Everything You Need To Know About Creatine And ATP

[sanj]

Creatine Monohydrate

Introduction To Creatine

Creatine Monohydrate, also known as Creatine, is a colorless, crystalline compound used for the production of phosphocreatine, important to formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the source of energy for muscle contraction and many other functions in the body.

Up to 2,000 mg (2 grams) of creatine are produced every day in the body by the kidneys and liver. Another 1,000 to 2,000 mg (one to 2 grams) per day comes from the diet. Creatine concentrates mostly in the large (skeletal) muscles, where it is involved in producing energy and moderating muscle fatigue. Most adult humans stores about 120,000 mg (120 grams) of creatine and use about 2,000 mg (2 grams) every day. However, it is believed that muscle stores of creatine are decreased dramatically during the first few seconds of exercise and that intensive exercise uses up creatine at very fast rates. After physical activity is haulted creatine stores gradually replenish over several minutes. Creatine supplementation may increase the amount of creatine reserve up to 140,000 to 150,000 mg (140 to 150 grams), but any excess creatine is lost in the urine.

Creatine Side Effects

In a study of side effects of creatine, diarrhea was the most commonly reported adverse effect of creatine supplementation, followed by muscle cramping. Weight gain may occur from water retention. During a five day loading period, weight gains of 1.1 to 3.5 pounds have been reported. There are reports of elevated serum creatinine, a metabolite of creatine and a marker of kidney function, in some who take creatine and have normal renal function. This is reversible upon discontinuation of creatine.

Little is known about the long-term affects of creatine usage. Many people do not experience any adverse short-term side effects from using creatine. Most side effects experienced are reversible upon discontinuation of creatine

Breaking It Down

Creatine is by far the most popular supplement on the market right now, and most people on this forum use it daily. And we all know,Creatine works! No need to get fancy. Just plain Creatine Monohydrate is fine. But most people dont know the basics of what creatine really is, its over hyped and im gonna break it down for the noobs, and even those who think they know, but dont.

The main job for Creatine is a carrier molecule for phosphate. The Creatine Monohydrate supplement that you take is converted to Creatine phosphate in the muscles. When your muscles contract they use the energy from the breakdown of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) to do work leaving a less energetic compound Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP).(Mono=1, Di=2, and Tri=3). When training, ATP must be regenerated from the resulting ADP in order to be reused for energy again, and this process continues several times. This is done by taking a phosphate from Creatine phosphate and attaching it to the ADP molecule to reform ATP, thus making the molecule useable again and again. If Creatine is consumed in supplement form more of the Creatine phosphate can be stored and made available thus allowing workouts last a lot longer. The result...you can train harder, longer and make better gains. This is why creatine is so popular. Creatine doesnt make you big, it helps you get big. Never relay on a supplement to make you big, relay on it to help you.

When your muscles store Creatine more water is also stored in the muscles in order to maintain homeostasis(The processes used to maintain such bodily equilibrium). This causes the muscles to appear more full and can allow for the gain of up to 10 lbs of lean mass in a matter of about a week! Initially this mass gain is almost entirely water but if Creatine supplementation is continued the body begins to respond to the equilibrium shift by building more muscle. Thus solidifying the gain, and giving you better gains everytime. Users will tend to lose some of the weight gain at the end of a Creatine cycle but an average muscle mass gain of 2-5 pounds is very common, especially among first time users. I'm happy to say that Creatine is definitely a must have supplement if you want to maximize your gains in the gym.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate )

Scientific Description
ATP is the nucleotide known in biochemistry as the "molecular currency" of intracellular energy transfer; that is, ATP is able to store and transport chemical energy within cells. ATP also plays an important role in the synthesis of nucleic acids. ATP molecules are also used to store the energy plants make in cellular respiration.

Keep'in It Simple
ATP, the organic compound composed of adenine, the sugar ribose, and three phosphate groups. ATP serves as the major energy source within the cell to drive a number of biological processes such as photosynthesis, muscle contraction, and the synthesis of proteins. It is broken down by hydrolysis to yield adenosine diphosphate (ADP), inorganic phosphorus, and energy. ADP can be further broken down to yield adenosine monophosphate (AMP), additional phosphorus, and more energy. When the phosphorus and energy are immediately used to drive other reactions, such as the synthesis of uridine diphosphate (UDP), an RNA precursor, from uridine monophosphate (UMP), the pair of reactions are said to be coupled. New ATP is produced from AMP using the energy released from the breakdown of fuel molecules, such as fats and sugars.

I STRONGLY suggest you guys memorize this just for the sake of knowing it.

Good Luck !

[jkeithc82]

I STRONGLY suggest you guys memorize this just for the sake of knowing it.

Good Luck !

I already have, good post anyway.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=100831

[sanj]

yea this really summerizes it all up though.