What Is Creatine?
Walk into the body building section of your local health food store and you will see the usual suspects – egg white protein, whey powder, testosterone boosters and vitamins and minerals. But one entrant on the market in recent years that is getting attention is creatine.
So what exactly is creatine?
The systematic name for creatine is 2-(1-Methylcarbamimidamido)acetic acid. If you feel asleep in high school chemistry or biology, creatine is an organic acid that help to supply energy to the cells in the body. In your body, creatine is produced naturally in the liver and kidneys from L-methionine, L-arginine and glycine.
All vertebrate animals have creatine in their bodies, with the bulk being in the skeletal muscles. Interestingly, vegetables do not contain creatine which means that strict vegetarians will have lower body levels than someone on a more omnivorous diet. The levels in the vegetarian however can be brought up to the average level with diet supplements if needed.
Where does creatine fit into the bodybuilder’s diet?
The effects of creatine in the body have been known for almost 100 years. In 1912 a Harvard study showed that ingesting creatine can increase the creatine levels in muscle.
If you buy creatine to do the same, you are most likely going to purchase creatine monohydrate. This is creating that has been complexed with a water molecule. There is reasonable evidence to suggest that taking creatine in this form can increase your maximum power by 5 to 15% for high intensity anaerobic exercises. A good example is high impact sprints or weightlifting. Notably it has been shown to have little effect on aerobic exercise, but it can increase power during those sessions.
How do you take creatine?
There are 2 ways to take creatine – a loading phase or no loading phase.
The loading phase suggests taking about 20 to 30 grams per day in divided doses for one week followed by 5 grams per day for 4 to 6 weeks. The no load method is a sustained intake, requiring 3 to 10 grams for 12 weeks. A variation of the loading phase is to maintain the dosage rate for the full 4 to 6 weeks which would make it a high dose no loading intake.
Creatine is not considered doping and is currently not banned by sporting bodies. If you are a professional athlete though, please seek clarification with your governing body as rules can change (and ignorance of the rules is not a defense).
If you are looking for creatine or other body building supplements such as testosterone boosters, please check out Stacklabs in our catalogue. And if you are after protein supplements, we would suggest Egg Whites International. Just use the menu on the left to find those two products.
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Note - this information is for general education purposes only and is not medical advice. If you suffer from any condition, see your medical professional for an appropriate diagnosis and effective course of treatment.
