• creatine

    In this article I wanted to touch on a supplement that has been subject to some scrutiny throughout the entire time it has been available to the public. I’ve met with many fitness professionals and talked to clients and close friends about their opinion on the use of creatine in sports, various types of training, and bodybuilding, and to no surprise there came a quick dispute. So with all the opposing information that has been filling the fitness world, I’d like to share some of my personal opinions backed by scientific research. By the end of this article, you should have a better understanding of what creatine does and if it’s right for you in your daily supplementation.

    WHAT EXACTLY IS CREATINE?

    First off, creatine is a simple mixture of three important amino acids: glycine, arginine, and methionine. That’s it, nothing fancy here. Creatine is actually produced naturally in the body and can be found in various forms of high protein foods like fish and red meat.  Because the body produces it naturally and it is easily obtained through the diet, some people tend to think supplementation of creatine is unnecessary. This may be the case in some instances however if you’re a person who is trying to build muscle or spends a great deal of time doing physical or endurance-like activities, you should consider creatine as a supplemental “must have.”

    HOW DOES IT WORK?

    There are three main things that Creatine does for us…

    1.     AID IN ENERGY SYSTEM

    I’m assuming most of you reading this aren’t biochemistry majors, so I’ll do my best to simplify this process as much as possible. Creatine plays its natural role in the body in our energy system. The energy that the body uses for virtually EVERY process being performed is called Adenine Tri-phosphate or ATP. When creatine is produced in the body or enters via supplementation, it automatically gets paired up with a Phosphate molecule to become Creatine-Phosphate. Just like Creatine has a Phosphate molecule, so does ATP.

    When a particular system needs energy (for example a muscle contraction), ATP will become hydrolyzed and its Phosphate molecule will break off from it, producing heat (energy). The resulting molecule is now called Adenine Di-Phosphate or ADP. The body has no particular use for the ADP molecule so the only available option is to convert ADP back into ATP! This is where Creatine checks into the game…

    Because creatine has a phosphate bound molecule attached, it donates it to ADP thus converting ADP back into ATP, in turn producing more energy for the body’s use. So it is safe to say that an increase in creatine will result in increased potential energy to be used during physical activity. I hope that makes more sense…

    2.     IMMEDIATE ANAEROBIC ENERGY

    Many people may not realize, but creatine itself is actually a fuel source. During intense workouts, the body will first dig into creatine stores to provide immediate anaerobic energy to the muscle cells. The more creatine that is made available in the creatine stores, the more energy can be produced, thus giving you much-needed endurance to finish your workout.

    3.     HYDRATION OF CELLS

    This is where most people will jump on or off of the creatine bandwagon. A popular remark I hear all the time about creatine is that it “only fills your muscles up with water to make them look bigger.” While this is completely an uninformed statement, it is right about extra hydration for the muscle. The more water that is pushed into the cell, the more nitrogen ions and other important ions will follow to aid in the muscular concentration of these ions. This whole process is anabolic in the body and helps to increase protein synthesis. All good things!

    SHOULD I CYCLE OR LOAD CREATINE?

    This is the question I get most frequently about creatine. There are numerous articles floating around the internet that may lead you to believe that both loading and cycling are not necessary, however through some recent studies on creatine, you should consider both options:

    “A study found that individuals taking 20 grams of creatine for five days performed better on a calf muscle strength test compared to a group that took a placebo. The creatine supplement group also had superior neuromuscular function and faster muscle contraction time. A second study found that taking 20 grams of creatine for five days increases sprint running capacity. Participants improved their time to exhaustion by 23 percent, highlighting the value of creatine loading prior to a sport competition with a high-intensity component. Another study from the University of Oklahoma found that participants who took creatine for four weeks while performing high-intensity sprint training had higher creatine phosphate levels. Participants who didn’t take creatine but did perform the training had significantly lower creatine levels at the end of the study.” (Source 2)

    So what’s the takeaway from this? Basically it is not completely necessary to load creatine but it may help you get some results faster. In order for creatine to take full effect during your intense training, the muscles must first be completely filled with it. If you were to take smaller dosages each day, eventually the muscles would become saturated, however the results may take a bit longer.

    Here are my loading recommendations:

    1. Start by taking 20-25 grams of creatine for 5 days
    2. Once the loading stage is over, maintain a constant dosage of about 5-10 grams per day

    As far as cycling creatine, there are no precise studies to show any positive or negative effects. In my opinion, the body will always try to maintain a homeostatic balance. This means that if you ingest too much creatine, you may be able to use most of it for a prolonged time, but eventually if the dosages are too high the body will enforce homeostasis and reject the incoming creatine to maintain balance.

    Personally I tend to cycle off of creatine for a week or so at the same time when I take a week off from lifting. This occurs about every 8-10 weeks. This break allows my body to get back to normal with enough rest to recover and come back strong the following week.

    WHAT TYPE OF CREATINE IS BEST TO TAKE?

    There are so many supplements out on the market these days that promise the best results because of the included creatine dosage. But if you’re strapped for money or you’re just a savvy shopper then stick to creatine’s purest form: Creatine Monohydrate. It’s not too pricy and it will last a long time on the proper dosages.

    WHEN SHOULD I TAKE CREATINE?

    From popular studies and general recommendations, creatine has been shown to work better in both pre-workout and post-workout supplementation. Try consuming around 3-5 grams pre and post workout to utilize creatine’s effectiveness.

    CONCLUSION

    Because of the short time that creatine has been available to the public; there are very few studies about its long-term effects. Given the information that I previously noted, creating is completely safe for supplementation. I have used it safely for a couple years now and it has definitely proved itself!

    Take care,

    Mitch Muller

    CPT – MindsetFitness.net

     

    Source list:
    1. “Beyond the Confusion: Getting the facts straight on creatine for optimal results!”, Author: Layne Norton, www.biolayne.com
    2. Blog “Tip 138: load with creatine: Improve performance and train harder, longer, and faster.” Author: Charles Poliquin, http://www.charlespoliquin.com/
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