Creation of Power: The Wonders of Creatine

Are you one of the people subscribing to those quick 15- to 20-minute workouts? Do you need those bursts of power required for running dashes or cycling sprints? Creatine can help boost your performance for these short duration yet immensely intensive workouts.

What is Creatine?

Creatine is an important element in our body as it is involved in the production of energy. It is mostly stored in our skeletal muscles, though around 5% can be found in our brain and heart. It is produced naturally in our body by amino acids.

Creatine can also be sourced from red meat and fish, though its amount would be greatly depleted as a result of cooking. Sushi and sashimi are excellent sources as they do not require cooking, thus, much of their creatine are retained.

Creatine is also available as a supplement in both powder and capsule forms.

For creatine to be absorbed by our muscles, the body would require insulin. Eating food rich in carbohydrates is therefore recommended so that more creatine would be made available for our muscles. therefore it is best to have it with glucose powder or non citrus fruit juice.

Effects of Creatine

The intake of creatine will result to a higher level in adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is a source of energy for muscles for short-term intensive workout sessions. It is especially helpful for training activities like lifting weights or running sprints.

Creatine, however, is not needed for muscles utilized primarily for endurance exercises. As it may lead to an increase in weight, those involved in endurance activities are not advised to take supplements of creatine.

Take note that the increase in weight is due to the increase in muscle size brought about by the additional load that you can carry. Muscle fibers can also grow because of creatine.

Creatine intake also decreases the amount of lactic acid in our body, which in turn will lead to less fatigue and faster recuperation.

Benefits of Creatine

The most obvious benefits of creatine are increase in strength and improvement of muscle size. It is most beneficial to those performing activities that need a quick burst of energy, like sprinting, baseball or heavy weight lifting. Aside from increase in muscle size, creatine also helps in recovery after intense training activities.

Creatine is also known to boost mental capacity. Those lacking in sleep may also benefit from a creatine supplement.

Muscle aches may also decrease significantly when you take in creatine. Your skin can also benefit from the creatine added to lotions and creams.

When to Take Creatine

The best times to take creatine are before and after your workout or training sessions. Taking it before a workout will help set up your body for a muscle building state. On the other hand, taking creatine supplement after your workout will allow your body to quickly recover and prevent a breakdown of your muscles, allowing you to return to the gym quicker.

So give your body a bit of an energy boost and help improve your strength and muscle size by taking creatine. That bit of energy boost can actually help you become stronger and allow you to increase your load.

Micronised Creatine is very fine powdered Creatine that is easily absorbed into the bloodstream.

When loading up on Creatine it causes the muscle cells to hydrate full of water. The hydration makes the muscles fuller and bigger. The extra muscle volume (due to the water in the muscles) causes strength to increase. If you put the increase in strength into good use by lifting more weight it would cause more stress on the muscle fibres. By eating a good nutritious balanced diet, this would support new muscular growth.

It is important to eat a good nutritious diet made up of protein, carbohydrates and essential fats and train hard during Creatine loading if you want effective results.

Serving Suggestions:

For Energy
Mix one serve (5g) of Creatine Monohydrate in 200 mls of water
mixed with glucose powder or non citrus fruit juice
(ie: grape juice) or carbohydrate drink
Creatine is absorbed much better with glucose based drinks.

For Strength and Lean Body Mass:

Loading Phase
Drink one serve ( 5g ) 6 times a day for 6 to 7 days in between meals
Drink plenty of water to enhance muscle hydration

Maintenance Phase
Drink one serve ( 5g ) twice a day for 3 weeks. 30 minutes before and after workouts is ideal.

Rest Phase
It is recommended to stop using Creatine for a period of 3 to 4 weeks before repeating another Loading Phase.

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