Creatine Monohydrate (creatine): side effects, use, reviews

Strength exercises - a popular occupation of modern youth. They give the body strength, and temper the character. For athletes who are engaged in power sports for more than one year, it is not a secret that you can achieve impressive results only if you carefully monitor your diet and daily routine.

As for nutrition, it is not enough just to eat often. To increase strength, weight and obtain the necessary energy during the training sessions, athletes use food additives. One of the most popular among athletes is creatine. What it is?

Definition

According to scientific research, it is "Creatine Monohydrate" is the most effective food additive for representatives of power sports. Thanks to hundreds of tests conducted, a positive effect on the growth of athletes' endurance was found. In addition, the food additive contributes to a significant increase in muscle mass and fiber reinforcement.

Creatine monohydrate, the effect of which is described above, is used by athletes around the world. This product is quite natural for our body, as it produces it for itself in small quantities to supply muscle fibers with energy. Natural creatine is produced by the liver, pancreas and kidneys.

Also this natural substance is present in a small amount in some food products. Creatine contains red meat, salmon, herring and tuna. To ensure that the muscles have enough energy for power loads, it is not enough to eat only these foods. The content of the energy substance in them is too small. Therefore, every day, using a small dose of food additive "Creatine Monohydrate", you will provide your body with the necessary energy for further training.

For whom is creatine useful?

Nutritional supplements based on creatine have been used for the third decade. It all began with a few athletes, trained to win at the Olympics. Since then, athletes regularly allocate a place in their diet creatine. Thanks to him, for example, bodybuilders in the process of strength training can perform much more work, due to what they quickly achieve their goal - to increase muscle mass.

All people involved in sports, be it wrestlers, football players, sprinters and so on, can become stronger and more enduring, using creatine monohydrate, the prices for which are not sky-high.

The order of application of food additives

How to take creatine monohydrate? Powder should be used as an additive to food after exercise. This method of application is practiced by most of the athletes around the world. Since after heavy loads the level of creatine in muscle fibers is sharply reduced, it is necessary to restore this balance. To do this, you can prepare a so-called protein cocktail. In addition to a small dose of creatine, it must contain protein, quickly digestible carbohydrates and glutamine.

Each organism is individual, so the athlete should decide for himself how to drink creatine monohydrate. Some athletes decide to use a food supplement before training, to perform more exercises in the gym, and after it - abstain. Others - apply creatine before and after training, and after them. To determine the necessary regimen, it is important to listen to your body and give it as much energy as you need.

How to form a dose?

Since the requirement of our body in creatine daily is about 8 grams, in order to avoid exceeding this rate it is sufficient to consume about 3-5 grams. About when it's worth doing, we talked a little higher.

We also touched on the question of mixing creatine with other useful substances that help to "build" our body. Here everyone decides how to take creatine monohydrate. The powder can simply be diluted with water, and you can add, for example, whey protein. He participates in the construction of new cells of muscle fibers.

Someone dilutes the powder of the food additive "Creatine Monohydrate" in fruit juice or tea. It should be noted an important detail concerning the preparation of such a cocktail. You only need to dilute it before use, and do not do it in advance. It is important to remember such details before deciding how to drink creatine monohydrate.

How does creatine work on the body?

The substance that gives the muscles energy, gets into them through the blood. ATP - a source of explosive energy of the body. By turning creatine into creatine phosphate, replenishing ATP stores, at the time of physical activity, our body is constantly getting access to resources to carry out the work. Although the described process looks complicated, it all takes place within us in a matter of seconds.

What happens when the body lacks creatine phosphate? Then ATP appears due to glycogen, taken from the liver. This is a kind of reserve. It is thanks to this mechanism that we do not fall alive from lack of strength, even when we feel very tired. Unlike pure creatine, glycogen is converted into ATP by an order of magnitude longer.

Side effects

In general, "Creatine Monohydrate" will not cause problems to the body if taken in small doses in accordance with the planned schedule of training sessions. The main rule that should be remembered is that taking large amounts of creatine does not bring much effect. Such a conclusion can be made on the basis of studies according to which the excessive content of creatine phosphate is simply excreted from the body.

In addition, during the intake of creatine it is important to drink plenty of water, since it is able to attract interstitial fluid to muscle cells. Also, the question of the effect of food additives with creatine on the body of adolescents has not been fully investigated by science. Therefore, if you are under 18, then from the use of creatine for a while it is worth to refrain.

The concept of "loading" of creatine

As noted above, even the best creatine monohydrate, if it is superfluous, is excreted from the body, and does not accumulate. Thus, all that the athlete takes in the "load" week, will not give an explosive result and not accumulate anywhere, but simply come out "for free." That is why manufacturers of food additives recommend taking them in small doses every day. This term began to gain popularity in the 90s, when the food supplement only began to appear on the shelves. The essence of this concept is to actively consume creatine within a week, in order to "fill" the muscle fibers with energy and then use it. This was the "loading" of creatine into muscle. Many athletes believed that thanks to this scheme it is possible to use the potential of this substance more effectively and force the results. Is it worth doing such a "download" to you?

What is micronized creatine?

It is a food supplement consisting of the same substance - creatine. The difference is only in the particle size of the powder mass. Micronized creatine has grains, which are less than usual about 20 times! Why do micronisation?

Mainly for better solubility. Anyone who used the usual powder, noticed that a small precipitate of some particles appears on the bottom of the glass. It's creatine that just did not dissolve. Because of this, it does not enter the body, but remains in the glass. Therefore, it is the micronized creatine monohydrate, which prices are slightly higher than for regular powder, experts recommend buying.

What is Creapure® Creatine Monohydrate?

Creapure ^® is a recognized standard among athletes taking creatine. It is produced in Germany. This element can be found in many products containing creatine that are sold all over the planet. To understand if Creapure® Creatine Monohydrate is present in a certain product, it is enough to find the inscription "Creapure®" in the list of the composition.

This product, according to the manufacturer, reaches at least two important goals:

• Promotes the development of the muscular system, not the fatty layer;

• Helps to recover after hard training.

To make this effect more obvious, Creapure® Creatine advises the following regimen for taking the drug. On the day when training is planned, it is worth using two teaspoons (5 grams) of creatine after classes. On weekends, when there are no workouts, you should take exactly the same dose, but only in the morning. Also, German experts advise taking the drug in cycles. After 4-5 weeks of taking the drug, you need to let the body "relax" for 3-4 weeks. Then the effect will be especially noticeable.

Effect of caffeine on the action of a food supplement

Some manufacturers do not recommend drinking caffeinated beverages if you use Creatine Monohydrate. How to take a dietary supplement, everyone decides on their own, but remember that caffeine can block the beneficial effects of creatine. On the other hand, according to many experts, drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day, you will not feel the negative effect of caffeine.

What do athletes say?

Most people are happy with the result, which gives "Creatine Monohydrate". Reviews only confirm this. Here are some of them.

One woman of 27 years was advised to take creatine to gain muscle mass, as she was too thin. According to her, she regularly visited the gym, but the results could not be called impressive - the exercises were given to her with difficulty, and the addition of muscle mass was not observed. Soon she began to take creatine, which made the gym work much easier, but there was no big increase in mass.

The 24-year-old bodybuilder says that he took creatine, the price of which was quite high. I bought products from various companies and, in his words, he practically did not notice the difference between them. But the result pleased - a significant increase in muscle mass and a more precise outline of the figure.

One bodybuilding amateur, who is 32 years old, recently started taking creatine, claims that he has not noticed much effect. In addition, in the early days, some digestive problems started, but then everything subsided.

His opinion about creatine was made and one runner with experience. He is involved in athletics and constantly participates in long-distance races. The athlete began taking creatine after several heavy races. According to him, he felt overtrained and decided to try "Creatine Monohydrate". How to take - really did not know, but one of his friends suggested that you need to do cocktails and drink after training. What was the result? Now he, as before, gets a lot of joy from running, as his strength has recovered and energy has appeared.

One young woman, working as a fitness instructor, bought creatine with a flavor filler, but the effect did not have time to feel. It turned out that she was allergic to him. Then she was told to buy a drug without filler.

Apparently, regarding the use of "Creatine Monohydrate", reviews are different. Most athletes of power sports simply do not represent their training process without this food supplement. Why are "siloviks" most dependent on creatine? Loads that have to be borne to such athletes are really extreme. At the same time, a high load on muscles lasts for 1.5-2 hours in a row, while training is in progress. That's why representatives of power sports try to purchase the best creatine monohydrate. But how do you know which is better?

Difficult choice

How to choose creatine monohydrate? Firms that produce it, produce the drug in the form of powder, tablets and capsules. To determine what you need, you should take into account the creatine monohydrate rating, compiled on the basis of price, quality, availability and other indicators.

But do not pay attention only to brands. Sometimes the fame of a drug is exclusively the matter of a competently organized marketing campaign. When choosing creatine, pay attention to the particle size. As noted above, the larger they are, the less they dissolve. In addition, the more particles of creatine powder, the more complex they are absorbed by our body. This fact should be considered when choosing in the first place.

Also worth paying attention to the content of the powder in the necessary nutrients. They should be present, because it is thanks to such elements that creatine can be better absorbed and penetrate into the cells of muscle fibers. Often they can be simple types of sugar, increasing the level of insulin in the blood during the recovery from the power loads. It can also be noted whether alpha lipoic acid is present in the chosen preparation, which increases the sensitivity of insulin.

Taking food supplements, it is worth remembering that success in the training process depends more on the correct course of development, fighting spirit and efforts. Adjusting the training schedule and creating a clear daily routine, you can achieve success.