Benefits Of Creatine

Taking Creatine as a supplement to help increase the body's stores has been found to help increase weight trainers strength by around 10-15 percent plus can also cause increased muscle mass. Some studies have also found that it helps reduce the bodies fat percentage as well. Creatine will make the muscles pull in more water this will make them appear larger and fuller. The benefits of this is that this helps reduce fatigue and also may make the muscle fibers tear more thus creating more of a stimulus for muscle growth. Creatine has also been found to be able to buffer the effects of lactic acid in the muscle. All these effects have improved performance in the gym.

The scientific name for creatine is Methyl-Guanidine-acetic acid it is manufactured from Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. The liver can manufacture creatine plus it is also acquired through food that contains creatine beef, tuna, salmon, pork and other meats. Vegetarians have been found to have lower levels of creatine than non-vegetarians. A 75kg person will have about 120gms of creatine in their body. And 95-98% of it is stored in the muscles of the body.

The muscles can store around 3.5 to 4 grams per kilogram of muscles. With taking extra creatine this can be increase to five grams per kilogram of muscle mass which in a 75 kg person can be up to 160gms in total. The body breaks down and replaces the stores of creatine at about 2 grams per day.

Around half of this is from food and the other half is produced in the liver.The purpose of creatine in to aid in the energy pathways of the muscles. Muscles use ATP for energy. This ATP gets converted to ADP. The creatine then help converts is back to ATP and the muscle can continue doing work. The theory behind creatine supplementation is that if the muscles have more creatine in them then they can help produce more ATP and the body can do more work.

Twenty grams a day should be taken for the first week and then after that about five grams a day is needed. When creatine supplementation is topped it takes about 4-6 weeks for the levels to return back to normal. The creatine is best absorbed when mixed with a high glycemic drink such as fruit juice. This triggers the body to release insulin which helps drive the creatine into the muscle cells. Studies have found that the maximum effect is achieved when consuming creatine with 100grams of simple sugars or a fifty-fifty mix of sugars and protein. Do not take creatine with caffeine (Coffee, Cola) as studies have found that caffeine negates the effects of creatine.

When taking creatine always to make sure you plenty of water. Creatine causes more fluid to be stored in the muscles and this can lead to dehydration and cramping plus extra creatine will be removed by the kidneys so it is best to drink plenty of water. Don't take it with acidic beverages such as grapefruit juice as this will start to break it down.

Creatine is considered to be the most important supplement to take after protein, so if you are wanting to gain muscle increase strength and lose fat then creatine is a good choice for you.

Graeme Muir is active in weight training and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with an interest in improving performance with supplementation, check out GRMProducts for dietary supplements.

Article Source: http://www.wellnessarticlelibrary.com

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