|
Should I Take Creatine
Should I take Creatine? Is a question we here
virtually every day ( no one has asked us on Christmas Day yet which is why we
say virtually) from people engaged in all sorts of sporting activities from
athletes, cyclists, rugby players, bodybuilders - in fact just about every
serious ( and active) sport you can name ( so far no chess players have asked -
but as it can help to
improve memory
and intelligence then why not!) as well as people who go to the gym
regularly and want to get better results from their weight training or aerobic work.
If you are going to take
Creatine there are many different types strengths and versions of the supplement
- but in general terms we always tend in the first instance to recommend
Creatine Ethyl Ester. Why? Basically because it is very strong, fast acting and
has none of the side effects that some (but not all) experience with Creatine
Monohydrate such as water retention - this means that it is the ideal supplement
for men and women
alike.
Creatine is made up of three amino acids -
Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. Our liver has the ability to combine these
three amino acids and make creatine. The other way we get creatine is from our
diet.
How much Creatine do we have in our body?
This varies based on the amount of muscle mass you have and your weight. On
average a 160 pound person would have about 120 grams of creatine stored in
their body.
Where is Creatine stored in our body? It is
believed that approximately 98% of the creatine in our body is stored in our
muscles. The remaining 2% is stored in various other parts of the body including
the brain, heart and testes.
What does creatine do?
1. Provides additional energy for your
muscles
2. Volumization of your muscles
3. Buffers Lactic Acid build-up
4. Enhances Protein Synthesis
Creatine is a substance found naturally in your
body. Every time you perform any type of intense exercise (such as sprinting, or
training with weights), your body uses Creatine to provide your body with
energy. Unfortunately, creatine stores only last for a maximum of around 10
seconds. That's why you can't sprint "all-out" for very long - your creatine
stores become depleted. Adding Creatine to your diet raises the levels of
Creatine in your body. This dramatically improves your performance in the gym, or
in a sporting event such as rugby. Creatine also speeds up muscle growth, often
leading to gains of 3 or 5 pounds in less than 7 days. Creatine supplementation
has been shown to enhance maximum strength levels [2], improve sporting
performance in football players [1], and accelerate gains in lean muscle mass
[2]. Studies have also shown that test subjects given Creatine for 12 weeks in
combination with a structured weight-training programme gained a massive 24% and
32% more strength in the bench press and squat PLUS they also gained twice as
much lean muscle! -[3]. Additionally a study published in the prestigious
journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise showed that just five days
after using 20 grams of Creatine daily, test subjects gained an impressive 3.1
pounds of lean muscle [4].
The best creatine
References
1.Mujika, I., Padilla, S., Ibanez, J., Izquierdo, M., & Gorostiaga, E. (2000).
Creatine supplementation and sprint performance in soccer players. Medicine and
Science in Sports & Exercise, 32, 518-525
2.Vandenberghe, K., Goris, M., Van Hecke, P., Van Leemputte, M., Vangerven, L.,
& Hespel, P. (1997). Long-term creatine intake is beneficial to muscle
performance during resistance training. Journal of Applied Physiology, 83,
2055-2063
3.Volek J.S., Duncan, N.D., Mazzetti, S.A., Staron, R.S., Putukian, M., Gomez,
A.L, Pearson, D.R, Fink, W.J., & Kraemer WJ. (1999). Performance and muscle
fiber adaptations to creatine supplementation and heavy resistance training.
Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, 31, 1147-1156
4.Mihic, S., MacDonald, J.R., McKenzie, S., & Tarnopolsky, M.A. (2000). Acute
creatine loading increase fat-free mass, but does not affect blood pressure,
plasma creatinine, or CK activity in men and women. Medicine and Science in
Sports & Exercise, 32, 291-296
So if any of the above reasons are of interest
to you then if the question is - Should I take Creatine? the answer is YES!
|