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All About Creatine Monohydrate
What is Creatine?
Creatine is an amino acid derivitive found naturally in animal muscle tissue (fish, meat) that enables the body's muscles to produce high-energy compounds (ATP) quickly. It's also created by the human liver and kidneys, formed by the breakdown of amino acids. Used by muscle cells to store energy for sprinting and explosive exercise, creatine supplementation is believed to boost muscle performance during intense workouts by allowing the muscles to recover more rapidly. Usually, muscle creatine is used up within 10 seconds of exercise.
Is Creatine Safe?
Absolutely! Creatine is a substance that is naturally found in our bodies. No negative side effects have ever been noted in the research.
Creatine Shows New Health Benefits
While creatine supplementation has been studied for over 80 years, widespread use of this substance has only gained popularity in the past decade. With numerous investigations demonstrating unprecedented effects of creatine on strength, power, and muscle mass, scientists studying various muscular and neurological disorders have taken notice and begun experimenting with creatine as a possible therapeutic agent. A recent report in the journal Neurology (1999) found that individuals with differing neuromuscular disorders, including muscular dystrophy, improved muscle strength and increased muscle mass following 15 to 17 days of creatine monohydrate supplementation. Another study, appearing in the journal Nature Medicine (1999), found positive neuroprotective effects of creatine on the degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The research was performed on mice rather than humans, but creatine provided about twice the benefits of the standard prescription medication.
Creatine Still on Top!
The abundance of creatine research presented at the American College of Sports Medicine conference shows creatine's popularity and benefits continue to rise. Proper maintenance dose following a loading phase has been a subject of controversy among sport scientists. New research had found that following a five-day loading phase (25g/day), elevated creatine levels and enhanced performance can be maintained for as long as two months on 5 g/day. Studies were also presented demonstrating that not only did creatine not increase the incidence of muscle cramping, but it may be beneficial in reducing the risk of injury during training. These findings were further supported by evidence that creatine does not cause alterations in fluid or electrolyte balance. Creatine isn't just for gaining strength and muscle either. Creatine was found to reduce the loss of muscle mass and improve anaerobic performance during a weight loss program combined with weight training.
Creatine Should Not Cause Cramping
Recently the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter asked Jeff Volek, M.S., R.D., a research assistant at Penn State, to update their readers regarding the effect of creatine on performance. "We do know that creatine supplementation has been shown to enhance short-term, high-intensity, intermittent performance." Adds Volek: "Some athletes are not using creatine because they have heard that is causes cramps. There are no data to support those claims. The mechanism of cramping is not even understood aside from the creatine issue."
EFFECTIVE CREATINE PLAN
How To Gain 8 to 10 Pounds Of Muscle Within The Next Eight Weeks!
By Dan Gallapoo
Some people have noticed that they have some gastric upset and diarreah when they start their creatine cycle with a 20 to 25 gram "loading cycle". And I've found that the commonly recommended maintenance dosage of 5 grams a day is just not enough for many people to get maximum benefits.
Here's a plan that should help you get the maximum cell volumizing and muscle building effects from creatine without much (if any) gastric distress:
WEEK # DAILY DOSAGE (grams)
1 10
2 20
3 30
4 40
5 40
6 30
7 20
8 10
This cycle is a fairly long one which allows you to retain the cell volumizing effect for a longer period of time. This provides more opportunity to gain the benefits associated with creatine usage (strength increase, increased rate of hypertrophy, etc.)
You may not start seeing and feeling benefits until the third week of the cycle. The third week is usually about the optimal dosage for most people.
Editors Note:
All I can say is that this special creatine muscle volumizing plan has exceeded all expectations! I am only in my fourth week of the eight week cycle and...
"I’ve already gained a solid 7 pounds of bodyweight and have increased my squat forty pounds!"
Almost all of my other lifts have gone up, too.
I've had moderate success with creatine supplementation in the past, but nothing like I'm experiencing now. Every time I go into the gym I'm stronger. And the pumps are incredible...almost as good as a steroid pump!
For great prices on creatine go to Discount Supplements
P.S. This creatine cycle works great while stacking it with "Andro-Shock".