Read 59 times since Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Yes, you've heard the tough guy talk about a certain supplement that fuels them with necessary energy to maximize their performance. By seeing their monstrous muscles, you might probably think what's the "it" product every fitness enthusiast is talking about. After hours on the internet and several researches later, a product emerge as one of the top fuel sources for bodybuilders and it's none other than creatine supplement. But before you head out to the door, stop, think, and ask yourself, do you have all the information's you need to start taking the product? Perhaps not, one important factor to be considered before taking your first ever supplement is the loading and cycling phase.
How much sport supplements should you take? Is loading necessary? First things first, creatine is a naturally occurring substance in our body. It can be found mostly in the skeletal muscles as either phoshocreatine (PC) or free creatine. Phosphocreatine (PC) is the component necessary for our body to produce ATP, a fuel source for energy. In reality, we can get energy sources from food groups such as carbohydrates, but it takes longer time for it to be able to convert into a usable form. In times when your body needs an immediate kick of energy, let's say during an intense training, your body resorts to ATP for explosive energy productions. However, it can't be denied that though ATP provides energy fast, its production is also exhausted faster. This scenario allows bodybuilding supplementation of creatine to come in. Research shows that loading allows for a rapid increase of PC stores into your muscles. Loading is typically done to saturate your muscle with PC and prepare it for higher doses than it is usually used to. In general, the recommended dose is 0.3 grams/kg/day or 20 grams/day of creatine monohydrate for 5-7days. You can break down the intake by dividing it 4-5 times per day depending on your routine.
The next step to the process is the maintenance phase. This is the stage wherein you're feeding your muscle with lower doses of PC but still double the level of it usually has. The truth is, your muscles can only hold up a certain amount of PC. So after saturating your muscles, maintain a dose of 2 g/day for 2 weeks. They say, too much of a something is bad, but in this situation, taking too much is a waste since your body will just excrete the extra dose of creatine through the urine. You don't want expensive urine for a waste, right?
Conversely, lack of long term researches on the consequences of long term creatine supplementation have paved the way to the puzzled minds of many regarding the necessity to cycle intake of creatine. However, one study was conducted that pinpointed why cycling is essential, this research showed that long term ingestion of creatine is inversely correlated to the abundance and activity of creatine transporter. Creatine transporter is the mechanism by which this substance is carried into your muscles. As your muscles are packed up with PC, the transporter mechanism is down regulated. Thus, any activity that fastens the absorption of PC will only promote down regulation faster as well. In time, your muscles will not be able to take up creatine anymore.
Notice that after stopping intake of creatine supplements there would be a slight drop off in energy levels and performance, not to be shaken off because this is completely normal. Above and beyond, further researches are necessary to establish firm evidence on the essentials of cycling. Sport and Supplements offer value added products and supplies for the fitness and gym enthusiast, visit http://sportandsupplements.com for the latest products now.
|
|
