Rapid Fat Loss Diets

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Creatine: The Little Molecule that Packs a Big Punch

By Henrick Scofers

If you are someone who is into regular exercise, then you've probably heard a lot about creatine. In order to understand how creatine can benefit your workout, it is important to understand what it is and how it works. Creatine is an amino acid compound that takes advantage of your body's existing amino acids and the food you eat in order to help store energy. Red meats and fish are creatine rich foods. In the human body, you will find creatine stored as phosphocreatine. What this does is works with your body's natural system for storing energy in the muscle, and in this way provides energy for muscle contraction. It also contributes to the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) regeneration process.

What is the ATP regeneration process? You may remember this from your biology classes in high school. When a muscle contracts, ATP loses a phosphate molecule and converts it to energy, turning it into ADP (adenosine diphosphate). In order to replenish the body sources of ATP, that ADP molecule needs to be turned back into an energy rich ATP molecule. This is where creatine can help. What does, in a nutshell, is convert ADP to ATP. So the more creatine in your body, the faster your body can turn ADP into ATP. The benefit of this is that your muscles contract much more rapidly and effectively when your body is able to quickly convert ADP back into ATP. As a result, when exercise enthusiasts know they need extra energy, for example they are doing something like bodybuilding or sprinting and they need to have short bursts of energy for exercise, they take creatine.

Also, taking creatine helps reduce fatigue and aids with protein synthesis. In this way creatine promotes the development and growth of muscles.

Creatine is able to provide energy almost instantaneously. This makes creatine very successful as a supplement for weight lifters and athletes as they must have sudden bursts of energy quite frequently. Creatine is known to be very effective in performance of those repeated bursts of exercise due to the fact that it enhances recovery.

People related to an exercise program or body building probably know about creatine. If they dont know about this then they had better wake up and smell the roses! At this moment it is a great bodybuilding supplement. Creatine maintains water in the muscles very efficiently. It is a natural derivative of an amino acid that is manufactured in the pancreas, liver and kidneys from arginine, glycine and methione. When a person takes creatine, water will be retained in your muscles. With weight training it will be more effective since your muscles can build muscle. Creatine is used not only for increased endurance but to develop more strength as well.

Once you know all of the wonderful benefits of creatine in helping with muscle growth and endurance, you're guaranteed to be happy you tried it out. And it is proven by research to be safe and effective for those who want to improve their performance and muscle mass provided their exercise requires short explosive energy bursts. That does not mean that creatine is a magic wand you can wave to achieve the physique you want without hard work. It will help you if you are exercising, but you can't just take a creatine supplement, sit on the couch, only exercise your thumb by turning the channels, and still expect to have a great body.

It takes hard work and effort to grow muscle. When used with a regular exercise plan, creatine is quite effective.

If you are weightlifter, or if you are taking advantage of the benefits of a trainer, start taking creatine. In time, as you continue to workout, you'll see your muscles begin to grow and also gain definition. The hydrating effect of creatine is helpful in creating definition in the muscle. Creatine works by entering the tissue of the muscle through the highway of the bloodstream. With a regular creatine supplement, your muscles will be more hydrated and appear larger and fuller. 90% + of your body's creatine is stored in muscle tissue. You'll also find some in the heart, brain, and testicles (in men). An average adult will be carrying around in his or her body about 120 g of creatine. It is recommended that you take in about 2 g of creatine everyday. Be careful about this -- if you suddenly stop taking creatine, you will lose the hydrating effects, and as a result your muscles will lose expansion. You'll still have the muscle, but it won't look as healthy. And remember, creatine does not simply build large muscles, it helps your muscles remain strong, as long as you keep up the effort and hard work. - 17273

About the Author:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home