Creatine ~ How to build muscles

What Is Creatine Monohydrate?

Creatine monohydrate is the most effective and popular supplement used by athletes to increase lean muscle mass, strength and energy. The human body naturally makes creatine to supply energy to the muscles. Creatine is made in the liver, pancreas and kidneys and is transported to the body’s muscles through the bloodstream. Once it reaches the muscles, it is converted into phosphocreatine (creatine phosphate). This high-powered metabolite is used to regenerate the muscles' ultimate energy source, ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

Creatine is 100% natural and is found in small amounts in some foods. Some foods that contain creatine are red meat, salmon, herring and tuna. The amount of creatine in these foods is minimal, and most (if not all) is lost when the food is cooked.

The best source of creatine monohydrate is creatine powders. These supplements are 99.9% pure creatine and only a small daily dose is required to raise the creatine levels in muscle tissue.

How Does Creatine Monohydrate Work?

When we start workout body calls on its ATP(Adenosine tri-phosphate) stores to power the muscles. After 5-10 seconds, the energy from ATP has been used. Your body then turns to creatine phosphate, which is quickly converted to ATP and used as energy. This process only takes a fraction of a second.

If the body does not have an adequate amount of creatine phosphate available, it turns to glycogen. The problem with glycogen is, it takes much longer to be converted into ATP (around 20 seconds).

So if the muscles are completely saturated with creatine through supplementation with creatine monohydrate, more creatine phosphate will be available resulting in more energy, increased weight and raps, and increased lean muscle growth.

What Are The Recommended Creatine Monohydrate Dosages?

Excellent results have observed when taking creatine monohydrate in two ways.

Creatine loading:

Creatine loading works saturating the muscles with creatine in the first 5-7 days and then maintaining the creatine levels in the following weeks. So in the first 5-7 days, 20g of creatine monohydrate is taken (4 x 5g servings) with a non-acidic fruit juice(grape juice is best creatine) or dextrose. The dosage is then reduced to 5-10g per day taken post workout and before bed.

Gradual approach:

The gradual approach skips the loading phase and moves straight on to taking 5-10g per day.

A simple carbohydrate taken with creatine monohydrate is known to greatly enhance the absorption of creatine

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE FAQ:

Does creatine monohydrate have to be cycled?

Some studies report that creatine monohydrate must be cycled. Others report that cycling is not necessary. We recommend you cycle creatine. Load for one week, maintenance for six weeks, and stop taking for two weeks. Repeat.

Is it necessary to load creatine monohydrate?

Studies have shown that the loading phase is not essential when taking creatine monohydrate. However, studies have shown that the muscles reach saturation levels faster if the loading phase is used. It may take up to four weeks to saturate the muscles if the loading phase is not used.

Can I take creatine monohydrate with my other supplements?

Yes, in fact it’s recommended that you mix creatine monohydrate in with your post workout shake. The ideal post workout shake mix would be dextrose (simple carbohydrates), whey protein, creatine and glutamine. The insulin spike created from dextrose will help move creatine to the muscles much faster.

Can I take creatine monohydrate when losing weight?

Creatine can help you train harder and has no calorific value, so yes, you can take creatine when trying to lose weight.

Should I take creatine monohydrate before or after my workout?

There are 2 schools of thought on this topic. Some people believe that you should "load" our muscles with creatine before you train. While others believe that (providing you're taking 5-8g of creatine monohydrate per day) you already have enough creatine in your muscle cells already and that you should replenish the stocks by taking creatine immediately after you train. There have been no studies to prove either way is better, so for convenience, most people take it post workout. A good post workout shake should consist of whey protein, glutamine, simple carbohydrates, and creatine.

Can I take creatine with any fruit juice?

No, you must only use non-acidic fruit juices. Grape juice is the best choice. You can also take it with simple carbohydrate supplements like dextrose.

Benefits of creatine