TRADE NAME: Creatine Monohydrate

Chemical Name: Methylglycocyamine

TYPE OF SUPPLEMENT: Strength

WHAT IT IS:
Creatine is an amino acid. Specifically, it is a metabolite of arginine, glycine and L-methionine that is made in the liver, kidney and. The creatine in your body is stored primarily in your muscles where it bonds with phosphorus to form creatine phosphate.

HOW IT WORKS:
The primary mechanism by which creatine supplementation seems to work is by increasing the available phosphate within your muscles. When your muscles engage in short bursts of power, the energy available to the muscles comes from ATP or adenosine tri phospate. ATP is an amino bound to 3 molecules of phosphate. Your muscles immediate source of energy comes from releasing the bond with one of the 3 phosphate molecules. Once your muscles have expended the immediate supply of ATP molecules, there is a secondary supply supply of additional phosphate molecules available in your muscles in the form of creatine phosphate. Your body is able to utilize this supply of phosphate to create more ATP.

The basic mechanism by which creatine is believed to work is by maximizing the amount of phosphate stored in your muscles. The average person carries between 3.5 and 4.5 grams of creatine phosphate per kilogram of bodyweight. Your body converts approximately 2 grams of creatine per day to the waste product creatinine. It is believed that supplementing with creatine monohydrate increases the creatine phosphate stored in the muscles, replacing the amount lost to creatinine and thuse maxing out your bodies storage capacity of creatine phosphate to approximately 5 grams per kg of bodyweight. This allows a greater supply of ATP that your muscles can use for short, immediate bursts of power and strength. More energy expended in a given muscular contraction equals greater power and strength.

Primary Affects:
Creatine supplementation definitely works for most people who try it. Over the last 10 years creatine has been heavily studied for it’s ability to augment strength, power and endurance. The body of data suggests that creatine supplementation favorably increases short term strength, power and endurance.

Effective Dose level:
Creatine is most effective when taken in a loading phase of 25 grams per day for 5 days and then a ‘maintenance phase’ of 5 grams per day.

Supplement Conflicts: Vandenberghe noted that the ingestion of caffeine completely counteracts the performance benefits of ingesting creatine. Rule of thumb, do not mix caffeine and creatine.

Side Effects:
Some of the side effects reported in numerous studies are cramps, bloating, diahera.