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Everything you need to know about Creatine

June 6, 2008

Creatine monohydrate (or for short, simply Creatine) is one of the most popular supplements used by bodybuilders. It is extensively used by athletes both amateur and professional, bodybuilders, even casual fitness buffs. It’s even in some soft drinks! But what is Creatine, exactly?

Creatine is a substance which is found naturally in the human body and is composed of 3 key amino acids - Glycine , Arginine, and Methionine. The substance Creatine is found in muscle tissues, where it is used to energize muscles. In the most technical terms, Creatine is an ergogen (don’t worry, I’ll explain in a moment).

Say what? Bear with me here. Simply put, an ergogen boosts your ability to do work - and Creatine does deliver in that department. Creatine helps make adenosine triphosphate (or ATP for short), which serves as the best possible source of energy for your muscles. ATP makes the proteins which compose your muscles contract. When your muscles are at work, ATP breaks down into ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and energy is released. This all happens in a matter of seconds.

So how is ATP replenished after it breaks down? You got it, Creatine does that job (I see you were paying attention!). Creatine is a sort of reserve for ATP. The more creatine you have , the more ATP - simple as that. The more ATP that you have, the more endurance you’ll have - which in a nutshell is why so many bodybuilders use this supplement.

So What are some good sources of creatine? Of course there are the nutritional supplements sold at health food stores and specialty shops both online and off catering to bodybuilders, additionally, there are two other sources of creatine. One is the many popular soft drinks containing this metabolite (I don’t recommend this - because they usually contain large amounts of sugar and other crap you don’t want along with your creatine).

The other good source of creatine is red meat. A large serving of red meat (make sure it’s lean meat if you’re bodybuilding) contains about a gram of creatine. All in all though, a creatine supplement is more efficient.

There are other benefits of creatine too. Like a higher threshold of fatigue and the promotion of muscle tissue building! Creatine is a supplement which thus far is proven totally safe and really does perform as advertised - a rarity when the marketing for most products these days is overpromises and the product underdelivers.

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