Saturday, January 28, 2012

Creatine and Muscle Building

Creatine and Muscle Building


Who knew building muscle and enhancing energy could be as easy as enjoying a lean piece of steak or a filet of fish. Although red meat and fish have bountiful amount of protein in it that isn’t the only reason it is an advocate for building muscle. Red meat and fish also contain a substance known as creatine. These are not the only source in which to take advantage of this power substance. For those of you who don’t really like red meat or fish you can find creatine in supplemental form.  As one of the most important natural energy-enhancing supplements discovered by strength trainers, Creatine has been well researched over an array of studies. Several of these studies have shown gains in body mass averaging at about 2-4lbs as well as decreases in body fat (2). Not only does creatine increase gains in body mass it has been shown to improve strength and power in an individual (2).

Creatine is also produced naturally in our bodies in the liver and kidneys at rate of about 2 grams a day from arginine, glycine, and methionine, three nonessential amino acids (1). About 95% of creatine in the body is transported in the blood to be stored in the muscles, heart, and other cells. Within muscle cells creatine is turned into creatine phosphate, a compound which serves as a tiny energy supply. This supplies energy for a short bought of energy at a time thus it is most advantageous for strength training activities that only require fast bursts of energy. Creatine phosphate also replenishes cellular reserves of ATP (Adenosine Tri- Phosphate), molecules of fuel, to provide power for muscular contractions. With more ATP in the mix, your muscles can do more work. With that said you can push harder and longer in your workouts because creatine boosts the pace of energy production in your muscle cells (2). The more intense the workout the more muscle gain.
To take advantage of this muscle building substance try lean red meats, fish, or supplemental powder form.Since fish is one of the richest natural sources of methionine, eating fish provides both a direct source of creatine as well as an effective supply of dietary methionine for new creatine synthesis (3).As for red meats be sure to choose the leanest cuts like sirloins and tenderloins. Powder forms can be found at any supplement shops with the name creatine monohydrate.

So before your next workout be sure to take advantage of Creatine and its muscle building benefits by incorporating sources of it into your diet regimen

1.    Heuer, Marvin A. "Nutritional Composition and Method for Increasing Creatine Uptake and Retention in Skeletal Muscle." Print

2.    Kleiner, Susan M., and Maggie Greenwood-Robinson. Power Eating. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1998. Print
3.   Romanell, Duane. "Creatine Background: What Are Natural Sources of Creatine?" Creatine Information Center. Web. 28 Jan. 2012. <http://www.creatinemonohydrate.net/creatine_background_3.html>.

1 comment:

  1. Proud of you girl, specializing in health. I will stick with fish over meat though & use the powders. Going to make 2012 into loosing pounds & gaining muscle!!!

    ReplyDelete