength to muscle fibers.
Creatine is normally taken in two ways. The
first involves loading the muscles with 20 to 30 grams of creatine per day for
four to seven days. At the end of this phase maintenance involves a regular
intake of 5 to 15 grams per day. The other method is more gradual in that it
skips out the loading phase and simply involves supplementing with 5 to 15 grams
per day for an extended period.
Two questions remain to be answered - does it
work and is it safe? Creatine has undoubtedly been proven effective in recent
years - over twenty scientific studies have concluded that creatine can increase
energy levels and result in enhanced strength, endurance levels and recovery
rates. As a training aid it therefore has many merits. In terms of safety, no
study to date has shown creatine to be anything other than safe, provided
manufacturers' instructions are followed.
There is a bewildering range of creatine
supplements on the market so subsequent articles in this series will examine the
relative merits of the most popular and effective forms
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