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Optimizing the Anabolic Effects of Micronized Creatine Part-1: The problem with traditional dosing strategiesAs a sports scientist, I believe that we have only scratched the surface with regard to the potential gains that bodybuilders and other athletes can obtain from supplementation with Micronized creatine. I also believe that bodybuilders are not using Micronized creatine in a way that enables this supplement to exert its true muscle-building potential. If used correctly, the gains that can be obtained from supplementation with Micronized creatine are absolutely mind-blowing. In the world of sports supplements, slick marketing and a ton of hype often steals the attention of bodybuilders that are after a supplement that will give them that extra edge. However, rather than waste their time and money on expensive supplements that have no scientific proof of their effectiveness, bodybuilders and other athletes would be far better off learning how to get the most from supplements that are shown to be highly effective. Well-marketed supplement scams will always come and go but Micronized creatine is one supplement that has stood the test of time, simply because it works! Research shows that supplementation with AST's Micronized creatine consistently provides solid gains in strength and lean muscle mass. However, I truly believe that there is a better way of using creatine than the way most athletes currently use this supplement. Creatine has undergone intense scrutiny from the scientific community and has come up trumps every time; it is highly effective and completely safe to use. It is also an extremely economical supplement. In essence, creatine is the “Holy Grail” of sports supplements. I have examined all the research on creatine; its absorption kinetics, cell transportation, metabolism and results on athletic performance. From this information I have devised (what I believe to be) the best way to obtain the greatest possible anabolic effect from creatine supplementation. The supplement strategy I’m going to outline for you is designed to create a synergy between intense training and muscle cell metabolism to trigger a potent anabolic response at the cellular level that provides rapid strength and muscle mass gains. If you’ve used creatine in the past and have been disappointed with the results, you will benefit enormously from this strategy. If you’ve obtained good results from creatine in the past, hold onto your seats as this protocol will provide you with phenomenal gains! Background Information: Bringing you up to speed... The traditional way of using creatine involves a 5 to 7 day loading phase of 20 to 25 grams a day followed by a daily maintenance dose of 2 to 5 grams of creatine per day. These standard recommendations are considered the best way to supplement with creatine, but only by default. Bodybuilders, other athletes and their coaches don’t realize that the traditional creatine dosing strategy is based on a very limited amount on research. It is a very basic “scatter-gun” approach that gets the job done but probably destroys 70-80% of the potential gains that could be obtained. All of the studies that have examined the effects of creatine have lasted only 6 to 12 weeks. Even before the end of these short-term investigations creatine’s effects have begun to diminish. Athletes in the real-world use creatine for a lot longer than 6 to 12 weeks. One reason why some athletes may not experience creatine’s true performance-enhancing potential is that they follow these science-based (but short-term) supplementation protocols for long periods of time (many months or perhaps, years!) This is like someone attempting to practice medicine after they complete a first-aid course! Applying a limited amount of information to a much bigger (complex), long-term picture is sure to wind up in disaster. Or, at the very least, short-circuit the enormous potential benefits that can be obtained from this amazing supplement. The research-based “clues” to how to obtain a greater anabolic effect The research available shows us that achieving a high concentration of creatine within muscle cells is essential to experiencing the potent effects from supplementation. When creatine accumulates within muscle, a higher concentration of energy resides in cells and number of important physiological effects takes place; up-regulation of the muscle genes responsible for rapid size increases, increased muscle cell volume and accelerated protein synthesis rates as well as greater glycogen (carbohydrate) storage for future workouts. Ten years ago scientists believed that only anabolic steroids were capable of exerting these effects. Now we know that creatine supplementation is able to trigger all these responses but without the undesirable side-effects of anabolic steroid use. The problem is that traditional recommendations for creatine supplementation may actually short-circuit creatine’s potential by knee-capping a person’s ability to obtain a high concentration of creatine within muscle cells. A high blood plasma concentration of creatine is required for effective uptake by muscle. One 5 gram dose of creatine saturates blood plasma levels nicely for a couple of hours. However, 5 to 7 days of traditional creatine loading may result in prolonged saturation of blood (plasma) creatine that may lead to creatine transporter down-regulation in muscle cells. The creatine transporter (in the muscle cell membrane) is the only way creatine can get into cells. The desensitization of the cell transporter (caused by constant saturation) will reduce the uptake of creatine by muscle. The traditional loading phase constantly saturates the blood with creatine and bombards muscles with high concentrations of creatine. When constantly bombarded with high concentrations, creatine transporters actually fall off the muscle cell membrane![5] It takes a substantial amount of time for these transporters to grow back again. And, they will only return under conditions of low creatine concentrations, outside the cell [5]. The traditional way most bodybuilders use creatine will get results but it also destroys the potential to obtain the truly phenomenal gains that this supplement is capable of providing. Closer scrutiny of the research on resistance (weight) training and creatine supplementation reveals that the traditionally recommended maintenance dose (approximately 5 grams of creatine per day) is ineffective at maintaining high creatine concentrations in muscle cells [1,2,3]. Only three studies have actually assessed accumulation within muscle during intense resistance training programs (I have performed 2 of these studies) [2,3]. The results of all three studies show that although significant strength and lean mass gains were obtained from supplementation, muscle analyses revealed that the maintenance dose failed to maintain high muscle creatine concentrations over the duration of the program. The traditional maintenance dose isn’t enough. The results of another recent study ram home the message that a small maintenance dose is futile at maintaining high muscle creatine concentrations [4]. Using a group of healthy males, this study demonstrated that after a one-week loading phase, a 6-week maintenance dosing schedule (2 grams a day) resulted in the men’s muscle creatine stores returning to the levels that were seen before supplementation began! The benefits of creatine loading had completely disappeared within six weeks! Additionally, these men did not perform any exercise during this study. Intense training depletes muscle cells of energy substrates such as creatine. Therefore, based on this research, there is no way that a 5 gram maintenance dose is going to maintain optimal muscle creatine concentrations during intense resistance training programs. In this article I have identified some important reasons why the traditional use of creatine may actually be counter-productive to obtaining the phenomenal benefits that are possible. In the next article, I will detail an effective dosing regime that is designed to maintain ultra-high concentrations of creatine within muscle to trigger a powerful, long-lasting anabolic response that produces rapid increases in strength and muscle mass. The athletes that have been following this supplementation strategy for a while now have experienced incredible results. So don’t miss out! References: 1. Volek et al. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 31: 1147-1156, 1999.. 2. Cribb et al. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 35: S400, A2239, 2003. 3. Cribb et al. Presented at The Australian Association of Exercise and Sports Science Conference, April, 2004. 4. Van Loon et al. Clinical Science 104:153–162. 2003. 5. Guerrero-Ontivers, M.L. and Wallimann, T. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. 184: 427-437, 1998. |
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