Strength exercises are a popular activity of modern youth. They give the body a fortress and also temper character. For athletes who have been engaged in power sports for more than one year, it is no secret that you can achieve impressive results only if you carefully monitor your diet and daily routine.
As for nutrition, it’s not enough just to eat often. To increase strength, mass and obtain the necessary energy during training sessions, athletes use nutritional supplements. One of the most popular among athletes is creatine. What it is?
Definition
According to scientific research, it is Creatine Monohydrate that is the most effective nutritional supplement for power sports. Thanks to hundreds of tests conducted, a positive effect on the growth of athletes' endurance indicators was revealed. In addition, a dietary supplement contributes to a significant increase in muscle mass and fiber strengthening.
Creatine monohydrate, the effect of which is described above, is used by athletes around the world. This product is quite natural for our body, since it itself produces it for itself in small quantities in order to supply muscle fibers with energy. Natural creatine is produced through the liver, pancreas, and kidneys.
This natural substance is also present in small amounts in some foods. Creatine contains red meat, salmon, herring and tuna. In order for the muscles to have enough energy for power loads, it is not enough to eat only these products. The energy content in them is too low. Therefore, every day, using a small dose of Creatine Monohydrate dietary supplement, you will provide your body with the necessary energy for further training.
Who is creatine good for?
Creatine-based supplements have been used for the third decade. It all started with a few athletes training to win the Olympics. Since then, athletes regularly devote space to creatine in their diet. Thanks to him, for example, bodybuilders in the process of strength training can perform a much larger amount of work, due to which they quickly achieve their goal - to increase muscle mass.
All people involved in sports, whether they are wrestlers, soccer players, sprinters and so on, can become stronger and more durable by using creatine monohydrate, the prices of which are not sky-high.
The order of use of food additives
How to take creatine monohydrate? Powder should be used as a food supplement after exercise. This method of application is practiced by most athletes around the world. Since after heavy loads the creatine level in muscle fibers decreases sharply, it is necessary to restore this balance. To do this, you can prepare the so-called
protein shake. In addition to a small dose of creatine, it should contain protein, quickly digestible carbohydrates and glutamine.
Each organism is individual, therefore, the athlete should decide for himself how to drink creatine monohydrate. Some athletes decide to use a dietary supplement before training to perform more exercises in the gym, and abstain after it. Others use creatine before and after training. To determine the necessary regimen, it is important to listen to your body and give it as much energy as needed.
How to form a dose?
Since our body’s need for creatine is about 8 grams daily, it is enough to consume about 3-5 grams to avoid exceeding this norm. About when it is worth doing, we talked a little higher.
We also raised the issue of mixing creatine with other useful substances that help “build” our body. Here, everyone decides how to take creatine monohydrate. The powder can simply be diluted with water, or you can add, for example, whey protein. He is involved in the construction of new muscle fiber cells.
Someone is brewing Powder Creatine Monohydrate in fruit juice or tea. An important detail should be noted regarding the preparation of such a cocktail. It is necessary to breed it only before use, and not to do it in advance. It is important to remember such details before deciding how to drink creatine monohydrate.
How does creatine work on the body?
A substance that gives muscles energy enters them through the bloodstream. ATP - a source of explosive energy of the body. Due to the conversion of creatine to creatine phosphate, replenishing ATP, at the time of physical activity, our body constantly gets access to resources to do the work. Although the described process looks complicated, it all happens within us in seconds.
What happens when the body is deficient in creatine phosphate? Then ATP appears due to glycogen taken from the liver. This is a kind of reserve. It is thanks to this mechanism that we do not fall alive from a lack of strength, even when we feel very tired. Unlike pure creatine, glycogen converts to ATP an order of magnitude longer.
Side effects
In general, "Creatine Monohydrate" will not cause problems for the body if you take it in small doses in accordance with the planned schedule of training sessions. The main rule to remember is that taking creatine in large portions will not bring much effect. Such a conclusion can be made on the basis of studies according to which an excess content of creatine phosphate is simply excreted from the body.
In addition, while taking creatine, it is important to drink enough water, as it is able to attract interstitial fluid into muscle cells. Also, science has not fully investigated the effect of dietary supplements with creatine on the body of adolescents. Therefore, if you are under 18, then you should refrain from using creatine for a while.
The concept of “loading” creatine
As noted above, even the best creatine monohydrate, if it is redundant, is excreted from the body and not accumulated. Thus, everything that an athlete takes in a week of “loading” will not give an explosive result and does not accumulate anywhere, but will simply come out “for free”. That is why manufacturers of food additives recommend taking them in small doses daily. This term began to gain popularity in the 90s, when the food supplement began to appear on the shelves. The essence of this concept is to actively use creatine for a week, in order to "fill" muscle fibers with energy and subsequently spend it. So there was a “loading" of creatine into the muscles. Many athletes believed that thanks to such a scheme, it is possible to use the potential of this substance even more efficiently and force strength results. Should you do such a “download”?
What is micronized creatine?
This is a dietary supplement consisting of the same substance - creatine. The difference is only in the particle size of the powder mass. Micronized creatine has grains that are about 20 times smaller than usual! What is micronization for?
Mainly for better solubility. The one who used the usual powder noticed that a small precipitate of some particles appeared at the bottom of the glass. This is creatine that just did not dissolve. Because of this, it does not enter the body, but remains in a glass. Therefore, it is micronized creatine monohydrate, the prices of which are slightly higher than regular powder, that experts recommend buying.
What is Creapure® Creatine Monohydrate?
Creapure ® is a recognized standard among creatine athletes. It is made in Germany. This element can be found in many creatine products sold all over the planet. To understand whether Creapure® Creatine Monohydrate is present in a particular product, you just need to look for “Creapure®” in the list of ingredients.
This product, according to the manufacturer, achieves at least two important goals:
contributes to the development of the muscular system, and not the fat layer;
Helps recover after hard training.
To make this effect more obvious, the company-manufacturer Creapure® Creatine advises the following regimen of drug administration. On the day the training is scheduled, it is worth consuming two teaspoons (5 grams) of creatine after exercise. On weekends, when there is no training, you should take exactly the same dose, but only in the morning. Also, German experts advise taking the drug in cycles. After 4-5 weeks of taking the drug, you need to give the body a "rest" for 3-4 weeks. Then the effect will be especially noticeable.
The effect of caffeine on the effect of a dietary supplement
Some manufacturers do not recommend caffeinated drinks if you are using Creatine Monohydrate. How to take a dietary supplement, everyone decides for himself, but it is worth remembering that caffeine can block the beneficial effects of creatine. On the other hand, according to many experts, drinking 1-2 cups of coffee per day, you will not feel the negative effects of caffeine.
What do athletes say?
Most people are happy with the result that Creatine Monohydrate gives. Reviews only confirm this. Here are some of them.
One woman, 27 years old, was advised to take creatine to gain muscle mass, as she was too thin. According to her, she regularly visited the gym, but the results could not be called impressive - the exercises were difficult for her, and there was no increase in muscle mass. Soon she began to take creatine, so that classes in the gym began to be given to her much easier, but a large increase in mass did not happen.
The 24-year-old bodybuilder says that he took creatine, the price of which was quite high. I bought products from different companies and, according to him, he almost did not notice the difference between them. But the result was pleased - a significant increase in muscle mass and a clearer outline of the figure.
One amateur bodybuilder, 32 years old, who recently started taking creatine, claims that he has not yet noticed a big effect. In addition, in the early days, some digestive problems started, but then everything calmed down.
One runner with experience also made up his mind about creatine. He is involved in athletics and is constantly involved in long-distance races. The athlete began taking creatine after several difficult races. According to him, he felt overtrained and decided to try Creatine Monohydrate. I did not really know how to take it, but one of his friends suggested that you need to make cocktails and drink after training. What was the outcome? Now he, as before, receives a lot of joy from running, as his strength recovered and energy appeared.
One young woman working as a fitness instructor bought creatine with a flavoring filling, but did not manage to feel the effect. It turned out that she was allergic to him. Then she was prompted to purchase a drug without a filler.
As you can see, regarding the use of "Creatine Monohydrate", reviews are different. Most strength athletes simply cannot imagine their training process without this nutritional supplement. Why are siloviks most dependent on creatine? The loads that such athletes have to endure are truly extreme. At the same time, a high load on the muscles sometimes continues for 1.5-2 hours in a row while training is in progress. That's why power sports are trying to get the best creatine monohydrate. But how do you know which is better?
Hard choise
How to choose creatine monohydrate? Firms producing it release the drug in the form of powder, tablets and capsules. To determine what you need, you should consider the rating of creatine monohydrate, based on price, quality, availability and other indicators.
But you should not pay attention only to brands. Sometimes the fame of a drug is exclusively a matter of a well-organized marketing campaign. When choosing creatine, pay attention to the particle size. As noted above, the larger they are, the less they dissolve. In addition, the larger the particles of creatine powder, the more difficult they are absorbed by our body. This fact should be considered when choosing in the first place.
It is also worth paying attention to the content of the necessary nutrients in the composition of the powder. They must be present, since it is thanks to these elements that creatine can be better absorbed and penetrate into the cells of muscle fibers. Often they can be simple types of sugar, which increase the level of insulin in the blood during the recovery period after power loads. You can also pay attention to whether alpha-lipoic acid, which increases insulin sensitivity, is present in the composition of the selected drug.
When taking nutritional supplements, it is worth remembering that success in the training process is more dependent on the right course of development, fighting spirit and efforts. By setting up a training schedule and creating a clear daily routine, you can achieve success.