Throughout history, both men and woman have strived to achieve a level of physical fitness that is above the "average."From the ancient Greeks to the
bodybuilders of today,
it seems that everyone wants a physique that looks like it was chiseled out
of the side of a
rock. To see results as great as the ones' wanted, one must work very hard
and be
dedicated. Proper nutrition, proper recuperation, heavy lifting, and
cardiovascular work
are key to seeing these results.
However, sometimes these things are not enough to see the desired results.
It is
for this reason that most people, who are really dedicated to keeping their
body in shape,
turn to supplements. Supplements can help someone achieve their goals
quicker and go
above and beyond ones' maximum abilities.
Creatine has become one of the best-selling and most widely used
supplements of
all time. Two and a half million kilograms of creatine were consumed in the
United States
in 1999. There is a good reason why creatine has been a top selling
supplement. It not
only increases muscle size and strength, but it increases bodyweight and
high-intensity
exercise performance. Most of the initial weight gained while on creatine
is water weight,
due to the volumizing of the muscles. There are many differentials, such as
dosage, cost,
brands, about creatine. Since many people use this supplement, everyone
seems to have a
certain opinion on the product, leading to many misconceptions and
falsehoods about the
product.
Creatine is not a steroid, hormone, vitamin, or a mineral. Creatine is a
combination
of three non-essential amino-acids, which are arginine, glycine, and
methionine. The
chemical name for creatine is methyl guanidine-acetic acid. Creatine is
perfectly legal and
is not banned by the IOC (International Olympic Committee), the USOC (United
States
Olympic Committee), or any professional sports league except the National
Hockey
League.
Creatine is perfectly safe for anyone to use, although some people
would like
others to believe differently. Although creatine is not meant for use by
anyone under 18 (as
directed on the bottle), it is safe for children 14 and up to use. A study
was done by
France's Agency of Medical Security for Food, and the results of this study
were that
creatine, "especially in the long-run," could prove to be carcinogenic, or
cancer causing.
Their reasoning behind this statement is that they found a higher level of
creatine in the
cancer-inflicted patients than they did in non-cancer subjects.
There is another belief that creatine causes kidney damage. There is no
evidence
supporting these claims. Medical doctors, who have conducted studies on
creatine's
effect on the kidneys, say that taking in higher doses (10-20 grams a day)
of creatine will
cause the kidneys to work harder, leading to potential damage. It is a well
known fact that
taking in high doses of anything, including food, will cause the body's
organs to work
harder.
Should we stop indulging ourselves with food during the holidays
because it will
cause our body's organs to work harder, leading to potential damage? Of
course not.
This example discredits certain doctor's theories about creatine being
unhealthy. Until
creatine is proven over and over again to be unsafe, it will be considered
safe and will still
be one of the most widely used supplements of our time.
There are three forms of creatine that you can take; pill, powder, and
serum (liquid
creatine). All serve the same purpose and are said to give the same
results. However
there are some differences between the three. Creatine in pill form is
prohibitively
expensive. Powder, which is the most commonly used form of creatine, is
highly
insoluble, resulting in athletes having to take high doses(10-20 grams a
day) in order for it
to reach their muscles. Liquid creatine is highly soluble, so less has to
be taken and it
supposedly bypasses the digestive system altogether , resulting in safer and
quicker results.
Most bodybuilders are very skeptical of serum creatine. Creatine has been
proven to
become unstable after 20 minutes in liquid form. After that 20 minutes, the
creatine
becomes creatinine, which is the waste product of creatine. It seems that
liquid creatine is
no good in terms of gaining lean muscle mass and boosting sport performance,
but the
flavored liquid creatine sure makes for one great tasting pancake syrup.
Many people take creatine without knowing just exactly what it does or how
it
works. It is wise to research a supplement for a couple of months before
you decide to
take it.
If one researches creatine hard enough, they might find that
creatine does not
work for everyone. Actually, only 80% of the population who use creatine see
results. Or
they may find out that, while not yet tested on humans, creatine cured Lou
Gerhig's
disease in lab rats.
Creatine is not necessary for the "average" person
since a person's
liver produces creatine. However, creatine can be taken in supplement form
and also
occurs naturally in red meat and other protein sources. For example, one
eight ounce
steak contains about 1 gram of creatine. Close to 97% of the body's
creatine is stored in
the muscles, and the other three percent in various locations like the
heart, brain, and
testes.
An understanding of ATP is crucial to a full understanding of how
creatine works.
ATP is known as the energy compound in the body. When your muscles use ATP
for
energy, it breaks the ATP down into ADP and inorganic phosphate. Your
muscles have
only enough ATP to last about 10-15 seconds at maximum exertion. This is
where
creatine comes into play. Creatine helps muscles replenish ATP, causing you
to train
longer, more frequently, and at a higher intensity.
Creatine has another effect on the body's muscles. Creatine helps draw
water into
the muscles, keeping them super-saturated with water, or volumizing the
muscle. When
muscles are super-hydrated like they are when one uses creatine, the muscles
not only stay
in an anti-catabolic (muscle building) state, but they help someone train
longer and harder,
leading to an increase in lean muscle mass.
Creatine is thought to only be beneficial to bodybuilders or people who
just lift
weights, but this is not true. Some track runners have reported up to a 5%
increase in
sprint performance and up to a 15% increase in repeated sprint performance
after using
creatine. These results show that creatine would be beneficial for athletes
of all sports to
take.
Another benefit of creatine is that it is said to buffer lactic acid
build-up. New
research has shown that creatine can help buffer lactic acid build-up in
muscles during
exercise. This leads to that nasty burning feeling you get in your muscles.
Scientifically it
is a complicated process. Basically the creatine bonds with a hydrogen ion
and that helps
delay the build-up of lactic acid.
Different people have different ways of
taking creatine,
because of personal preference. The standard way of taking creatine is to
do a five day
loading phase and then a maintenance stage. During the loading phase,
twenty grams of
creatine is taken a day, while in the maintenance phase, five to ten grams
of creatine are
taken daily. The loading phase is not necessary for creatine to work.
However,
individuals will see results quicker if a loading phase is used. Many
people do not care
about quick results and decide to pass on the loading phase, so they can
save money. It is
all up to personal preference.
Creatine is best taken immediately after a
workout, and it is
best absorbed if taken with a simple carbohydrate. Grape juice or apple
juice works the
best. Now-a-days, people can buy creatine that already contains simple
carbohydrates (usually dextrose), and an ALA (alpha lipoic acid), but it usually costs twice
as much to get
this type of creatine. About every major company produces creatine. GNC,
Muscle-Tech,
EAS, and Pro-Lab are just a few examples of companies that make creatine.
Regular
creatine usually costs about twenty to forty dollars a tub, where as the
creatine with added
dextrose may cost fifty to eighty dollars a tub.
Creatine does not have any serious side effects. When used incorrectly, it
can
produce a serious side effect, and that is dehydration. The reason this
occurs is because of
creatine's water retention in your muscles. When using creatine, you must
drink at least
one and a half to two gallons of water a day to stay properly hydrated.
Excessive
urination should last for about the first month or so, then the person gets
used to it. Some
other side effects that have been linked to creatine are, nausea, upset
stomach, dizziness,
weakness, "loose stools," diarrhea, and weight gain. These may occur with
dosages
higher than 5 grams a day. People have even blamed creatine for muscle
strains, sprains,
and tears, but the validity of these claims are false. The strains,
sprains, or tears were
probably due to an improper warm-up, improper stretching, or improper
cool-down.
Mankind has always tried to be the best at no matter what it is. Sports,
studies,
hobbies, and work are just a few examples. Building a better body is no
different. Proper
nutrition, recuperation, lifting, and cardiovascular work are key into
achieving a better
body, but sometimes individuals turn to supplements to ease them on the
journey they
have partaken in.
Creatine is probably the number one supplement used by
fitness fanatics
today for two reasons; it works and it is fairly inexpensive. It is
definitely one of the most
talked about supplements today. Although rumored to be unsafe, creatine has
been lab
tested for over 10 years and been proven to be 100% safe to use. If people
are looking to
increase muscle size and strength, bodyweight, and high-intensity exercise
performance,
then creatine is definitely a supplement they should look into taking.
Joe
joehagy@hotmail.com
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