In 1992, an unknown white powder flooded retail stores and sold for nearly $130 a pop. People didn’t care about the price, though. This stuff worked!
In fact, it worked so well that some overzealous media people were quick to label it a “steroid.” Parents flipped out, the media went crazy, and over the years, creatine has taken an unjustified beating. But none of it was true.
What is Creatine?
Creatine is the probably best sports supplement ever created. It is produced naturally inside your body. Your liver, pancreas and kidneys will produce a small amount each day from the amino acids L-arginine, L-methionine, and L-glycine.
From there, creatine is transported to your muscles. Once it reaches your muscles, it’s converted into phosphocreatine, which your muscles use to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP). And, ATP is considered your muscles ultimate energy source.
Creatine is also naturally occurring in the meats you eat. Athletes supplement with creatine though because it’s impossible to eat enough meat to receive the same performance-enhancing benefits of supplemental creatine.
What does creatine do?
Creatine gives your muscles energy. When you supplement with creatine, it gets stored in your muscles as phosphocreatine and free-creatine.
From this, your body can create an immense amount of ATP (your muscles ultimate energy source), which allows your muscles to contract stronger and harder.
In short, you can lift heavier weights, get more reps, and recover faster between intense bouts of exercise. If your goal is to increase your speed, improve your strength, and build lean muscle mass, creatine should be a part of your supplement plan.
How do you use creatine?
Creatine can be taken in either a capsule or powdered form. Your best value will be to use the powder, which is tasteless and blends well in anything you mix.
To get the performance enhancing benefits of creatine, super saturate your muscles first by following a five day loading phase. To do this, take five grams of creatine four times daily (for a total of 20g/day).
A serving taken in the morning, mid-day, mid-afternoon, and in the evening will do just fine.
After this five day loading phase, your muscles will be fully saturated. From here on out, consume five grams of creatine per day to maintain peak saturation. And, there’s no need to “cycle off” creatine, either. You can stay on creatine for as long as you wish to make better gains than everyone else.
Check out German Creatine from Athletic Xtreme.
