CREATINE
Referred to as the King of Supplements, creatine is one of the most popular products the in history of bodybuilding.
What is Creatine?
Creatine is the most researched sports supplement in the world. It has been proven in countless studies to improve athletic performance across a wide range of physical disciplines.
It first came to the attention of the masses during the '92 and '96 Olympic games where it was reported that more than fifty percent of the athletes who won gold medals were supplementing with creatine monohydrate.
You don't need to be a high-end athlete in order to feel real benefit though! Creatine is effective for use by individuals at all stages of their training. And, unlike other performance enhancing substances, creatine supplementation is safe.
| "Creatine occurs naturally in the body" |
Creatine occurs naturally in the body -- your body is able to synthesise small quantities of creatine and in fact it is absolutely essential for good health. Your body is also able to absorb creatine from the food you consume each day.
Found in many different types of food, creatine occurs in its largest quantities in red meat. However preparing and eating an amount of red meat necessary to match the amount of creatine in a scoop of creatine monohydrate powder would be impractical, and expensive!
What does Creatine do?
In a nut shell, creatine supplementation can:
- Improve your maximum strength, and accelerate gains in lean muscle.
- Improve levels of high-intensity (ATP) energy available to your muscles; allowing you to train harder, and to train longer.
- Improve your recovery rate.
- Some studies have also highlighted creatine's ability to increase an individual's fat burning rate, whilst preserving muscle mass.
Who should supplement with Creatine?
Creatine is suitable for anyone looking to improve their strength and energy levels. Those looking to accelerate their muscle gains, or reduce fat levels are particularly well suited.
Men and women alike can benefit from creatine supplementation.
Is creatine safe?
Yes, there have been no undesirable effects reported relating to creatine usage.
More research funding has been poured into creatine than any other sport supplement in history. The definitive outcome of each trial being that creatine supplementation is completely safe.
How should I take creatine?
| "creatine should be taken immediately following your workout" |
Several modern variations of the classic Creatine Monohydrate powder exist today and each has it's own usage guidelines. However, those using the original powder form of creatine should look to begin with a 'loading' phase, followed by a maintenance dosage.
The loading phase involves consuming larger quantities of creatine for the first few days of supplementation. This ensures that your muscles reach saturation point quickly, and the full benefits can be felt sooner rather than later. During the loading phase you should look to take on board between 20 and 30 grams of creatine per day, for the first three days. It's important not to take it all in a single serving as your body will discard an excess. Smaller 5 to 10 gram servings will produce superior results.
After the initial days of loading, a maintenance dosage can be followed, of approximately 5 to 10 grams per day.
Ideally creatine monohydrate should be consumed with sweet fruit juice in order to maximise it's uptake. Veteran creatine users recommend grape juice for this purpose, but any sweet, non-acidic juice will be effective.
For best results creatine should be taken immediately following your workout.
Creatine should be taken every day of the week, even non-training days, to ensure that the body's saturation levels remain as high as possible. Some experts recommend 'cycling' creatine usage to stop the body becoming used to the extra benefits. A usage period of no more than 10 weeks, followed by a non-usage period of no less than 4 weeks is common.
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