Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine monohydrate is the most common supplement used by athletes and body builders and certainly is my favorite supplement for my gym work-out, it is 100% natural and it gives me the energy and strength I need to lift heavy weights and improve my muscle mass.

 

Any active individual can benefit from creatine monohydrate supplements:

• It helps you speed up muscle recovery, increases fitness and strength,  gain lean muscle mas. It is most helpful in short-duration intense exercises like lift weighting at the gym.

• It contains antioxidants to fight free radicals that can cause diseases in your body.

• It is believed to lower cholesterol levels, particularly bad triglycerides in the body.

• It is proven to improve cognitive performance.

 

Creatine is actually found in certain foods– tuna, red meat, salmon in very small amounts and most of it is already lost while being cooked. Creatine monohydrate levels in wild animals is found to be up to ten times higher than captive animals.

It is created naturally in the body by kidneys, liver and pancreas and carried to the muscles to be converted to creatine phospate and then to finally be converted to Adenosine Triphosphate- ATP (best energy source for your body).

Creatine supplements don’t cost a lot- not as much as whey protein, they are still natural- almost 100% pure creatine monohydrate and you only need very small amounts to get results at the gym.

You need to have enough creatine phosphate in your blood to have a quick energy source- ATP while you are at the gym to work out properly. If you don’t, your body tries to get it from your glycogen reserves, which takes much longer than creatine phosphate.

More creatine monohydrate means more creatine phosphate, which means more ATP- energy and strength which will allow you lift more and work out longer and increased lean muscles eventually. It also causes improved water retention in muscles, hence weight gain.

My personal preference in creatine usage is taking 5- 10 grams per day, rather than cycling- first loading 20g per day in the first week, then maintaining (5-10 grams per day) for six weeks then not using for two weeks as advised and used by many. It is up to you to try and see which one works better for you and get better results. I also take my creatine powder with some simple carbohydrates- sugar to get the creatine ingested better in my body. Up to 60-70% better results were reported in certain scientific journals.

I personally haven’t experienced any side effects from creatine supplements and never heard of anyone talking negatively, I find it quite safe to take daily. Just bear in mind that taking too much creatine monohydrate will not bring you any extra benefits, you only need 5-10 grams per day, maybe even only on the days you work-out rather than every day.

 

It is perfectly fine to take creatine monohydrate along with other supplements. I take a serving of creatine with some simple carbohydrates and a serving of whey protein within maximum of an hour of my work-out. This also helps my muscles recover much easier and quicker than they normally would.

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