Creatine... the Supplement of the Decade??

by Nate Solomon

Creatine, which is stored in your muscle, is an important part of the energy producing process called the Krebs Cycle. The premise of Creatine is that if you saturate your muscles with this compound, you could perform at a higher level for a longer time. At this saturation level, Creatine is more readily available and enables you to increase your intensity and duration of exercise. You're able to put out more force during your workouts.

The ability to increase intensity flows great with the progressive resistance theory of having to do more (lift heavier weight, run harder longer, bike faster, etc.) to experience strength gains and fat loss. Creatine has been proven to give your muscles this added intensity.

Results:

After 2 weeks of use, you'll definitely experience a growth in muscle size and strength. I can personally attest to this happening. Due to the "saturation", your muscles become "full". You will experience weight gain, but it won't be fat. Also, you will definitely feel stronger and be able to push yourself harder.

You can find much literature, information and hype concerning Creatine and how to best use it. Creatine Monohydrate is the most recognized and most studied form. The other types are Creatine Phosphate, Creatine Citrate and Effervescent Creatine. There are chemical reasons behind each of these with the goal being to increase the rate of absorption into the muscles. You can find many articles that explain each theory.

I'll let you do your own digging. Everything that I've read still points to Creatine Monohydrate as being the one to go with.

How to take it:

The best way to take Creatine Monohydrate is through a "loading" phase followed by a "maintenance" phase. The "loading" phase consists of taking 20 grams per day (4 servings of 5 grams each) for 5 days. The "loading" phase is meant to saturate your skeletal muscles. The "maintenance" phase follows by taking 5 grams per day. If you're over 200 pounds, you should probably increase the "loading" phase to 25-30 grams per day and the "maintenance" phase to 10 grams per day.

It's a good idea to take your Creatine Monohydrate with some kind of sugar. The sugar increases your insulin level and stimulates absorption. Grape or apple juice is a good choice. Plain sugar (sucrose) has an even better insulin releasing effect, but juice would offer a better tasting option.

I don't think it's wise to stay on something like this forever. I would definitely cycle this supplement. Load up and maintain for 2 or 3 months, take 1 or 2 months off and start again. During the "on" cycle, you may want to re-load at about the 9 or 10 month point.

Side Effects:

As I said above, there have been no known reports of harmful, long lasting negative side effects. You will experience weight gain due to the muscle saturation. You more than likely will achieve additional lean muscle mass due to a higher exercise output. You may experience a mild upset stomach. Personally, different brands affect me differently.

Some are concerned about whether our body's ability to manufacture and uptake Creatine by itself will be shut down. This is an issue because our muscles require Creatine to move about (exert energy) in our daily activities. Studies have shown that it takes approximately 5 weeks for our body to "get back" to its pre-Creatine maintenance state. This is why I would (and do) cycle my use of Creatine.

Since Creatine "fills" the cells within your muscles, it's important to drink enough water to maintain that fluid balance outside the cells. If you're concerned about your health, though, you should already be drinking more than 8 glasses of water a day. Personally, I average 2 gallons a day.

The bottom line is that, if used properly, 9 out of 10 people experience positive fitness-related effects by using Creatine Monohydrate.

© 2002 Nate Solomon. Used with permission

Nate Solomon has been a fitness/health enthusiast for over 20 years. A Certified International Sports Science Association (ISSA) Fitness Trainer, he has extensive knowledge in health and fitness through reading and personal application and has trained for weight loss/gain, a marathon, team sports and 100-mile bike rides. Check out his site Simplified Fitness.