WHAT IS CREATINE?
Creatine is a body’s own substance and occurs naturally in our muscles. We obtain creatine from our diet, from fish and meat (particularly red meat). Creatine is made in our own body in the liver and pancreas by 3 amino acids; Arginen, Methionine and Glycine. The concentration of creatine in our muscles is on average 180 to 200 grams and is stored in the body. This mainly happens in our muscles. Unfortunately, there is not enough in your body to really benefit from it during training.
WHAT DOES CREATINE DO?
Creatine plays an important role in the contraction of our muscles. It is actually an intermediate product for the energy supply of the muscle and nerve cells. By using creatine you can contract and relax a muscle more often and for longer. All this has to do with, among other things, the ATP (Adinine Tri Phosphate). This ensures that your acidification is postponed so that you can do more repetitions (sets and reps).
WHY DO YOU TAKE EXTRA CREATINE?
Nowadays you can buy creatine in different forms. The main reason for taking creatine is that you can increase the concentration in your muscles by means of. supplementation. Your body retains the higher concentration for a longer period of time, which benefits you as a strength and/or martial artist.
Due to a higher concentration of creatine you can train longer and make more reps and sets than before. By using creatine you will notice that you develop more power and you can lift those extra kilos that you previously had too much trouble with.
Because you get more out of your exercises and you repeat your exercises more often, tears will occur in your muscle cells. It is very important to get enough protein so that your muscles can recover and grow.
HOW DO YOU USE CREATINE?
There is a big difference between the use of creatine for strength athletes and the use of this supplement for endurance athletes.
Strength athletes: For the first 5 days you take 5 grams of creatine (teaspoon) 3 times a day with water or mixed in a fruit juice (the sugars in a fruit juice ensure faster absorption). After 5 days you switch to a daily dose of 3-5 grams. It is important that you do this at a fixed time of the day. This way your buffer in your muscles remains at a constant level.
Endurance athletes: The first 10 days you take 2 doses of 5 grams daily. After 10 days you switch to a dose of 3-5 grams per day. Here too, you must ensure that you take this at a fixed time of the day.
CREATINE IS A MUST IF YOU WANT TO GROW
Creatine is often seen as a basic requirement, in addition to proteins, and that is quite logical. Because you train harder and more intensively, you can grow faster. It is important to combine the creatine with protein shakes, since your muscles have to recover in time and also have to endure more due to the exertion.
We at M Double You recommend using creatine for a maximum of 6 – 8 weeks consecutively. After that you need to take a rest period of 6 weeks. After those 6 weeks you can start the process again from the starting point. The so-called ‘charging phase’ is very important here.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF TAKING CREATINE?
If you use creatine you will notice that:
- Creatine can increase the duration of your workout
- Creatine helps to increase your total muscle mass
- Creatine improves communication between cells
- Creatine may contribute to brain health
As you can read in this article, the use of creatine has many benefits. For you, your training and your brain. It is important to understand that creatine is a supplement, an addition to your daily diet. Due to the large amounts of creatine in the supplements, it is an easy and quick intake of these important substances.
But… you also get an average of 1 gram of creatine per day through your diet. Your diet and schedule therefore remain essential. Never see a supplement as a replacement for your diet, but only as an addition.
“The claim is aimed at adults over the age of 55 who regularly participate in resistance training. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine in combination with resistance training, which allows an increase in workload over time and at least should be done at least three times a week for several weeks at an intensity of at least 65%-75% of 1RM (*). (*) 1RM (1 repetition maximum) is the maximum weight or strength an individual can perform in can perform a single movement.”
