Tuesday 25 June 2013

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE

Sorry guys, I know it's been a while but my laptop was getting repaired.

Thought I would kick things off with this new post about creatine monohydrate (the most commonly used supplement out of the creatine products).

I bought this from myprotein.com again. They are just so cheap. My kilogram bag cost £11.29. It is a fine powder which is tasteless.

Creatine monohydrate is widely used throughout the weighlifting/bodybuilding community, it is an amino acid which makes it a natural substance. It turns into creatine phosphate in the body which helps create a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the only form of energy the muscles uses. Due to this supplement creating more ATP within the body it allows you to to have a more intense and longer work out, allowing you to get that one last rep out of an exercise.  This means this supplement will make you stronger and faster because of the increase of ATP production.

Scientific data suggests that it does in fact improve: muscular endurance and maximal strength. These data also indicate that there is an increase in anaerobic power and performance with activities such as jumping and knee extensions, so if you are wanting to improve your squat you know what to do.... It also does make you gain weight, but this is fat free mass. So it makes you gain lean muscle which is desired is any sport.

Firstly you need to go through your loading phase. This is where you take 5g four times during the day for three days. Once you have taken this 20g a day your creatine levels have spiked so the maintenance phase kicks in. This is where you maintain the level of creatine in the body. You do this by taking 5g per day until your cycle is over. Now there is a fair deal of things you will find on the internet about cycles. When I took 'Inner Armour' creatine my on cycle was two months while my off cycle was a month. However with the my protein they say to have two months on and a week off, so all I have done is split it in the middle and do two months on and two weeks off.

Now I do not take the tablet forms. This is because I feel the powder will dissolve into my body and reach my bloodstream faster. I have been told that if it does not fully dissolve in the liquid you are drinking it with you will not get the full effects. After learning this I simply just mix it with a little warm water, stir and consume.

There is alot of gossip about this supplement. It is not a steroid. Come on now think about it, they are illegal so do you think you can buy steroids off massive companies? So yes you will be natural if you take this supplement, it is just an amino acid. You can even find it in red meats.

Personally I find myself with more energy when I am on a on cycle, I seem to push out more weight and have longer workouts and I have seen a weight increase while being on but these effect have been minimal compared to the 'Inner Armour' product I used to take. My brother on the other hand found none of this applied to him, he has said every time he takes it he gets headaches. So it may not work for you but on the other hand it could, everyone is different.

You do drink a
lot of water with this also so you can get dehydrated very easily. And again, there will be no scoop in the pack if you get it of myprotein.com which is very very annoying.

My overall rating is: 6.5 out of  10

My rating applies to the product, not to creatine in general. I find myself feeling better with the 'Inner Armour' product.