What happened to just plain old creatine? Today, there are several different types of the muscle-building supplement including creatine ethyl ester, creatine malate and micronized creatine. Plain old creatine, also known as creatine monohydrate, has been a staple for bodybuilders for decades. So what is the best creatine supplement? And which creatine supplement should you be consuming to reach your bodybuilding goals?
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a naturally-occurring compound found in the human body and is produced by amino acids. While it is not an actual amino acid, it serves as a valuable energy source, with most of it stored in skeletal muscle. How does the body use it for energy? ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is the body’s energy currency. To initiate a muscle contraction, one phosphate molecule is broken off, creating ADP, or adenosine diphosphate. The body cannot use ADP for energy though and needs that additional phosphate molecule. That’s where creatine plays a pivotal role as the ADP takes a phosphate molecule from the creatine phosphate in your muscles.
Benefits Of Creatine Supplementation
During intense bouts of exercise, creatine helps convert ADP to ATP for energy. What happens when your body runs out of creatine? Your body won’t run out of creatine but without a sufficient supply in your muscles, you will lack the energy to complete vigorous workouts. So how do you overcome that problem? Creatine supplementation. Creatine is one of the top bodybuilding supplements on the market. It has been proven to enhance performance, increase lean muscle mass and speed up recovery.
According to the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, creatine supplementation can improve maximum power and anaerobic capacity by up to 15 percent. With additional creatine in your muscles, you will be able to last longer with your lifts. Being able to perform your entire workout pushing your limits will help promote muscle growth. Creatine also is a water-retaining compound and increased fluid in your muscles has a volumizing effect. This helps enhance a heavily-muscled appearance on bodybuilders. While some worry about the additional fluid retention, the Journal of Athletic Training discovered that fluid distribution does not change. This is important because if fluid distribution was altered, it would give a lopsided look to certain muscles.
While we know it helps fuel your muscles during high-intensity work and builds lean muscle, a study indicated that it also enhances the recovery process. All bodybuilders follow vigorous training regimens and being able to recover quickly is essential. Following intense exercise, the study showed less muscle cell damage and inflammation in exercisers who consumed creatine.
Creatine Monohydrate – The Right Creatine For Bodybuilders
Creatine monohydrate is the original creatine supplement. It is the basis for most creatine studies and is the best creatine supplement product on the market. Creatine monohydrate has been used for decades and studies indicate that it is a very successful supplement among bodybuilders. It absorbs well, is an affordable product and most of all, it works. So why try another creatine? The market is now flooded with other creatine supplements from micronized creatine which is purer, creatine malate which promotes quicker recovery and effervescent creatine which has greater absorption rates. All bodybuilders are looking for an advantage. Whether it is training techniques, nutrition or supplementation, bodybuilders are strong competitors. Are these new creatine supplements worth trying? Due to these products being new to the market, there is less research on them. They may enhance your recovery or increase absorption. However, there is not enough scientific research backing these products. Creatine monohydrate is an old-fashioned but the best creatine supplement. Yes, there continue to be advances with this supplement from when it was first introduced, but creatine monohydrate is proven. It has been proven in numerous scientific studies that it is a safe supplement that increases strength and muscle size and helps bodybuilders reach new levels in their training.
What Brands Should You Buy?
Now that you know which creatine is clinically proven to give you the best results, what brand should you purchase? The market is flooded with brands marketing themselves as the best creatine supplement. When purchasing a product, make sure the brand is well-regarded in the industry and the company and product have received good reviews among users. Two brands of creatine monohydrate that fit the criteria include MET-Rx’s Creatine Powder and Nutrex’s Creatine Drive Black. Both of these are 100-percent pure creatine monohydrate and have been scientifically proven to produce results. In addition, these creatine powders do not require a loading phase like others might. A loading phase involves consuming a larger amount of creatine during the initial starting period. These products will help you gain lean muscle, enhance your training and push you to your goals.
Written by:
Daniel Paine is the blog manager at Fitness Deal News. When not doing that, he serves as strength coach for private clients in Lexington. Daniel who helps smart, motivated people develop the discipline to get into amazing shape, have more than 8 years of experience in the fitness & bodybuilding world.
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