What is creatine?
Creatine monohydrate is a naturally occurring compound primarily found within skeletal muscles. Creatine as a dietary supplement can increases muscle performance during short-duration, high intensity resistance exercises that reply on the phosphocreatine cycle for energy. Creatine when combined with resistance training has an increase muscle strength and lean mass.
Who would it benefit?
Those who part-take in activities that requires fast and intense muscle contraction, lasting no greater than 10 seconds. Such as short sprint races and heavy weight training.
Dosing of creatine
Studies have shown that intramuscular stores of total creatine and phosphocreatine can be increased by supplementing with oral creatine monohydrate for 5 to 7 days with a dose of 20 to 25 grams per day (taken in 5g doses across the day). Following this, stores can be topped up with daily doses of 3 grams per day However, creatine can be consumed by eating animal products like red meat and fish.
Potential ergogenic benefits of creatine supplemetation
Increased single and repetitive sprint performance, Increased anaerobic threshold, Enhanced recovery, Greater work capacity & training tolerance Hall, M. and Trojian, T.H., 2013. Creatine supplementation. Current sports medicine reports, 12(4), pp.240-244