Creatine monohydrate, Kre-Alkalyn, Creatine HCL, Creatine Malate, loading phase, ph concentration etc... confusing stuff isn't it?

If we would follow advertisement then every athlete in every sport should take creatine. It does not matter whether it'd be endurance sport, weight lifting sport or simple aerobics. But is creatine that powerful and almost a necessity or are these simply false rumors?

Almost every supplement company offers a kre-alkalyn or creatine supp in capsules, powder or even chewable forms. The promised affects of these supplements sound very positive and alluring: Increased endurance, fuller muscles, massive and maximum power during the training and besides from the gym, pitch etc. creatine ensures faster recovery times and lean muscle mass growth. Creatine is for many amateur "bodybuilders" the first supplement of their supplement career, because it is not harmful and it can be found naturally in beef. Creatine is a current theme between gym rookies and pro's. Creatine is well known and managed to make a name for itself through a lot of advertisement and its long term presence in the weight lifting sport.


What is creatine & How does it work

Creatine is a nitrogenous based organic acid that occurs in vertebrates. Creatine helps to supply energy to cells, mainly muscle tissue. Creatine replaces phosphates in high energy bounds called ATP. When the muscles requires energy phosphate bonds get lose and provide enough energy for the muscle to work. The high energy chain loses its phosphate, than creatine accelerates the mechanism to reconstruct this high energy bonds through providing extra phosphates. The increased formation of adenosine phosphate (ATP) leads to the increased energy levels. Creatine is naturally produced from amino acids by the body, mainly in the liver and kindeys. Creatine is a non essential nutrient, because its made by the usage of L-arginine, glycine and L-methinonien.


Where is creatine found?

Creatine is naturally found in high amounts in beef, tuna and salmon.
- 450g beef contain approx. 5g of creatine monohydrate
- 450g red meat contain approx. 2g of creatine monohydrate
- 450g salmon contain about 4.5g of creatine monohydrate, fish and sushi are rich in creatine


Disadvantages

• Creatine monohydrate cannot be digested completely, therefore a part of the supplement that is taken in gets excreted as waste.
• Some people may have bloated stomaches.
• If kidney failures are inherited than creatine is not recommended.
• Creatine monohydrate increases weight (due to the water retaining effect)
• Some studies claim that there is a chance of dehydration

Advantages

• More strength
• Better endurance
• Faster growth of lean muscle mass
• Faster recovery
• Increased maximal power

How many types of creatine exist and what are they?

Before we start with the different types, creatine is not a stimulant like caffeine, because it takes more time for you to feel "a change" in your body. It needs time, but once its in your muscles you can feel and see certain effects. Disadvantages of creatine are water retaining side effects, therefore a gain in weight. Plus bloating of the stomach are possibly a very present problem but varies from person to person.

Creatine monohydrate is the "old timer" and simplest form of all creatine types. It's always good to take creatine with a fast digested carbohydrate. The carbs spike insulin into the blood, which ensures that the creatine flows right into the muscle tissue, this enhances the total potential of the creatine monohydrate. Athletes often talk about the "loading phase" which is simply a high intake of creatine over a short period of time to fill up muscle cells and provide energy. Creatine monohydrate requires usually a loading phase of 5-10 grams per day, depending on individual body weight.
To see the ultimately best results take 4 times 20 grams a day over 5 days or if you want to have a longer loading phase 10 grams over 10 days.

Creatine micronized is 20 times smaller than normal creatine particles. Therefore it has the ability to be absorbed faster into the blood stream and into the muscles. Digestions is also accelerated and therefore less complications occur. Creatine micronized is useful during a workout.

Creatine ethyl ester is a type of creatine combined with organic compounds called ester. It's a form of creatine that retains less water next to the muscle tissue. Therefore, through less doses of creatine you still get the effects promised in your muscles such as strength and recovery. Creatine ethyl ester is better absorbed in the body than creatine monohydrate, therefore many gurus believe that less water is retained in the muscles and that the weight gain must be pure muscle mass and a mixture of water in muscle tissue plus mass.

Creatine HCL has the ability to dissolve completely in water. This is a benefit because the body is made up of 60% -70% of water. Advantages are, fast absorption as well as no waste, which could turn into creatinine (insoluble by product of creatine monohydrate). Due to its solubility the body can use creatine HCL efficiently and very quickly, therefore no loading phase is necessary.

Creatine malate is the typical three creatine monohydrate molecules attached to one malic acid molecule. Creatine monohydrate ensures the production of ATP, which is the primary source of the muscles energy supply. The only benefit of creatine malate is that the malate acts as a faster transport medium, which ensures a steady and quick creatine monohydrate absorption into the muscle tissue. The second advantage of creatine malate is the water solubility, which leads  to a fast absorption.

Creatine magnesium chelate is nothing more than creatine chemically bound to magnesium molecules. This ensures faster absorption of creatine into the muscles in high doses. This is very useful after the loading phase because extra fuel for the muscle is available.

Kre-Alkalyn the new form of creatine with a higher pH ensures less waste products during digestion, smaller serving sizes (to get similar effects such as in other creatine forms), less water retaining and better absorption by muscle tissue and faster digestion without or with less bloating in your stomach.

Creatine Capsules are good if you want to avoid creatine powder due to them being smaller and thus easier to storeand no extra bottles filled with water are needed. If taken then be sure to drink them with water and combine it with a carbohydrate meal.

Chewable Creatine is very quickly absorbed into the blood stream. This makes chewable creatine excellent during training and the best part is, its available in different flavors.


Personal experience with creatine

Personally, I am a fan of Kre-Alkalyn from Optimum Nutrition (capsule) or Creatine Decanate from Musclemeds (powder). I  had good experiences with both of them. Creatine Decanate worked very well for me and I definitely felt the more rapid recovery time, which I really enjoyed. Especially after hard workouts it is nice to feel on the next day how you can still flex the pumped muscles without getting a cramp straight away. I am still a bit skeptical about the increase in strength because I never felt a big difference in the weight I moved before or after taking creatine. My personal size increased definitely, but also because of the water which was retained. I gained around 2 - 4 kg, which obviously gave me a very pumped look.  Overall, I would recommend creatine to everyone who is really sportive and depends on a good recovery time and likes the look of good pumped muscles. In addition to that I also recommend to drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.








Thank you for reading this post about creatine, if you have any questions feel free to comment or send me a mail :)

your Dr. Supps

Pre Workout Supps, Useful or just rubbish...?

Pre workout supplements are in general all the same... similar ingredients, similar effects and similar prices. Examples for pre workout supplements are: Neurocore from muscletech, Jack 3d, No-Xpload 2.0 or older from BSN, NO3 Chrome, C4, Super Pump Max from Gaspari Nutrition, Beta Nox from Ultimate Energy, Plutonium from Peak Nutrition and and and...
One thing is for sure, they all promise the user miracle results such as super fast recoveries, increased mental focus, increased strength, super muscle pumps and the best trainings ever.


How are these promised miracles possible?

Mental focuses and better drives are achieved through the use of caffeine or similar substances such as guarana, which are plants with high doses of caffeine in theire natural structure. Caffein itself is a psychoactive drug, which acts as central nervous and metabolic stimulant. It's main effect is the reduction of physical fatigue, linked to advantageous such as: increased wakefulness, increased focus and general better body conditions.

The massive pump all fitness freaks crave for is a result of the "top secret formula" that the brand uses in its products. This formula must be based on the alpha amino acid L-Arginin with the nickname Arg or R. L-Arginin, which is found in natural food soruces, such as fish, meat or nuts. Before NO (nitrogen) can be produced the only stage before it is L-Arginin, thus to clarify this L-Arginin is the single stage before NO can be produced in the body. Through the nitrogen monoxide synthesis L-Arginin alternates into the (Endothelium-derived relaxing factor) or how "we call" it: the known NO. Through the intake of supps containing "Endothelium-derived relaxing factor/NO" blood vessels widen and therefore an increased blood supply leads to a greater "pump" in the trained muscles. Another advantage of L-Arginin is the decrease of the blood pressure, therefore L-Arginin is also used in medicine. L-Arginin helps prevent the formation of plaque in arteries. This plaque can lead in extreme cases to thromboses and atherosclerosis. Overall, L-Arginin is not dangerous.

Vitamin B plays aswell an important role in all pre workout supplements, especially vitamin B3, B6 and B12. Vitmain B3, also called nicotinic acid is mainly found in the liver of the body and is crucial for the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Vitamin B6, also called pyrodoxine is naturally found in 3 forms: pyrodoxal, pyridoxal and pyrodoxamine, all three are important for the metabolism of mainly aminoacids. The body is not able to produce it by itself, therefore it needs to be taken in through food (or the supplement). B12, also called cobalamine provides enzymes for the metabolism of amino acids in the body. Enzymes are catalysts, which speed up chemical reactions in the body. Enzymes are totally natural like all vitamins, therefore nothing chemical is used in this case.

Minerals such as calcium, phosphorus (which has a crucial role in the body's DNA or in the prodcution of ATP, which is the type of energy produced by cells), magnesium, sodium and potassium are found too in the pre workout supps. All these are basic elements and found in the periodic table. These minerals contribute to the body's production of energy, general health or increased enzyme reactions. Also here we have no harming substances involved.

The enhanced endurance of the worked out muscles are a result of the carbohydrate/protein/creatin mixture, which often is found in these kind of supps. Carbohydrates in form of maltodextrin, which is a form of glucose and soluble in water. It is a rapid used up carb, which provides short term energy for the working muscles. The three amino acids L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valin act as protein supplies and are crucial for muscle growth. Creatin monohydrate ensures that the used up ATP (produced energy in muscle cells) is reinforced, because: no ATP equals no power.


I tried many brands of these supps and I felt clear differences. Beta Nox for example had a high caffein concentration but a low L-Arginin. Therefore I was satisfied the first 3 weeks of training with the pump. But after trying supps such as plutonium of Peak nutrition or Neurocore I clearly fell for them and their high concentration in L-Arginin. The tastes are in general strange, except No-Xpload from BSN had a preferably tasty Watermelon flavor, which was very sweet. I started adding other NO (nitrogen) supplements to get greater pumps, and this clearly worked for me. Honestly, I am not such a great fan of these pre workout supps anymore because the body gets used to the caffein and the mental drive literally "drives" away. However, it takes a while until the body gets used to caffein and until then these products are very pleasant to train with, also the pumps are satisfying. My favorites are Neurocore and Plutonium. I recommend these kind of supplements to all who want to start taking pre workout supps due to their good effects and as you read with no possible incorporated harm. But the consumption should be strictly followed by what is printed on the label and a high intake of water is also highly recommended.

Thank you for following this post, feel free to comment or ask questions. I am happy to give answers or advice. :)

Dr. Supps