Creatine Monohydrate Supplements

About Creatine Monohydrate Supplements

Creatine monohydrate is one of the few sports nutrition supplements that has been around for decades. It has been used to restore muscle phosphocreatine and free creatine levels that become depleted during exercise, particularly after power-based exercises or high-intensity training. Phosphocreatine is the body's natural anaerobic energy resource, meaning that oxygen is not required for the generation of ATP (energy) via this pathway.

Phosphocreatine donates a phosphorus molecule to ADP, rebuilding the energy molecule backup to ATP (adenosine triphosphate) in muscle. However, we only have a limited supply of phosphocreatine inside the muscle cell. Our own natural reserves become depleted within ten seconds of any explosive training. After this, aerobic energy pathways are more heavily relied upon, such as glycolysis and beta-oxidation, which burn glucose and fat, respectively. 

Creatine is normally synthesized in the body from 3 amino acids, which are arginine, methionine (in the form of s-adenosylmethionine [SAMe]) and glycine. We normally produce around 1 gram per day, and typically eat about 1 gram through food sources, unless on a vegan or vegetarian diet. Dosages are typically 5 grams daily, which can be consumed with a substantial amount of carbohydrate or sugar to create an insulin surge, which facilitates the uptake into muscle tissue. 

Creatine monohydrate entered the sports supplement market way back in the early 1900s, and was extracted from meat by Michel Eugene Chevreul in 1832 (fish is also an excellent source). Countless research has been published touting the benefits of this tripeptide since this time. A review article published in 2017 by Sports Medicine examined 53 studies, assessing performance with creatine supplementation versus placebo.

Creatine Monohydrate Benefits

They concluded that creatine supplementation is effective for upper-limb strength performance, ideally for exercises that last up to 3 minutes. This is interesting, given that the phosphocreatine energy pathway is only put into significant use for intense exercises lasting around 10 seconds. However, Sometimes a noticeable competitive advantage can be obtained from a solid performance at the start of a short to medium duration event, such as an 800m run or 2km rowing race. 

Given that creatine plays such an important role in ATP synthesis, it is no surprise that other areas of the body respond favourably from supplementation. Research has indicates that creatine can also assist with improving mood, intelligence and working memory. You might be wondering what the best creatine monohydrate is? Definitely go for a micronized pure powder product, preferably the German creapure.