Creatine

STRENGTH: 300 Grams
FORM: Powder

Whether you are training with weights, running, swimming or cycling, your body requires energy. The human physique has a limited capacity for producing energy on its own. The system in your body that gives you the energy you need for sustained intense workouts is called the ATP-PC (Phosphagen) system. ATP is short for adenosine triphosphate, while PC stands for phosphocreatine. Both are components of the energy producing process that help to manufacture energy at the cellular level when their chemical phosphate bonds are broken. The processes of digestion, and eventually the breakdown of PC will provide the energy necessary to regenerate the ATP compound that produces the energy needed to do work. In the muscle cells, it is the ATP-PC cycle that actually provides energy for individual protein filament contraction. However, when the ATP stores are depleted, the muscular contractions are impaired, and your workout suffers.

If you're eating optimally and still 'hit the wall' in your workouts, what else can you do? Well, you can start by replenishing your source of fuel at the cellular level with a very select group of supplements! But how do you do that, and which ones do you take? Unfortunately the process of digestion is too slow to provide you with a quick source of fuel when you're training. However, you still need an ideal source of energy that will spare protein and carbohydrates and that will provide you with the energy needed to push you through an intense workout. One of these special supplements called creatine monohydrate may just be the answer for you! It has been tested extensively, and has been shown to be a possible answer to your stamina/growth dreams.

Creatine is not a new product on the supplement market and has been offered in many other forms in the past, none of which has been shown to be any better than just creatine powder. Many reputable studies have shown that creatine monohydrate is taken up into the muscle more efficiently and better used as a source to replenish energy levels than most so called energy products. Not only will the compound help to restore energy, but it can buffer the build-up of lactic acid that occurs during exercise, which is also a cause of fatigue and failure.

The optimal goal of a bodybuilder or any athlete, for that matter should be to maintain and restore energy levels as quickly as possible. It's understood that if you don't supply the body with just what it needs, the chain of events leading to ATP production will breakdown. If there is not enough PC in you system, for any number of dietary or metabolic reasons, it could be considered a rate limiting factor for the reproduction of ATP. Other rate limiting factors, such as elevated ammonia concentration, were shown to decrease after exercise bouts when creatine monohydrate was taken. What's more, peak exercise levels were extended through the supplementation with this great product!

In a study published in Clinical Science, it was shown that in all the subjects tested, there was an increase in total peak torque production during exercise periods as compared to training periods prior to the ingestion of creatine. All people, whether or not they are athletes can store certain amounts of creatine in their cells. The systemic levels in meat-eaters have been shown to be greater than those who are vegetarians though; this is because the red meat we eat contains small amounts of the nutrient already.

According to the Clinical Science study, the effectiveness of ATP production relies on the supply of PC made available from creatine monohydrate. This research program used a dose of five grams of creatine powder 4-6 times a day during the length of the study, taken in water one hour prior to exercise. Five grams of creatine is equivalent to the amount found in 1.1kg (approximately 2 ½ lbs.) of fresh, uncooked steak. And most people take 5 grams (approx. one teaspoon) prior to and after their workout. It has been shown that doses as low as one gram were administered to test subjects, with a modest rise in blood concentrations of creatine being recorded. This nutrient is one of the biggest and best additions to your body building nutrient arsenal. There are many different kinds of creatine available today, some sources are better than others. So go with the one you trust, go with the Force…buy your Nutri-Force Creatine today! †

REFERENCES:

1. Clinical Science, 1993, 83: 367-374.
2. Annual Review of Biochemistry, 1985, 54:831-862.
3. Clinical Science, 1993, 84: 565-571.