The Structure Of Creatine:
Here is a basic list of just some of the Creatines molecules on the market:
Creatine Monohydrate – This is the original version sold back in the 80’s for improving strength and stamina for weightlifters;it is tried and tested. However, it has been replaced with newer and fancier creatine molecules. I HIGHLY suggest supplements still contain some creatine monohydrate for one big reason. Creatine Monohydrate is the only form proven in scientific studies to create new muscle cells. There are many studies showing Creatine Monohydrate increases the formation of new muscle cells and one important study showing that other forms of creatine do not have this effect!
Creatine Peptides – This is the most recent advance in creatine supplements. Creatine Dipeptides give all of the advantages of Creatine Monohydrate, with improved stability and increased absorption. This latest advance should provide the next level of creatine supplementation, yet still provide the benefits of the creatines of old.
Creatine Malate – This is creatine bound to malic acid. The preferred form is DiCreatine Malate since that is the only form that is possible. The other forms (Tricreatine Malate) are usually just creatine monohydrate mixed with straight malic acid. The supposed benefit of Creatine Malate is reduced bloating and increased endurance, since malate is involved in increasing cellular energy by being part of the Krebs cycle. Overall, this ingredient has many years of solid anecdotal support and is a good addition to any creatine blend. DO NOT BUY TRICREATINE MALATE-BASED PRODUCTS. This molecule is proven to NOT exist, so you really don’t know what you are getting with this supplement.
Creatine Aspartate – This is creatine bound to aspartic acid. This is very similar to Creatine Malate and should prove to be even better for endurance athletes, since aspartate is even more directly involved in recharging the mitochondrial energy system. Creatine Aspartate is an improved form of Creatine Malate, but both should give very good endurance gains without extra bloat.
Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL – The latest “big splash” is Creatine Ethyl Ester. This ingredient has some strong anecdotal evidence of it working, but the science behind it is very flawed. The “ester” is supposed to make the creatine more absorbable and fat soluble. This belief is pretty flawed since creatine dissolves quite easily in water and there is little chance of it becoming fat soluble with this ester even if it was desirable to do so. Most likely, this product works by stabilizing the Creatine molecule with the HCL portion, which slows down some of the conversion to creatine (a waste product). Recently three landmark studies have been released showing Creatine Ethyl Ester to not perform as well as creatine monohydrate and creatine salts, like creatine malate. These studies show a very low conversion to biological creatine and very little conversion to the parent creatine molecule.
Creatine Gluconate – This product is simply creatine bonded to either sugar or glucose. No idea why that would be a big advantage over dumping some sugar in with your monohydrate, but it certainly doesn’t hurt anything. Sugar helps the uptake of creatine in the cell, so it could have a positive effect.
Creatine Decanoate – I have no clue why anyone would want to bond decanoic acid to creatine unless they just want to take advantage of the “deca” in the name. Decanoic acid doesn’t seem to increase performance or provide any benefits and this is probably a really bad idea in a supplement.
Creatine AKG – This is simply creatine bound to alpha keto glutarate, which is a glutamine type molecule. There is no real data on this ingredient but, in theory, it should work pretty well since both creatine and glutamine are good for you. AKG should help with the absorption of creatine, so this is a preferred form of creatine and a good addition to a creatine supplement.
Creatine Magnesium Chelate – This is another creatine molecule bound to magnesium. Chelated minerals were very popular as a way of increasing the absorption. There is certainly nothing wrong with magnesium, since it is great for you, but I don’t see the positive benefit of binding creatine to a mineral when you could just take a good magnesium supplement and plain old monohydrate. Still, it isn’t a bad idea since people can always benefit from more magnesium in their diet.
Creatine Orotate – Similar to Creatine Malate and Creatine Aspartate, Creatine Orotate provides increases cellular energy and improves absorption. Orotic acid benefits the bodybuilder by increasing strength and stamina. So the addition of orotic acid to creatine should yield some great benefits over other forms of creatine.
Creatinol-O-Phosphate - This is technically not creatine, but it is often lumped in with creatine products. This ingredient has some very good science behind it for increasing endurance and buffering lactic acid. It’s not really a replacement for creatine but should work well in conjunction with it. It’s ability to buffer lactic acid, increase work capacity and potentially enhance workload makes this ingredient look really good as an addition to creatine and beta alanine.
Creatine Nitrate – This is a creatine bonded to a nitrate, which is a molecule on which there is some debate. Nitrates can be converted to nitric oxide, which is why this combination was invented, but nitrates can also be converted to nitrosamines, which are cancer causing agents. Nitrates do seem to provide a boost in NO and from the looks of it, should be fairly stable when combined with things like Vitamin C, which keeps nitrosamines at bay. Here’s the problem, the studies done on nitrates in food such as beet juice are 5 micrograms, which is 0.005 mg. That is a very small amount! Additionally, nitroglycerin which is what is used in angina patients to help increase blood flow tops out at 30mg per day, more than that causes headaches and the potential to pass out. Sadly, at the levels that most companies would put in their supplements (probably 500-1000mg) if this supplement worked you’d be passing out. So, since no one is passing out from this it would appear that it isn’t metabolized and probably passes through the body unchanged, meaning you just paid $50 to pass this through the body. However the jury is still out on this one, so it’s certainly one to watch.
Creatine Anhydrous – This is simply creatine monohyrate minus the “hydrate” or the water component. This ingredient will probably just turn into simple creatine monohydrate over time as it picks up water from the air. It’s not a bad ingredient, but no better/different from creatine monohydrate.
Creatine Ferulate – This is creatine bonded to ferulic acid, which is a fatty acid that shows some benefit for exercise performance, nitric oxide production and heat shock protein production. It is new and should have some benefit over straight ferulate supplementation but is also something that should be mixed with creatine monohydrate.
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Well, that is a short list of the types of creatine that are on the market. A mixed form of multiple creatine is the best way to take a creatine supplement. I would, for sure, have some Creatine Monohydrate with your other mixes, since, as stated above, only Creatine Monohydrate is proven in scientific literature to actually increase satellite cells (new muscle growth). Whereas, some of the other products like Creatine Malate do not have this effect. Without new muscle cells, a bodybuilder can only get so big, which is why some people are “hard gainers”.
So, how do you decide on the best creatine for you? A mix of different creatine types is probably a good idea to cover all of the bases. Then, add good supportive nutrients that give your desired effect. Insulin potentiators are certainly a good idea since they were the first real advance in creatine supplementation. Popular creatine potentiators are momodica (momordica) or bitter melon, cinnamon extract, alpha lipoic acid and 4-hydroxy-isolucine. These all help shove more material into the cells including creatine. Also, find one with some pharmaceutical grade dextrose in it. Most companies use Maltodextrin, which is totally useless for this and also tastes bad! Stay away from Maltodextrin-based supplements because they do nothing but add extra calories. Pharmaceutical Dextrose, however, provides a natural insulin spike and helps the potentiators do their job.
Creatine has been proven in multiple studies, and real-world experiences, to give the performance athlete benefits in increased muscle size, strength and performance. It is extremely safe, with over ten years of use. There is a limit, however, as to how much a bodybuilder should take. For example, anything over 20g of creatine per day could actually be counter-productive and even using that level should always be done during a loading phase for a maximum of 5 days. Also, for safety and efficacy, creatine should be cycled for up to 12 weeks, before taking one to two weeks off. This ensures that the body doesn’t adapt to the higher levels. This isn’t a proven method, but is just probably a good idea. Creatine can genetically alter your physique (see my previous book – Never be small again…changing your genetics with sports supplements) by increasing the amount of satellite cells, making it one of the most useful supplements ever invented.
Many things have been alleged about creatine over the years, from “steroids” to causing kidney damage. None of these allegations have ever panned out and creatine is considered safe and effective by the hundreds of thousands of people that use it daily as a means of increasing their performance. Creatine is also very good for elderly people who tend to lose muscle mass easily and consistently over time. I give my mother and father creatine daily as a way to help them keep muscle and brain functions at optimal levels.
You will notice one thing in my ranking chart. Just about every form of creatine gets high marks. That is because almost all of them have been shown to have similar effects. This means that you can’t go wrong with just about any form of creatine except the ones that are ranked poorly.
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Creatine is one of the best supplements on the market for boosting muscle mass. Creatine monohydrate is the best form and it’s cheap and easy to find. Make sure you use 3-6g of creatine everyday. you will want to take at least 2 weeks off after every 8 weeks you are taking the supplement. There is nothing like the pump and strength gain you get from creatine. Just make sure you are healthy and are ready to train hard!
The proper use of a creatine supplement is proven to help a body builder add pounds of pure muscle in the shortest time. Hundreds of studies have been done which prove the safety and effectiveness of it, when used by athletes and body builders to boost their strength and muscle mass, by increasing the size of the muscle cells. Below, we are going to look deeper into this subject in front of you.
There is scientific evidence available to prove that its use can increase maximum power and performance by those individuals who engage in high intensity anaerobic exercise by up to 15 percent. It is most effective when used as a boost for activities involving intensive repeated periods of exercise like cycling or running sprints, separated by short periods of rest. Resistance training programs may also be enhanced by using this supplement. Studies done on endurance athletes have proved less promising, more than likely because these types of activities are sustained for a longer period of time and therefore do not allow for short rest periods where the synthesis of additional phosphate molecules is created. Thus it has no noticeable effect on aerobic endurance, although it will increase power during the short periods of high intensity aerobic exercise.
It plays a vital role in the immediate energy system of our bodies. The majority of this is stored in the skeletal muscles (95%), the rest being found in the heart, brain and testes. The average daily requirement of it is significantly increased by larger body mass and high activity levels, therefore supplementation becomes effective when used by athletes and body builders. Supplementation begins over an initial loading period of five to six days using twenty to thirty grams per day, followed by an unlimited period on a maintenance dose of two to five grams per day. Other studies suggest dosage as being dependent on body weight, therefore a dosage of 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight is recommended for the whole period of usage, with no loading phase to begin with. These studies also suggest that the maintenance phase should go for only two to three months at a time, with one to two weeks off using the supplementation in order to maintain a proper response mechanism in the body.
An acute weight gain is often associated with the intensive loading period, which may be attributed to water gain. This weight gain may prove to be counterproductive to athletes competing in such sports where power to weight is key in successful performance, or sports that involve weight divisions.
The first and most basic form of it to be studied was creatine monohydrate. Other formulations available today are citrate, creatine phosphate and malate. The most common ways to ingest these formulas is as a powder mixed up into a drink, or as a capsule. Once ingested, it is easily synthesised by the body in a short period of time. The most popular and least expensive form of the supplement available is the basic micronized powder, which is easily mixed with water and has few side effects, although some people will experience bloating, diarrhea or cramps when using a less micronized powder that is not as easy for the body to synthesise.
Performance enhancements may be seen as a result of an intensive loading protocol, but the greatest benefits from using it to promote superior training adaptations are seen by longer term use. Correct supplementation using this may help a body builder add five to ten pounds of pure muscle in a short time. It has been found to be safe and effective in the hundreds of scientific studies which have been published on its use, most recently showing that prior creatine loading enhances glycogen storage and carbohydrate loading in a trained muscle. Reports of positive effects from the supplementation are increased muscle bulk, decreased fatigue, decreased recovery time and improved performance.
It is effective for about 70 percent of athletes and bodybuilders. The other 30 percent may not respond to creatine supplementation as they already produce enough phosphate in their muscles that enhanced performance cannot be achieved through further supplementation.
If, in competition, athletes need to get a burst of power, there is potential that the use of creatine supplements can benefit them by extending the time over which they can maintain this energy kick. Studies using a relatively low dose of it has shown the promise of performance enhancement of athletes in many sports, and creatine is not considered to be doping by sports authorities.
Creatine is one of the best supplements on the market for gaining muscle. You should be able to put on 5-10 lbs if you are a newbie using creatine. It’s one of the most safe and available supplements out ther.e All people need to lift weights and stay healthy. This ingredient should help you reach your goals.