Sunday, July 19, 2009

Facts You Should Know About Bodybuilding Supplements, Creatine

By Ricardo d Argence

Creatine is pretty far from being a drug or steroid of any type. As a matter of fact it's actually made by our own bodies in the course of nature. This is really a conglomeration of three different amino acids known as glycine, arginine, and methionine. Normally we get creatine from our diets, and the creatine that we store is kept within our muscles.

Using creatine, your body will be able to handle high intensity workouts with relative ease. You will be able to perform a great workout, and your muscles will not be quite as sore when you are done. They will recover and regenerate quickly, and it will lower the volume of lactic acids which end up being accumulated throughout exercise.

Though you could easily get creatine from your diet like most people do, you can also take supplements to receive higher volumes of the substance. If you do it properly then your muscles won't be as sore, and that means you will be able to exercise much more than you would have normally. This is a great help to those who want to do a lot of exercise and build their bodies up.

How does it do this? A substance called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP for short, simply sits in your muscles waiting for you to need it. When you need it, it is provided quickly and instantaneously, which accounts for the "explosive" benefit it gives muscles, in that you can do very intense workouts almost instantaneously.

Creatine works because once it's ingested, it becomes creatine phosphate. That creatine phosphate replenishes the ATP in the muscles by replacing the phosphate molecule that was used up by the muscles during the intensive phase of your workout. When that intensive physical activity happens, the ATP becomes ADP, adenosine diphosphate.

This is what creatine does for you. It replenishes that lost the phosphate molecule so that you have a ready supply of ATP once again. Used correctly, creatine can increase your workout times and give you better muscle mass.

As with anything though, there are some disadvantages to using creatine, one of which is that water will be retained in your muscles. This means that if you want to keep your body hydrated and get water to other organs in your body, you will have to drink more water than usual when you are using a creatine supplement.

Your exercise routine will be maximized by using creatine and your muscles will be developed significantly faster. There will be reduced soreness, meaning a minimum cool down time between workouts.

There are some drawbacks to actually using creatine however. One of these drawbacks is that you'll gain weight due to the water being held within your muscles. This won't hurt anything, but you do need to be prepared for it when you step on your bathroom scale. You may also become dehydrated and experience other symptoms such as seizures or even vomiting. If you have kidney problems you should also avoid taking creatine.

Diet is something that needs to be observed as well, and that is true also with creatine. Creatine isn't a magic substance that will take care of everything, and as such you will need a good diet.

Regardless of how much creatine that you take, it won't make any difference at all if your diet is just junk food. Make sure that your diet is made up of complex caps, lean proteins, and fruits and vegetables. This will help you to maximize your workout and make sure that you are getting everything that you need.

Muscles require some sort of building blocks, therefore make sure your diet is healthy, and make sure it has lots of lean proteins such as lean meats, fish, complex carbohydrates, among other things.

These tips will allow you to get the most possible out of your workouts, and increase your muscle mass.

About the Author:

No comments: