Creatine supplements are very popular among athletes. Creatine supplies energy to muscle and nerve cells, making this very beneficial to athletes who use bursts of energy to compete. Creatine is not very beneficial to endurance athletes because they use a constant flow of energy instead of short bursts. Athletes who compete in weight lifting, sprinting, rowing, or any other similar sport benefit most from a creatine supplement. Before the supplement is explained further, it’s important to know how creatine functions in the body.

Creatine is an organic acid found in amino acids in the body. It is synthesized by the liver, pancreas, and kidneys and converted into phosphocreatine and stored in skeletal muscles for later use. The amino acids that creatine is synthesized from are arginine, glycine, and methionine. Once the phosphocreatine is stored in skeletal muscles, it remains temporarily until used. Once used, more is synthesized, but there can be a lag in energy supply while more is being synthesized. This is why many athletes supplement their diet with creatine, because it creates more of a store of energy for use.

Creatine increases muscle strength by stimulating cell growth and will delay fatigue because of the added stores of energy. Creatine ingested can increase phosphocreatine levels by up to 20%. Taking creatine can lead to dehydration due to the amount of water needed for the synthesizing process, so staying hydrated is very important. People with kidney problems should not take creatine supplements.

Athletes sometimes take creatine in order to gain weight; however, the weight gain is most likely a result of the water retention in the muscles and not because of additional muscle mass. Many companies that market creatine will boast weight gain, but there are better supplements to take than creatine for gaining weight.

Ever since creatine supplementation was brought into the spotlight at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, many sports organizations called for a ban on the substance. It has not been banned in the United States, but recently the NCAA ruled that colleges could not supply creatine to their athletes, but the athletes are allowed to use creatine on their own. In some countries, the use of creatine has been banned because it is viewed as “doping”.

Creatine use has been studied heavily, and short-term use of creatine is safe for virtually any age, weight, and fitness level. Long-term use has not been studied, but due to the kidney, liver, and pancreas use, only short-term doses are recommended. Most athletes will take a higher dose for a week and then low “maintenance” doses until their event. This has not shown any adverse effects to the body.

Creatine is a simple organic acid with complex ways of creation. Its benefits are simple – increased muscle strength and delayed fatigue. These two benefits are needed by any athlete that uses short burst of energy to compete. Creatine supplements will improve and enhance performance while giving you added benefits that have recently been discovered of improved mental performance and reduced mental fatigue so you can achieve your peak performance both physically and mentally!



By: Michael Greeves

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Get Ripped

For a skinny person, gaining muscle weight can be very difficult without professional help. Where for some fortunate genetically blessed people, gaining muscle mass very fast is a breeze. Therefore if you are trying to figure out how long does it take to build muscle mass, there is simply no direct answer.

Firstly, do take note that muscles do not usually grow in a linear process but in a series of spurts.

Therefore no matter how hard you work your muscles or how much you eat, muscle growth will not be at a predictable steady pace.

That said, let’s take a look at the factors which influence muscle growth. As you probably know, there are many factors influencing your muscle growth and not everyone will build muscles at the same pace even though they may be working out with the same weight, exercises and eating the same food.

Some people are genetically predisposed to gaining muscle mass and these folks will see impressive results within only a few months. We all know that the Mesomorphs (sporty body type) will be able to build muscles muuch faster than the Ectomorphs (thin body type).

Your rate of your muscle gain will also depend largely on how close you are to the upper limit of what you naturally are capable of in terms of gaining muscle mass. This phenomenon is also known as the adaptation ceiling in bodybuilding speak.

This gors to say that the closer you are to the upper limit of the adaptation ceiling, the slower your muscle will grow. That means that someone who has been lifting weights for a number of years will gain muscle mass much more slowly than a newbie to weight training.

It is not uncommon for people to gain fat when they are building muscle mass. The amount of fat you gain will depend on how much you eat and also on how lean you are when you started to fuel your muscle growth with what you eat. Eating to fuel muscle gain is called overfeeding in the bodybuilding lingo.

Studies have shown that during a period of overfeeding, you will gain more muscle and less fat if you are the naturally lean type. During the cutting phase to get rid of body fat so as to show muscle definition, it is known that fatter people tend to lose more fat and less muscle when they cut, but the leaner ones will find it the harder to lose fat without losing muscle.

Why is this so? Well, it may only be a psychological reason. If you have just worked your **** off to get your well defined six pack abs, then you will not want to put the fat on again and so you may simply be reluctant to eat the amount of food necessary to gain significant muscle mass, don’t you think so?

It could also be hormonal factor as some studies do show a link between low body fat and low testosterone(male muscle buiding hormones) levels. If your testosterone is low, it is also difficult for you to gain muscle mass.

So how long does it take to build muscle mass will depend very much on your genetic condition and other factors besides doing the proper workouts and eating correctly.



By: Chris Chew

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Weight Training

Eddie Lomax asked:


I’ve always been impressed with the physiques of Military personnel and gymnasts, haven’t you? I mean, they many not be the biggest people with bulging muscles. But their lean, athletically muscular body both looks great and hints of high performance.

It is a shame most people think you need to lift weights to build an attractively muscular, strong, functional body. Bodyweight exercises also build muscle, and in my opinion, a more useful type of muscle than weight lifting alone.

Most Exercisers Think You Need To Lift Weights To Build Muscle

Let’s be honest… lifting weights is the best way to build muscle. But that doesn’t mean you can’t build muscle without weights. It just means if is best if you are looking to MAXIMIZE muscle size.

But maximizing your muscles is not necessarily the goal of all exercisers. I for one, don’t want the bulky, pumped up muscles of a bodybuilder. I prefer tight, solid muscle that is strong and powerful in moving my own body and weighted objects equally well.

The point is, who cares if weight lifting is the best for building muscle if it doesn’t fit your goals. After all, you don’t need a Ferrari to go to the corner store.

Military Calisthenics Builds Muscle Without Weights

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to see someone before and after they go through Basic Training, you’ll know what I’m talking about here. After a few months of Basic Training (which is predominantly bodyweight exercises), the new recruit is leaner, stronger and more musclular. You can see it in the way they carry themselves. And the great thing is, this is useful muscle and not just pumped up muscles.

Gymnasts Are An Example Of What Can Be Achieved With Bodyweight Exercises

If you are still in doubt that you can build muscle without weights, just take a look at a gymnast. Those muscles and fine physique are build by moving their own bodyweight around. And you have to be impressed with the level of strength, explosive power and physical ability they posses.

Many Former Weight Lifters Report More Functional Muscle

In my own experience teaching people to use bodyweight exercise, many men and women have said that they feel, look and perform better than they did when they just lifted weights. While their muscles might not be the biggest they’ve ever been, they are more useful. They are better suited for meeting the challenges of sport, work and life with excellence. (And really, isn’t that why you should be exercising in the first place?)

You can build muscle without weights. And while if might not build bigger muscles than weight lifting, I would argue it builds a better quality of muscle. Just try a bodyweight only program for a few months and you’ll see what I mean.



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