Friday, October 25, 2013

Creatine Monohydrate: What Is It?

It is almost impossible nowadays to ignore or be unaware of dietary supplements today, mainly in the area of body building. The health and sports supplement sector is one of the most lucrative and cut-throat markets in the entire world. Even a veteran gambler would likely pass on a bet to grab a health mag and not notice at least 16 or even more advitorials on different supplements all promising "six pack abs" or "shed 45 lbs for this weekend's big day." The majority of the supplement claims are over the top and the FTC really hasn't gotten around to them yet but there are sitll some supplements which are not completely devoid of merit. Only 1 supplement can make this honest claim: "The Most Researched Performance Enhancing Nutritional Supplement" and that is Creatine monohydrate with it's over Three hundred published and peer reviewed studies. The who, why, what, what and how is the topic of this article the nutritional supplement Creatine. Buckle up, grab a cup of joe (or your beverage of preference) and let's learn the facts.
So what is creatine monohydrate?
Creatine monohydrate is a all-natural substance which can be produced in our very own bodies. Creatine monohydrate is converted into creatine phosphate, which is converted into Adenosine TriPhosphate (ATP). Whenever your muscles contract, they are using ATP. If you aren't one of those people that eats 1 lb of beef or pork a day, you body doesn't produce enough and you do not eat enough creatine rich foods to get the additional advantage made available through supplementation. Scientists and experts have now been able to extract creatine monohydrate, and provide it in powdered form.
How does it work?
Thinking back, we explained creatine gets converted to ATP that is energy for our muscles to do work. Normal levels of ATP only supply enough energy for a small amount of muscle twitches and contractions. One on the greatest benefits to creatine supplementation is the ability to saturate the muscles and allow the surplus creatine stored to be converted on the fly to ATP when you workout aiding in more work to be done during training and for longer periods of time.
Creatine Monohydrate Benefits
With saturated creatine stores, there's more energy available to be used by your muscle and the better your workouts could be. Muscle volumization, the process by which the ATP rich cells retain more water when using creatine will add a nice bonus of making your muscles look bigger and fuller. Creatine monohydrate helps you to build muscle, to increase your strength, helps to tone your muscles, helps to prevent muscle cramping, and allows you to exercise and recover for longer periods of time.
Recommendations for how you should take creatine monohydrate
There's a lot of confusion so read this section carefully. Take 1 teaspoon or 5 grams of creatine mixed with water or fruit juice after your workout. You might want to consider the loading phase which is 20 grams a day for 5 days in a row to quickly saturate the muscles and enjoy the benefits faster. The reason behind the loading phase is the faster you can reach a saturation point, the quicker you will start to see results. The loading phase is debatable and has been for years but one thing is certain, you do not need to do it to enjoy the benefits of creatine supplementation. Our advice would be to try the loading phase, and if you encounter positive results, then to stick with this method in the future. It's recommended to cycle creatine after every 4-8 weeks of use by discontinuing the use for 4 weeks.
Marc David is a certified personal trainer, bodybuilder, writer, and author of the e-book "The NoBull Bodybuilding Program.
Learn more about creatine at Does Creatine Work and the possible Side Effects of Creatine.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8083089

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