Optimizing the Anabolic Effects of
Micronized Creatine Part-1: The problem with traditional dosing strategies
As a sports scientist, I believe that we have
only scratched the surface with regard to the potential gains that bodybuilders
and other athletes can obtain from supplementation with Micronized creatine. I
also believe that bodybuilders are not using Micronized creatine in a way that
enables this supplement to exert its true muscle-building potential. If used
correctly, the gains that can be obtained from supplementation with Micronized
creatine are absolutely mind-blowing.
In the world of sports supplements,
slick marketing and a ton of hype often steals the attention of bodybuilders
that are after a supplement that will give them that extra edge. However, rather
than waste their time and money on expensive supplements that have no scientific
proof of their effectiveness, bodybuilders and other athletes would be far
better off learning how to get the most from supplements that are shown to be
highly effective.
Well-marketed supplement scams will always come and go
but Micronized creatine is one supplement that has stood the test of time,
simply because it works! Research shows that supplementation with AST's
Micronized creatine consistently provides solid gains in strength and lean
muscle mass. However, I truly believe that there is a better way of using
creatine than the way most athletes currently use this
supplement.
Creatine has undergone intense scrutiny from the scientific
community and has come up trumps every time; it is highly effective and
completely safe to use. It is also an extremely economical supplement. In
essence, creatine is the “Holy Grail” of sports supplements. I have examined all
the research on creatine; its absorption kinetics, cell transportation,
metabolism and results on athletic performance. From this information I have
devised (what I believe to be) the best way to obtain the greatest possible
anabolic effect from creatine supplementation.
The supplement strategy I’m going to
outline for you is designed to create a synergy between intense training and
muscle cell metabolism to trigger a potent anabolic response at the cellular
level that provides rapid strength and muscle mass gains. If you’ve used
creatine in the past and have been disappointed with the results, you will
benefit enormously from this strategy. If you’ve obtained good results from
creatine in the past, hold onto your seats as this protocol will provide you
with phenomenal gains!
AST
MICRONIZED CREATINE
Background Information: Bringing you up to
speed...
The traditional way of using creatine involves a 5 to 7 day
loading phase of 20 to 25 grams a day followed by a daily maintenance dose of 2
to 5 grams of creatine per day. These standard recommendations are considered
the best way to supplement with creatine, but only by default. Bodybuilders,
other athletes and their coaches don’t realize that the traditional creatine
dosing strategy is based on a very limited amount on research. It is a very
basic “scatter-gun” approach that gets the job done but probably destroys 70-80%
of the potential gains that could be obtained.
All
of the studies that have examined the effects of creatine have lasted only 6 to
12 weeks. Even before the end of these short-term investigations creatine’s
effects have begun to diminish. Athletes in the real-world use creatine for a
lot longer than 6 to 12 weeks. One reason why some athletes may not experience
creatine’s true performance-enhancing potential is that they follow these
science-based (but short-term) supplementation protocols for long periods of
time (many months or perhaps, years!) This is like someone attempting to
practice medicine after they complete a first-aid course! Applying a limited
amount of information to a much bigger (complex), long-term picture is sure to
wind up in disaster. Or, at the very least, short-circuit the enormous potential
benefits that can be obtained from this amazing supplement.
AST
MICRONIZED CREATINE
The research-based “clues” to how to
obtain a greater anabolic effect
The research available shows us that
achieving a high concentration of creatine within muscle cells is essential to
experiencing the potent effects from supplementation. When creatine accumulates
within muscle, a higher concentration of energy resides in cells and number of
important physiological effects takes place; up-regulation of the muscle genes
responsible for rapid size increases, increased muscle cell volume and
accelerated protein synthesis rates as well as greater glycogen (carbohydrate)
storage for future workouts. Ten years ago scientists believed that only
anabolic steroids were capable of exerting these effects. Now we know that
creatine supplementation is able to trigger all these responses but without the
undesirable side-effects of anabolic steroid use. The problem is that
traditional recommendations for creatine supplementation may actually
short-circuit creatine’s potential by knee-capping a person’s ability to obtain
a high concentration of creatine within muscle cells.
A high blood plasma
concentration of creatine is required for effective uptake by muscle. One 5 gram
dose of creatine saturates blood plasma levels nicely for a couple of hours.
However, 5 to 7 days of traditional creatine loading may result in prolonged
saturation of blood (plasma) creatine that may lead to creatine transporter
down-regulation in muscle cells. The creatine transporter (in the muscle cell
membrane) is the only way creatine can get into cells. The desensitization of
the cell transporter (caused by constant saturation) will reduce the uptake of
creatine by muscle. The traditional loading phase constantly saturates the blood
with creatine and bombards muscles with high concentrations of creatine. When
constantly bombarded with high concentrations, creatine transporters actually
fall off the muscle cell membrane![5] It takes a substantial amount of time for
these transporters to grow back again. And, they will only return under
conditions of low creatine concentrations, outside the cell
[5].
The traditional way most bodybuilders use creatine will get
results but it also destroys the potential to obtain the truly phenomenal gains
that this supplement is capable of providing.
Closer scrutiny of
the research on resistance (weight) training and creatine supplementation
reveals that the traditionally recommended maintenance dose (approximately 5
grams of creatine per day) is ineffective at maintaining high creatine
concentrations in muscle cells [1,2,3]. Only three studies have actually
assessed accumulation within muscle during intense resistance training programs
(I have performed 2 of these studies) [2,3]. The results of all three studies
show that although significant strength and lean mass gains were obtained from
supplementation, muscle analyses revealed that the maintenance dose failed to
maintain high muscle creatine concentrations over the duration of the
program.
The traditional maintenance dose isn’t enough.
The
results of another recent study ram home the message that a small maintenance
dose is futile at maintaining high muscle creatine concentrations [4]. Using a
group of healthy males, this study demonstrated that after a one-week loading
phase, a 6-week maintenance dosing schedule (2 grams a day) resulted in the
men’s muscle creatine stores returning to the levels that were seen before
supplementation began! The benefits of creatine loading had completely
disappeared within six weeks! Additionally, these men did not perform any
exercise during this study. Intense training depletes muscle cells of energy
substrates such as creatine. Therefore, based on this research, there is no way
that a 5 gram maintenance dose is going to maintain optimal muscle creatine
concentrations during intense resistance training programs.
In
this article I have identified some important reasons why the traditional use of
creatine may actually be counter-productive to obtaining the phenomenal benefits
that are possible. In the next article, I will detail an effective dosing regime
that is designed to maintain ultra-high concentrations of creatine within muscle
to trigger a powerful, long-lasting anabolic response that produces rapid
increases in strength and muscle mass. The athletes that have been following
this supplementation strategy for a while now have experienced incredible
results. So don’t miss out!
AST
MICRONIZED CREATINE
References:
1. Volek et
al. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 31: 1147-1156,
1999..
2. Cribb et al. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
35: S400, A2239, 2003.
3. Cribb et al. Presented at The Australian
Association of Exercise and Sports Science Conference, April, 2004.
4.
Van Loon et al. Clinical Science 104:153–162. 2003.
5. Guerrero-Ontivers,
M.L. and Wallimann, T. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. 184: 427-437,
1998.
