Introduction:
what is creatine – A very common question that people ask, “How can I increase my performance?”
When the performance gets stagnant and you do not see any growth, developing it further is your foremost choice. There are many supplements available in the market viz. creatine monohydrate to enhance your performance level. People try different supplements on daily basis by collecting information from various sources without confirming the authenticity. As a result, they do not get satisfactory results.
Do you know why? Everyone suggests supplements as per their own personal experiences which at times may or may not suit you. This is because everyone’s body is different in its own way. If a person suggests you a supplement by taking science and its application into the consideration, the result will surely be different. Researches have higher efficacy rate in terms of results. The researchers conduct studies on huge bunch of individuals so that the result can suit large number of people.
Today I am here to answer your question with scientific approach. As usual I will also burst some myths related to creatine and creatine monohydrate.
Creatine supplement and Performance:
A number of factors affect one’s performance. By performance I mean the workout you do at home or gym. If performance at gym or in exercises is improved, your body gets conditioned in carrying out activities at home or office in a much efficient manner. So, the factors I am addressing are an Active Lifestyle, Challenges during workout and last but not the least, Correct Clean Nutrition!
Nutrition is the backbone of performance. If someone is not following correct clean nutrition, even performing day to day task becomes difficult. Every other person is suffering from pain in various body parts while walking, sitting, washing clothes, climbing stairs etc. These all are activities of daily living that are becoming hard for people to perform.
If you are the one who is taking care of above three factors leading to an efficient performance, then you can go for energy generation supplements. for example, Creatine, Arginine, Citrulline Malate and Glutamine. Kindly note that supplements can never be the main drivers of enhancing performance. This thought should not at all be present in your mind. They are just the helpers. The whole food you consume always plays a vital role. When you improve your nutrition or follow the correct clean nutrition, supplements like Creatine monohydrate work as a supporter in enhancing performance.
What is Creatine?
Creatine is made by 3 amino acids inside your body namely Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. It is not a “Protein”, “Tripeptide” or “Amino Acid”. As synthesis of creatine takes place from the nitrogenous part of mentioned amino acids, it has another name i.e. “Methyl guanidinoacetic acid”. You must know that organs like kidney and liver make creatine through the amino acids.
Your body produces around 1-2 gm of creatine that is 1gm on its own and 1 gm from food. Out of 1-2 gm, 95% of it gets stored in muscle cells for providing energy and rest goes to brain, eye, kidney etc.
How does it work?
ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate is the energy currency of your cells. In simple words, your body uses ATP for energy. Creatine donates its high energy phosphate group to ADP or Adenosine diphosphate in order to produce ATP. In a way, it helps in resynthesizing ATP for muscle contraction.
There is a common myth that that creatine affects your kidney to a greater extent. But it is clear that your body naturally is producing creatine because it is undoubtedly needed. If it was so harmful, your body would have never produced it.
People think that they do not need creatine supplement as it is synthesized in a very small quantity by the body. This is true and that’s why a beginner or intermediate person should never consume creatine supplement. His or her body must utilise the creatine already present inside him or her. After reaching to an advanced level, any person can supplement it for better results in terms of increasing strength. This in turn increases performance.
A person suffering from underlying disease must consult his or her doctor before the consumption of any supplement.
Understand your body:
ATP is the energy molecule which everyone needs to function. Your body has an energy creating system which uses creatine as a raw material to generate ATP for the work to be done. Whenever you do an explosive movement, creatine is the hero. It prevents production of ATP from the scratch as it is time consuming process thereby providing you an explosive power. Increase in explosive power leads to greater muscle contraction and strength. This further helps in building more muscle fibers.
The Best Creatine Supplement & ALA:
There are various forms of creatine available in the market. For example: creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester, creatine HCL etc. The best form is creatine monohydrate as it is the oldest, cost effective and most researched ones. Whenever you supplement yourself with creatine, the availability of this raw material increases. Maximum consumption limit for advanced level athlete or individual is up to 5 gm per day. Just for your information, it is also called “Cell-Volumizer” for more muscle growth and faster muscle recovery. In natural food sources, 4-5 gm/ kg of creatine is found in animal meat.
You must have seen people consuming creatine monohydrate with some fruit juice or glucose. The idea behind having it with sugary juice is the absorption of creatine in the body. Yes, this is true that you need insulin spike in your body for its absorption. But after reading my blog on, “Carbohydrate- The Slow Sweet Poison”, you know that my insulin should not elevate during or after workout as it hampers growth hormone function. Anabolism will also not happen properly.
Here, ALA Alpha Lipoic Acid comes in the picture. ALA is an antioxidant and when you take its dosage between 600 to 1200 mg, it acts as a mimic of insulin. It will start sending the signals to the receptors to absorb creatine. So, you can achieve your goal without any cascading effect on your body.
Conclusion:
Increasing performance is not a rocket science. It is simple. Keep your nutrition clean and lifestyle active. Keep reading my blogs as I will write about other energy generation aids such as Arginine, Citrulline Malate and Glutamine. Be patient, as good thing takes time to happen!
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