Creatine: The Basics

Creatine monohydrate is one of the most popular and commonly used sports supplements on the market. Creatine is research proven to be effecitive at building muscle mass when used in conjunction with proper training and diet.

When muscles are put under a high intensity stimulus adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is broken down into a waste product adenosine diphosphate (ADP). The energy released when the breakdown of ATP occurs powers the muscle contraction.

When ATP has been depleted the muscle can longer contract and must synthesize ATP stores to continue its contraction. The fastest method is by using creatine phosphate (CP). CP is broken down to release a phosphate molecule that bonds to the ADP turning it back into ATP. This allows the muscle to continue its exertion.

Why supplement with creatine?
Supplemented creatine increases the amount of CP within muscle tissue, therefore giving more ability to synthesize ATP. Related to bodybuilding and sports, supplemented creatine allows muscle to continue with a high intensity stimulus for longer periods, meaning more reps and sets performed. This further allows the bodybuilder to overload and create mew muscle growth.

How to supplement with creatine:
There are many different opinions as to the best way to supplement with creatine.

1) Taking creatine with simple sugars such as dextrose/maltodextrin will increase its uptake.

This is true, as taking simple sugars will create a spike in insulin levels when digested. As the creatine is consumed at the same time it is transported more quickly into muscle cells. However it must be noted than muscle cells can only store a limited amount of creatine and once saturated the body will excrete any surplus. Therefore taking creatine with simple sugars is not completely necessary. Taking pure creatine monohydrate (without sugars) will saturate muscle cells, albeit at a marginally slower rate.

Taking creatine with simple sugars is effective pre and post workout to enhance your performance and recovery, as this is when muscle cells are at their most responsive to ingested nutrients. Taking simple carbs will allow the creatine to be absorbed when needed most.

At other periods such as rest days there should be no need to consume creatine with simple sugars, as a continued supplementation programme of creatine should keep stores at their peak. Furthermore it is not completely necessary to take simple sugars with creatine, as a sustained period of supplementation will create muscle saturation

2) Creatine and loading phases:

Loading usually involves taking large doses of creatine for one week to quickly saturates muscles to their maximum, a typical loading phase would look like this:

20g per day for 7 days (split into 2 10g doses or 4 5g doses separated throughout the day.

5g per day for the remainder of the cycle.

It is not completely necessary to ‘load’ creatine. As mentioned before once creatine levels are at their peak no more can be stored. Taking a does of 5g-10g daily will after a short period saturate the muscle. ‘Loading’ creatine will obviously saturate muscle cells at a quicker rate however be sure to choose your creatine wisely as loading creatine mixed with simple sugars can give you in excess of 600Kcal daily. Taking this amount of simple carbohydrate outside of your training window may create fat storage.

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/creatine-the-basics-1509283.html

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ATP creatine serum is the liquid form of the popular supplement creatine.  There has been alot of confusion among weightlifters and bodybuilders as to which form of creatine is better or more effective to help achieve your goals in the gym.  Unfortunately there is no clear answer to this question.  Which is better is an individual thing so you will hear and read conflicting stories all the time.  This article will attempt to clarify the differences.

Creatine serum is the liquid form of creatine monohydrate.  This form of the supplement claims to have similar benefits as the powder form such as extra energy, improved ATP regeneration, increases in weight, size and strength.  One of the downsides to liquid creatine is that research has shown higher levels of the waste product creatinine which is formed as creatine breaks down.  Creatinine has no benefits to your muscles so the faster the creatine breaks down, the less effective it is.  

There are other controversial facts about atp creatine serum you should be aware of.  Liquid creatine is not instantaneously absorbed into the muscles.  You should still load with liquid creatine (just like you would powder) and you should still take it on nontraining days.  Keep in mind that liquid creatine is not stable and can break down (some say more quickly) than the powder form.  The claims that liquid creatine performs better than powder creatine have not been substantiated.

As with any type of supplement that you are thinking of taking it is important that you research it from all aspects.  Try to find scientific articles that have done controlled studies on the subject.  Creatine is one of the most studied supplements on the market today.  Talk to other bodybuilders and see what brands and types that they use.  Find out what was most effective for them.  Although everyone will respond differently when taking this supplement learning what others have done will give you some guidelines to follow to get started.  

When you begin taking atp creatine serum follow the manufacturers directions.  After cycling through once or twice analyze the results that you got (or didn’t get).  For the next cycle you can experiment with the dosage and see if it makes a difference.

Do you know all you need to know about atp creatine serum, powder creatine and the best creatine supplement. If not, you’ll need the information found here: Gain Muscle Mass Fast

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/atp-creatine-serum-do-you-know-the-differences-between-creatine-serum-and-creatine-powder-1501275.html

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Today we are going to take a look at creatine monohydrate.  Rather than a simple attempt to explain creatine, I’ll assume that you already have a decent understanding of creatine, what it does, and its underlying effects.  What form of creatine is best for absorption? What is the difference between micronized creatine and creatine monohydrate?  Can I buy the cheap stuff and still get results, or should I stick with higher end creatine products?  These questions, and more, are answered below.

All creatine powder is not created equal! At least, not anymore – as some people are aware, you can now find creatine on the market in three forms: phosphate, citrate, and monohydrate. My feeling is that the phosphate variety is not easily absorbed by the body and for this reason will not yield effective and substantial results. The citrate variety seemed to be catching on for a time, but again the research is sketchy here. In fact, nearly all the positive clinical studies that have been done on creatine have utilized the monohydrate form, and this is the only form that I currently recommend.

Brand names and quality do matter – especially with creatine. There’s a ton of cheap, generic creatine monohydrate on the market (especially on the web), but I’m convinced that most of it is of significantly lower quality than the reputable brand name versions. Supplement companies and distributors in the U.S. currently get their raw creatine from two primary sources: China and Germany. The creatine that comes in from China is almost always less expensive, but it’s also much more likely to be impure. Typically, it’ll be cut with the complex carbohydrate maltodextrin. This is the dirt cheap “creatine” that many wholesalers offer. No wonder some people don’t see any results. Reputable creatine suppliers prefer the German version, which is a bit more expensive but tests out at a significantly higher level of quality. With creatine you really do get what you pay for.

Micronized creatine has reached the market – but is it just hype or is it really better? The answer might surprise you. Micronized creatine is very interesting. Basically, it’s produced through a process that finely grinds or “micronizes” the creatine particles themselves into particles that are 10, 15, even 20 times smaller than regular creatine particles. There’s no doubt that micronized creatine dissolves better in liquid—this just makes sense. It’s also theorized that the smaller particle size leads to easier and faster digestion and uptake into the blood. Individuals who report stomach upset with regular creatine intake almost always find the problem alleviated by switching to the micronized version. Many of the top creatine monohydrate products on the market—including AST’s Creatine HSC—have already switched to using micronized particles. This trend is likely to continue and accelerate in the near future.

Paul is a Website & SEO Analyst for Freaky Nutrition. Check out our top quality micronized creatine products: http://freakynutrition.com/details/shop/AS-074 and get more information on creatine powder: http://health-supplements.biz/tag/creatine-powder/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/advanced-questions-and-answers-creatine-monohydrate-1494108.html

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