The period of building muscle mass or reducing body fat often involves numerous activities undertaken during strength training. These are often strenuous workouts that require significant involvement of the muscles and nervous system.
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- What is creatine monohydrate?
- How does creatine monohydrate work?
- How to dose creatine monohydrate?
- What can monohydrate be combined with?
During frequent training sessions undertaken by people who exercise regularly, dietary supplements are used to help improve recovery after training and achieve greater benefits during exercise. One such dietary supplement is creatine in the form of creatine monohydrate. How does it work and what is the dosage?
What is creatine monohydrate?
Creatine monohydrate is a compound of guanidinoacetic acid combined with a water molecule. This is where the name monohydrate comes from. It is a type of dietary supplement that supplies the body with creatine, allowing it to be resynthesised in muscle tissue.
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Creatine has been proven to be one of the safest compounds supporting strength training and has virtually no side effects. It is also an absolute must-have for every gym-goer who values high-quality training. Creatine is a compound that occurs naturally in food, mainly of animal origin. This is because it accumulates mainly in the muscles. However, for training purposes, creatine is mostly obtained from external sources in the form of a synthetic powder, which is ideal as a supplement for people who train.
How does creatine monohydrate work?
Creatine monohydrate works by resynthesising ATP and phosphocreatine molecules in muscle tissue. This phenomenon contributes to a higher creatine saturation threshold in muscle tissue, which is able to respond better and more effectively to stimuli caused by training and, consequently, weight.
Creatine in the form of monohydrate increases intramuscular pressure in muscle tissue, which promotes better muscle mass building and improves processes related to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
Creatine also contributes to increased muscle strength, which translates into lifting heavier weights and, consequently, increases the threshold of tolerance for physical exertion. It is also worth noting that creatine monohydrate also affects physical performance and allows you to train longer under various loads without causing a large accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles. This again promotes better tolerance to exercise and, as a result, can contribute to improved athletic performance for those who typically train for strength and those who train more for endurance.
Creatine also allows for better recovery between workouts, which is noticeable in the form of relief from DOMS and muscle soreness. Greater activation of anabolic processes is also associated with more effective regeneration of muscle tissue damaged as a result of training and faster muscle structure recovery.
How to dose creatine monohydrate?
There are two ways to dose creatine, and both lead to the same effect. This means that the choice of creatine monohydrate dosing method will depend on the individual.
The first method involves taking 3 g - 5 g of creatine monohydrate daily for several months.
The second method involves taking high doses of creatine, 20-25 g per day, for 4-7 days, followed by at least 3 g of creatine per day as a maintenance dose. This cycle can last 6-8 weeks. This method results in faster weight gain.
Both methods lead to virtually identical creatine saturation thresholds in muscle tissue. According to the textbooks, this period lasts a minimum of 30 days, but it may vary from person to person. The more recommended method of creatine supplementation is the first one, with a daily dose of approximately 5 g of creatine.
The time of day is irrelevant when supplementing with creatine monohydrate. The effect of this compound is long-term and it is not worth using it only on an ad hoc basis.
What can monohydrate be combined with?
It is, of course, possible to combine creatine with other substances that improve the quality and effects of training. The recommended options for combining creatine with other preparations are:
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5469049/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23851411/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407788/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7910963/
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