So you're hitting the gym regularly, you've got your protein shake, the diet is nailed down, and you've made some good muscle gains. However, after the "newbie" gains stopped, you're hammering away day after day with seemingly no results. At this point, many people look for something that will kick start their progress in the gym, and creatine is a very popular choice. Let's go over the reasons why creatine is so special and discuss how to avoid common mistakes when supplementing with creatine.
Although creatine supplementation really hit it big in the 90's, the chemical compound creatine was first extracted in France in 1835. In fact, as early as 1847 it was marketed as a remedy that could help people do "extra work"! It wasn't until the 90's that companies were able to mass produce pharmaceutical-grade creatine at a price attractive to consumers. When this happened, and word got out that 3/4 96 Olympic medalists were using creatine, hype began to soar and supplement shops couldn't replace stock fast enough to keep creatine products on store shelves.
Let's cover briefly what makes creatine work to provide explosive gains in the gym. First off, creatine is a naturally occurring substance. It is stored in muscle and we can get it in one of two ways: Our liver can combine the required amino acids to create creatine, or we consume it in many types of food. After creatine is produced, it is transported to the muscles through the blood. 95% of the creatine in our bodies is stored in the muscles, and most people store around 120 grams of creatine naturally.
Now you know how creatine is produced and stored, but how does it help with sports performance? Quick bursts of activity require ATP. Creatine helps to regenerate ATP, thus allowing you to go beyond the limit of what your muscles can normally do before tiring out. So, in layman's terms, instead of hitting the bench press for 280 pounds X 10 reps, you might be able to hit 13 reps or even 15 of the same weight.
Most people start creatine supplementation with a loading phase. They take 20-30 grams of creatine monohydrate mixed with grape juice or water, once per day for five days. After loading the creatine, they cut back to 5-10 grams per day to keep the muscles saturated. After four days of this regimen, you can take two weeks off to "de-load" the creatine, then start the loading process again. Following these instructions, most people start to see muscular gains within two weeks. Creatine super-hydrates the muscles with water, so it is important to drink lots of water which supplementing with creatine.
Still not convinced that creatine is the best choice to jump-start your muscle gain? How about the fact that creatine is one of the best studied nutritional supplements of all time, and that there have been zero adverse effects published in any of these studies? Creatine will allow you to lift more weight for more reps, it helps recovery, makes your muscles appear fuller, and staves off lactic acid build up. Truly it is an amazing weapon in any weight lifter's arsenal.
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