Weight Tips : Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine-Monohydrate.

What is Creatine?

The chemical name for Creatine is methyl guanidine-acetic acid. Creatine is a natural substance found in our muscle cells, especially around the skeletal muscle (about 95% of the body's creatine supply) with the remaining 5% stored in other parts of the body. Creatine is a metabolite produced in the body which mainly consists of three amino acids - methionine, arginine, and glycine.

Our liver has the ability to combine these three amino acids and make creatine. The pancreas and the kidneys also synthesize a small amount of creatine when necessary. Another source for creatine is our diet. We can also get creatine by taking it as a dietary supplement. Although it comes in many different forms, the most common formula used for athletic purposes is creatine monohydrate.

A 160lb (72 kg) individual will have about 120 grams of creatine stored naturally in his body. The main food sources of creatine are fish and red meat. Half a pound of raw meat provides about 1g of creatine for the body. However, the amount of creatine we get from foods is much less than the amount needed to yield the maximum beneficial effect. To get roughly 20 grams of creatine (the general dosage amount for the loading phase), one would have to consume roughly 16-18 steaks. Because of this, it is much more convenient to simply consume creatine as a supplement, otherwise you'd end up having to eat a ton of meat each day.

Benefits of Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine monohydrate is a dietary supplement that athletes and many bodybuilders use to increase high intensity exercise performance, increase strength, have fuller looking muscles, increase body mass and have faster post workout muscle recovery.

Because anything that improves performance is usually associated with steroids, creatine has gotten a bad reputation from people who do not understand it. There are a wide variety of responses to the supplementatation of creatine; some people respond to it very well and almost instantaneously and others don't. For example, a vegetarian who already has a low amount of creatine coming from his daily food intake would probably respond better than someone who eats meat everyday (a very good source of creatine). Creatine is not a hormonal supplement like other legal steroids or prohormones.

Are there any Side Effects of taking Creatine Monohydrate?

No, studies have shown that consumption of creatine monohydrate does not cause any serious adverse side effects. However, some people may experience slight stomach and digestive discomfort like gas or bloating or possibly diarrhea for a few weeks when first starting the use of creatine. The digestive and stomach problems may be eradicated by lowering the amount of intake of creatine monohydrate. Since creatine supplementation causes the muscles to retain water, some people may experience a slight weight gain of as many as five pounds in the first few weeks, and may also become dehydrated.