Note: when you take creatine, mix it in water and drink all of it immediately. Creatine left standing in water changes into creatinine, a useless compound.
Creatine is a nutrient found in muscle cells and is essential for energy conversion in the body. In the body, Creatine is first converted to PhosphoCreatine (PCr). The muscles use primarily Adenosine TriPhosphate (ATP) for energy. During this energy conversion, ATP loses a phosphate molecule, thus becoming Adenosine DiPhosphate (ADP). This energy last a very short time, 10 seconds. After that, more ATP must be converted to ADP to release more energy. This is when PCr releases its Phosphate moelcule to ADP, thus making another ATP.
The ability to re-generate ATP depends on the amount of PCr (and Ribose) you have stored in your muscles. That's why supplementing with Creatine allows you to power your way through intense gym workouts.
Creatine supplementation is best used by the muscles when performing short, high-intensity, explosive exercises like power-lifting, sprinting, and other anaerobic sports in short bursts of 6-10 seconds of full-exertion movements. The reason for this is because additional creatine will be added to the existing pool in the muscle, which will allow for more creatine phosphate to be resynthesized and eventually be drawn upon for energy during intense muscular action.
Once you step into the aerobic or cardio zone (endurance activities, including marathon sex) with longer, slower runs, creatine offers little benefit [1]. This is because the CP - ATP process is most effective with longer work-to-rest ratios of 1:2 found in for example, weight lifting where the individual pumps insanely for 30 seconds then rests for 60 seconds. Endurance activities like running have work-to-rest ratios of 1:1 and relies primarily on aerobic methods of energy production.
One of the most thorough and authoritative investigations of creatine supplementation was conducted by a panel affiliated with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). This group, which reviewed over 100 studies involving creatine, published some of their findings in early 2000 in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. [1] This is what they had to say:
Quote :
Research indicates that Cr supplementation can increase muscle phosphocreatine (PCr) content, but not in all individuals. A high dose of 20 g/day that is common to many research studies is not necessary, as 3 g/day will achieve the same increase in PCr given time. Coincident ingestion of carbohydrate with Cr may increase muscle uptake; however, the procedure requires a large amount of carbohydrate. Exercise performance involving short periods of extremely powerful activity can be enhanced, especially during repeated bouts of activity. This is in keeping with the theoretical importance of an elevated PCr content in skeletal muscle. Cr supplementation does not increase maximal isometric strength, the rate of maximal force production, nor aerobic exercise performance. Most of the evidence has been obtained from healthy young adult male subjects with mixed athletic ability and training status. Less research information is available related to the alterations due to age and gender.
Cr supplementation leads to weight gain within the first few days, likely due to water retention related to Cr uptake in the muscle. Cr supplementation is associated with an enhanced accrual of strength in strength-training programs, a response not independent from the initial weight gain, but may be related to a greater volume and intensity of training that can be achieved. There is no definitive evidence that Cr supplementation causes gastrointestinal, renal, and/or muscle cramping complications.
The potential acute effects of high-dose Cr supplementation on body fluid balance has not been fully investigated, and ingestion of Cr before or during exercise is not recommended. There is evidence that medical use of Cr supplementation is warranted in certain patients (e.g., neuromuscular disease); future research may establish its potential usefulness in other medical applications.
Although Cr supplementation exhibits small but significant physiological and performance changes, the increases in performance are realized during very specific exercise conditions. This suggests that the apparent high expectations for performance enhancement, evident by the extensive use of Cr supplementation, are inordinate.
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References:
[1] The American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable on the physiological and health effects of oral creatine supplementation. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 706–717, 2000. Ronald L. Terjung Ph.D., FACSM (Chair); Priscilla Clarkson, Ph.D., FACSM; E. Randy Eichner, M.D., FACSM; Paul L.Greenhaff, Ph.D.; Peter J. Hespel, Ph.D.; Richard Gay Israel, Ed.D., FACSM; William J. Kraemer, Ph.D., FACSM; Ronald A. Meyer, Ph.D.; Lawrence L. Spriet, Ph.D., FACSM; Mark A. Tarnopolsky, M.D., Ph.D.; Anton J.M. Wagenmakers, Ph.D.; and Melvin H. Williams, Ph.D., FACSM
