You work out, you eat
right; still, you're looking for that competitive edge. Cretonne, a highly-touted sports
supplement, could be just what you're looking for. In studies, it increases muscle mass
and strength, and it's safe. What more could you want from an amino acid? One recent, double-blind study, published in Medicine
& Science in Sports & Exercise, showed, through the use of leg muscle tissue
biopsies, that creatine increases the size of muscle fibers. That means
it'll look good on you, and it should enhance your performance.
In the study, researchers gave 25
grams of creatine per day to the test group for one week. This was followed by 5 grams of
creatine given daily for 11 weeks, in combination with a weight training program. After 12
weeks, the creatine group not only experienced significant gains in lean body mass, it
also beat the placebo group in bench presses and squats.
In another study, low, long-term
doses of creatine were proven to be effective and free of adverse side effects. Sixteen
college football players were split into creatine and placebo groups. The creatine group
received 5 grams of creatine every day for ten weeks; both groups participated in a
supervised resistance training program. At the end of the study, the creatine group was
significantly stronger and leaner than the placebo group, and hadn't reported muscle
cramping, headaches, palpitations, stomach upset, or any other side effects sometimes
associated with sports supplements.
Real world feedback concurs with the
research on creatine: athletes and coaches report success with it, and even at lower doses
than expected, it works. Five grams of creatine per day, used long-term, can be used in
place of the short-term, loading dose of 20 grams per day to enhance strength, lean body
mass, and performance. This is good news, as many people find the higher dose expensive
and inconvenient.
See Cautions: High
Blood Pressure, Water intake, Large doses and Magnesium.
Also See
