Elite Fitness Zone » Supplements

Creatine Protein: Create the Ultimate Environment for Muscle Growth

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:44:35 +0000

Creatine protein is one of the most imperative substances to any bodybuilder and potentially any athlete. Creatine provides the muscles with increased strength and extra available energy that is required to build up strength and lean muscle mass. Creatine and protein gives the muscles the ability to grow while providing the ability to also repair themselves. There are many rips and tears that can take place when strength or weight training and providing the body with the proper nutrients allows them the ability to heal. There are many supplements available today claiming to provide outrageous benefits however, it is the best advice to understand the separate components that make each supplement unique and effective.
It has become widely accepted in recent years that protein makes the very building blocks of the body. With that concept in mind it is easy to ascertain how a combination of creatine and protein together in one supplement could provide an excellent source of nutrition for the body. Creatine protein gives the body essential amino acids that are required for the body to create natural creatine in the muscles as well. They also help the bones stay strong, keep tendons strong and healthy as well as maintaining healthy organs. Creatine and protein provides nutrition to the many aspects of strength training and packs it all in one fantastic supplement.
Glycogen becomes an important player when creatine protein is added to the mixture. This is because glycogen is type of carbohydrate that is stored within the muscle and is responsible for actually fuelling the muscle. The creatine protein supplements encourage the muscles to store more glycogen so that when intense sessions of strength training are conducted, more oxygen is available for the muscles. The cardiopulmonary system can’t keep up to the demands placed on it when intensely training so the added element of storage through glycogen is a welcome addition.
Results cannot be expected to be immediate when first beginning Creatine and protein supplement therapy. The chemical reactions that follow after ingesting creatine protein creates muscle fullness to provide longer training sessions as a building block to promote increased strength. While these benefits are a result of taking Creatine and protein, any good trainer will say that the body needs time to properly absorb and utilize the supplement. Remember, there aren’t any magic solutions to gaining increased strength and muscle mass. There are only supplements available to create the right environment in the muscles to promote that growth.
Unlock the potential in any weight or strength training and give Creatine and protein supplements a try. Whether its building muscle mass or strength training, Creatine and protein provides the muscles with the right nutrition to promote growth. Make finding a quality creatine protein supplement a priority and begin to experience the intense energy that only creatine protein can provide!

The Ideal Creatine Bodybuilding Supplement – Your Must Know Guide

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:17:00 +0000

Now that the hot supplement for everything from brain function,bodybuilding, weight loss, heart health and anti-aging is creatine, you are going to hear a lot more about this from now on! I want to look in this article about the various creatine bodybuilding supplements available and what they can do for you, if you decide to take them. If you do not want to take a supplement you would have to eat about 16 steaks to get the amount of 20gr of creatine which is the maximum dose if you are loading up.

People worry about creatine safety and always ask about it. The fact is that in all the double-blind placebo trials, there has never been a problem with harmful side effects such as kidney failure, liver problems or cramps.

So,what can you take alongside creatine to make sure it is going to give you maximum benefit and give you the results you want such as bigger muscle mass and a faster recovery time? The most common creatine bodybuilding supplement is that called creatine monohydrate which means it contains water. While it is quite effective, it is hydrophilic and that means it cannot penetrate the muscle cell and it needs other nutrients to make it do its work. One of its uncomfortable side effects is that it can cause bloating.

Nitric Oxide can provide vital nutrients and blood to the muscles which can help your muscle cells to store more creatine which the normal creatine supplement will not do at all. This is probably the best and fastest acting creatine bodybuilding supplement on the market to-day. If the mixture you buy also contains dextrose, this will help you have an insulin rush which is also great for making the creatine work more efficiently.

If you can take a creatine bodybuilding supplement like Arginin AKG, this will be great too for dilating the veins. Caffeine will give you that extra focus but you may have to try cycling the creatine so that your body can cope with the caffeine tolerance. If you are taking caffeine with creatine, make sure that the dosage of caffeine does not exceed 200 mg.

Given that there is no control at all over how these supplements are produced, it is wise to take the following precautions. How do you know if the creatine used is 99.9% pure ? There should be some verification from the company that this is the case. What money back guarantees are there and what about the customer service? You can find out more from the link below and see if the creatine bodybuilding supplement you have chosen meets your exacting standards.

Creatine Studies – What Do They Tell Us ?

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:45:35 +0000

Why do you think that creatine has become the most popular and sought after bodybuilding supplement since about ten years ago, when it first hit the bodybuilding scene? The main reason is that creatine studies show that it is a very safe supplement. The second reason is that it has never been banned by any sporting association or federation. The third reason is that it is not a steroid. Apart from minor side effects, there are no creatine dangers.

Creatine works with most bodybuilders and it helps them to build lean muscle mass, spike energy and also aid speed of recovery. One of the most important creatine studies was done by the United States Department of Agriculture and that showed that there were significant in performance over a wide range of sports from cycling rowing and weightlifting. There are other creatine studies done on older people which show that creatine may be one of the most effective ways of slowing cell decline which leads to osteoporsis and loss of muscle tone.

A study done by the Royal Society showed that when 5 gr of creatine monohydrate was given to a group of 45 people over a six week period, the improvements in brain performance were remarkable.

In yet another one of the recent creatine studies, Canadian researchers wanted to see if creatine could help muscle tone and recuperation after an accident or when an arm is in plaster. They found those patients who were on creatine over a two week period had better strength, muscular endurance and overall better preservation of muscle mass than the patients who were not on creatine. This work has been published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning.

In a study done in the Netherlands on 175 men who were given 10 grams of creatine for almost a year, no negative effects on kidney or liver function was found.. If you drink a lot of water when taking creatine, you can avoid most of the problems of dehydration which is one of the most common creatine dangers, if it can even be called that. Check out the link below for important breakthroughs in creatine products.

The Hidden Benefits Of Creatine For Muscle Building

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:15:41 +0000

The muscle building supplement creatine is actually a natural substance which is most commonly found in foods such as red meat. However it has become a staple supplement for many bodybuilders who use creatine for building muscle, as it has been shown to help bodybuilders in a number of ways. Before you think about taking creatine make sure you speak to your doctor.
Benefits of Creatine
The first major benefit of creatine is to aid the rebuilding of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used to power your muscles while lifting weights. ATP levels in your muscles reduce each time you lift so by taking creating supplements it allows you keep lifting for longer as your ATP levels will be higher. Thus you can train harder for longer and as a result get better training results.
Secondly, creatine enhances your body’s ability to store glycogen; glycogen is the principle storage form of glucose. Thus creatine helps your body store more glycogen in the muscles, so allowing you to train harder and longer. Creatine supplements are also beneficial if you don’t get sufficient quantities of it in your normal diet. For example vegetarians often don’t get enough creatine in their diets as it is mainly found in red meats.
Are You Going To Use Creatine?
Whether you decide to use creatine or not is really down to you, don’t take the decision lightly as creatine is not for all bodybuilders. Most research has shown that creatine is safe to use, however you should always consult your doctor before starting to take creatine supplements.
Make sure that you follow the dosage guidelines carefully so that you get the best results. Also you will need to drink extra water, as one of the side products is increased levels of creatinine which is filtered from the body by the kidneys, so you need to drink extra water especially if you have kidney problems, as creatinine is not good for your health and body. Use your common sense and use your brain and you too can see how creatine, when combined with a proven training program, can help you build bigger muscles fast.

Creatine And It’s Side Effects

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:14:14 +0000

One of the biggest concerns when starting a new supplement is what are the side effects? People worry about hair loss, acne, rage, and even testicle shrinkage. Luckily creatine is not a steroid, so you do not have to worry about any harmful or adverse side effects. In this post I will outline some of the negative (if any) and positive side effects or using creatine to help boost your energy and build muscle mass.
Negative Creatine Side Effects
No serious side effects from creatine have ever been recorded in research. A common misconception is that creatine is an abusive steroid-like substance that can kill you. With a little education, most people can realize the falsity of their claims.
The most common ‘negative’ side effect is an increase in water weight. An increase in water weight can make you appear to be bloated. It will look like you just got done eating Christmas dinner. And because your muscle will retain more water, they might feel softer to the touch. Your muscles will still be hard and impressive to a normal person, but after you rest for a few hours and try to flex, your muscles might not be as rock hard. There are possibly other unknown negative side effects associated with creatine, but due to a lack of research there isn’t much available.
Another negative side effect of creatine is when you get off the cycle. If you take creatine for 4 months and then stop taking it, you will notice a sharp decrease in your energy level and appearance. Your body might ‘deflate’ slightly as you lose the excess water weight.
Positive Creatine Side Effects
Now onto the good stuff. Do you ever feel fatigued or tired? Do you wake up and decide you don’t want to work out because you’re too tired to lift weights or go run? Well, if you answered yes to any of these questions then creatine is for you. Creatine is an energy booster. It’s not like drinking coffee or an energy drink, by taking daily creatine supplements your body will get used to having more energy throughout the day, leaving you enough energy to wake up, hit the gym, and provide that boost you need to lift an additional rep.
Another positive side effect of creatine is how it will make you look bigger. I am assuming that is a look you want if you are reading this blog. When you take creatine your body retains more water, making you look fuller. It will make your chest and arms appear to be bigger because of the water in the muscles.
By taking creatine you will be able to work out longer and lift more reps than usual. This is a very positive benefit of taking the supplement. You will gain weight (some water weight but most muscle weight). If you are a skinny person now and are looking to bulk up, then it is highly recommended that you take creatine along with other supplements to help speed along the process. Not only will you increase your weight rapidly, but you will gain more confidence as you watch your body bulk up.
If you take creatine and begin experiencing any serious negative side effects (I’m talking about chest pains or something), I recommend that you stop taking it immediately and consult a physician. Overall creatine can be a very safe and productive supplement. It is one of the few out there that have little to no negative side effects.

The Virtues of Creatine Ethyl Ester

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:44:13 +0000

Creatine Ethyl Ester is modified creatine monohydrate, i.e. it is creatine monohydrate that comes with an ester attached. It does what regular creatine does but there is growing anecdotal evidence from those who have switched from creatine to CEE that CEE does a better job at increasing muscle mass, muscle strength, and overall performance of bodybuilders and athletes.

The reason behind CEE’s superior performance is that it is easily absorbed through the muscle cells as it is more soluble than creatine monohydrate. This means that over the same period of time a smaller quantity of CEE is required to get ingested and absorbed by the muscular system as against creatine monohydrate. The increased bioavailability and stability means that creatine also does a better job of maintaining muscle concentrations over longer periods.

CEE has the property of being membrane permeable and therefore does not require a vehicle to reach the muscle cells. This is one of the reasons that with CEE bodybuilders do not suffer any of the “creatine bloating” that is caused by unabsorbed creatine monohydrate. Most CEE-based products recommend a dosage of less than 5 grams per day as against 20-25 grams for creatine monohydrate. If these dosage recommendations are taken at face value, it implies that CEE is a whopping 4-5 times easier to absorb than creatine monohydrate, it is also easier on the body.

CEE scores over creatine monohydrate because the esterification process which results in the addition of an ester makes CEE more lipopholic than creatine monohydrate. The increased affinity of CEE for lipids improves its absorption through cell walls. On the other hand regular creatine monohydrate sits outside the muscle cell walls and combines with the water molecules to give the infamous bloated look.

CEE offers hope to those who are either unresponsive to or cannot tolerate creatine monohydrate due to some medical condition. It may also be useful to those who suffer from multiple sclerosis but cannot ingest creatine monohydrate because they are creatine non-responders.

As mentioned above, anecdotal evidence suggests that CEE scores over creatine monohydrate as far as short term benefits are concerned but in the absence of any scientific evidence, the jury is still out on the long term advantages that CEE may have over creatine monohydrate.

It is best that you give CEE a try and find out what it does for you. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that it is just the thing you were waiting for to gain muscle mass, lose body fat, improve metabolism and muscle fiber recovery, and also get that extra push to work out harder.

Creatine Supplement Guide

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:11:16 +0000

Creatine is found naturally in red meat, so creatine is natural. Creatine is useful for the bodybuilder or infact for anyone looking to put on muscle or increase strength, as it increases the short energy bursts of power needed to lift weights. It assists with muscle building as it aids recovery between sets by replenishing ATP stores (muscle energy) quicker. This results in a greater overloading of the muscle and results in better gains, meaning you can train more intensively and productively when taking creatine.
Many users of standard creatine (creatine monohydrate) reported stomach cramps and/or bloating. This was due to poor absorption of creatine in to the muscles and the creatine product would end up just lining the stomach drawing water into it – leading to the bloating.
However several “next generation” creatine supplements are available on the market now including Kre Aklyn, CEE, Di Creatine Malate, and micronised. All of these contain creatine but have been designed to increase creatine absorption, get more creatine to the bodys muscle and reduce bloating; resulting in a need to take in less creatine, this makes creatine supplementation more convenient to take in capsule or tablet form.
Many Supplement manafacturers have combined next generation creatine supplements with other nutritional supplements such as l-glutamine, caffeine, nitric oxide (arginine), taurine or whey protein. Although more costly it is more convenient for the consumer and can assist with better results. These supplements are availble in tablet form or a powdered drink mix. Dependant on your precise goals choose; Glutamine & Creatine for better post workout recovery (BSN CellMass, Xyience NOX-CG3) for increase strength choose taurine and creatine (SAN V12 Turbo)for better recovery between sets and muscle pumps choose nitric oxide and creatine (Controlled Labs White Blood, BSN Nitrix) or for increased energy and drive choose caffeine and creatine (BSN NO-Xplode)

Creatine Ethyl Ester – A More Efficient Creatine Supplement

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:45:43 +0000

It is imperative to remember when thinking about trying creatine ethyl ester (CEE) that there is very little scientific data available. Creatine ethyl ester is a very new product that has recently been introduced to the bodybuilding community. It is showing great and strong promise for those strength training and the benefits can’t be disregarded. There are a few things that are known about CEE and the benefits that it can give any athlete.
The first key point about creatine ethyl ester is that it is much more soluble than traditional creatine products. What does this mean for the consumer? Solubility means that CEE is transported to the muscle for use much faster than other creatine products. Creatine monohydrate and other products have a considerably low solubility percentage. Typically the dosage is much higher than creatine ethyl ester for this exact reason. Because the solubility is so low, the dosage of creatine products are higher than CEE.
There is some confusion regarding creatine ethyl ester because at the end of a training session there is no sufficient evidence to support the fact that it leads to a larger increase of creatine in the muscle. At the end of the training period the levels of creatine in the muscles do not support the claims that it builds up creatine levels in the muscles. CEE is such a new product that this element is still being researched and studied.
One of the facts that are known about creatine ethyl ester is that it uses body fat more efficiently. This is a highly beneficial factor because it increases lipopholic abilities meaning that it infuses the cell wall and provides maximum benefits to the muscles. CEE is much more efficient in this manner than the creatine monohydrate and other such products. That simply means that CEE is absorbed and transported to the muscles much more efficiently than traditional creatine.
CEE doesn’t give the uncomfortable side effect of bloating. This is in part due to the high absorption rate of CEE. The other part of the reason for not bloating is that there is a significantly lower dosage required than traditional creatine supplements. Creatine in general attracts water into the cells and therefore, not taking as high a dose can prevent that water bloated feel and look. The creatine that doesn’t get absorbed by the cells gets stored outside these cells and causes the bloating effect. The pivotal difference with CEE is that it attracts that bloating water into the muscle. This provides hydration and a hard, solid appearance to muscles without the water retention. Give creatine ethyl ester a try today and discover for yourself the incredible strength training properties it presents any consumer.

Creatine Facts – are There Any Bad Effects of Creatine?

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:11:04 +0000

“Creatine is the best bodybuilding supplement you should take”

“Creatine can help build those muscles you wanted”

“Gain weight and muscles is easy, just take creatine!”

Well if you are looking to gain some muscles, then these advise or remarks would not be something new to you.

Chances are you are now contemplenting as to whether to start taking those creatine as advised but just something is holding you back.

“Is creatine safe? Are there any bad effects of creatine?

Well, if that’s what you are concern about, then this article may be just what you are looking for. Read on to find the answers to your questions:

First and foremost, creatine is not something new that has just “sprang” up in the supplements market. Its use dated way back but was actually popularised in 1992 when it was disclosed that 2 Olympic gold medalists have actually consumed creatine prior to wining the medals. From then on, creatine has been very popular among bodybuilders and competitive atheletes because it accelerates gains in muscle size and strength compared to exercise alone.

Side effects of creatineWell to say that creatine is free of adverse or side effects is far from the truth. There are claims that creatine users do experience some kind of side effects and these include nausea, vomiting, cramps, upset stomach, mood swing. However, based on a recent study, published in the September 2004 issue of the International Journal of Sports Medicine, it shows that creatine side effects are actually rare.

For example, a group involving 175 subjects received either 10 grams of creatine or placebo daily for an average period of 310 days. Other than diarrhea and nausea reported in 3 individuals, there were no other significant differences between the groups.

Over the last few years a number carefully controlled studies have begun to release results of short- (five days), medium- (nine weeks) and long-term (up to five years), but so far there is yet any strong supportive evidences to demonstrate that creatine supplementation has any adverse effects on blood pressure, kidney or liver function in healthy individuals.

The bottom line

Of course,the fact that large trials have yet to find any serious creatine side effects doesn’t mean that none exist. Hence, for anyone who wanted to start on creatine supplementation, it would be advisable to always seek medical advice, especially so for those with pre-existing medical problems, before using creatine.

Creatine 2500 Caps

Quincy — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:44:44 +0000

Dietary Supplement. In two convenient capsules. Creapure. Optimum Nutrition’s Creatine 2500 Caps are manufactured with the same Creatine Monohydrate found in our other premium creatine products. Each capsule is formulated for rapid disintegration and maximum absorption. Two capsules provide a whopping 2,500 mg (2.5 grams) of pure Creatine Monohydrate.

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