Creatine Supplements

"Creatine supplements in the form of creatine monohydrate can rightly lay claim to being the most popular and effective bodybuilding supplement currently on the market."


The information presented below seeks to summarize the most important facts relating to creatine supplements and should help you to decide whether you need to use it.

To access in-depth information about this amazing supplement and to enjoy the generous savings available on a huge range of creatine products, please visit the Bodybuilding.com cyberstore.

What is it?

Creatine is produced naturally in our bodies and is used to supply energy to our muscles. It is produced in the liver, pancreas and kidneys before being transported via the bloodstream to the body's muscles.

Once it reaches the muscles it is converted into phosphocreatine, a powerful metabolite that is used to regenerate the muscles' ATP (adenosine triphosphate) energy source.

The beauty of creatine is that it is 100% natural and occurs in many foods, therefore it is unlikely to be banned from any sports or international competitions.

What does it do?

Creatine is rightly heralded as bodybuilding's ultimate supplement. It can significantly increase lean muscle mass quickly, improve performance in high intensity exercise, raise energy levels and speed up recovery rates.

Creatine's ability to enhance energy reserves in muscles comes from its muscle protein synthesizing action, while minimizing protein breakdown. This occurs because creatine has the effect of super-hydrating muscle cells with water. It also enhances muscle growth making muscle fibers bigger and stronger.

Who needs it?

Anyone who needs more energy, wishes to build muscle faster, and aims to improve endurance should try supplementing with creatine monohydrate.

Anyone who would like to increase lean muscle mass, recover from training faster, and lose fat should use creatine supplements.

Anyone who is involved in intense physical activity, experiencing physical stress and fatigue, or seeks significant improvement in physical performance levels should supplement with creatine monohydrate.

How is it taken?

There are two common ways to take creatine supplements. The first involves loading or saturating the muscles with creatine at a level of 20 to 30 grams per day for four to seven days. After the loading period, maintain a regular intake of five to fifteen grams per day.

The other method offers a more gradual approach and involves skipping the loading phase, instead supplementing with five to fifteen grams per day for an extended period of time.

Whatever approach you choose, the best results have been experienced when creatine is combined with a high cardohydrate base such as dextrose and taken 30 minutes before training. The powder should be mixed with a non-acidic juice, such as grape juice, or water.

Is it safe?

It would appear that creatine is totally safe and effective as it has never been shown to be harmfully toxic - no adverse effects have been shown in any studies. However just like any product, it is not recommended to over-supplement once your muscles are saturated with creatine - there is simply no need to.

Does scientific evidence support its use?

Over 20 double blind, placebo-controlled studies have been done on creatine supplements in recent years. They proved that creatine increased energy levels and resulted in increased strength, endurance levels and recovery rates.

Recommended Creatine Supplements

There is a bewildering range of creatine supplements on the market, some containing only pure creatine and others delivering a blend of supplements. It's really a question of choosing the one that best fits your objectives and pocket.

Clicking here will present you with five of the most effective and popular creatine supplements currently available.



Don't forget to check out this week's recommended bodybuilding article entitled What causes muscle growth?

1. Stimulus - exercise is needed to make the muscles work, use energy and cause microscopic damage to the fibers.

2. Nutrition - after intense exercise the muscles need to replenish their stores of fuel.

3. Rest - it is during the rest or recovery phase that the muscles repair the microscopic damage and grow.

Muscle size increases due to hypertrophic adaptation and an increase in the cross section area of individual muscle fibers. Intensive exercise impacts more on the strength influencing fast twitch type II fibers, therefore the increase in muscle size is accompanied by greater strength. . . .

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