2008 Woodie Awards
Working out the effects of creatine and whey protein
Issue date: 2/28/08
My future brother-in-law resembles a gorilla: hulking shoulders, shambling walk and jacked forearms. How does he do it? I refuse to give credit to his long hours in the gym. No, it must be the creatine, the whey protein and trillions of protein powders mixed with skim milk.
Creatine is a molecule synthesized from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Its chemical name is methyl guanidine acetic acid. The body takes up most creatine when ingesting meats, fish, nuts, dairy and egg products, but we also synthesize it if we do not consume enough.
Creatine is found in skeletal muscle, where its main purpose is to help produce of energy. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a molecule in the body responsible for transporting chemical energy through cell systems. Energy is lost through the release of a phosphate molecule, and the molecule is downgraded to adenosine diphosphate (ADP).
The creatine in our bodies is stored as creatine phosphate, and assists in the transfer of energy by supplying ADP with a phosphate, turning it back into ATP so that it can produce more energy.
So creatine gives you a lot of energy. It's easy to see that when you have more energy, your workouts will last longer, you'll work harder and your muscles will get bigger. The more energy you have, the more time you can spend building up the guns.
Secondly, when creatine is stored in muscle, the muscle will become "super-hydrated." The water flow through the muscle increases and the muscle cells hold more water. According to Muscle Marketing USA, the more volume a muscle has, the more it will promote the synthesis of protein and deter protein breakdown.
Creatine's third benefit is that it helps delay muscle soreness after a long workout. Muscle fatigue after a workout is caused by lactic acid buildup. During the breakdown of stored glucose, lactic acid may be produced during fermentation if the muscle cell isn't supplied with enough oxygen. The burn after a sprint is actually caused by the hydrogen ions released by lactic acid.
Creatine is a molecule synthesized from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Its chemical name is methyl guanidine acetic acid. The body takes up most creatine when ingesting meats, fish, nuts, dairy and egg products, but we also synthesize it if we do not consume enough.
Creatine is found in skeletal muscle, where its main purpose is to help produce of energy. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a molecule in the body responsible for transporting chemical energy through cell systems. Energy is lost through the release of a phosphate molecule, and the molecule is downgraded to adenosine diphosphate (ADP).
The creatine in our bodies is stored as creatine phosphate, and assists in the transfer of energy by supplying ADP with a phosphate, turning it back into ATP so that it can produce more energy.
So creatine gives you a lot of energy. It's easy to see that when you have more energy, your workouts will last longer, you'll work harder and your muscles will get bigger. The more energy you have, the more time you can spend building up the guns.
Secondly, when creatine is stored in muscle, the muscle will become "super-hydrated." The water flow through the muscle increases and the muscle cells hold more water. According to Muscle Marketing USA, the more volume a muscle has, the more it will promote the synthesis of protein and deter protein breakdown.
Creatine's third benefit is that it helps delay muscle soreness after a long workout. Muscle fatigue after a workout is caused by lactic acid buildup. During the breakdown of stored glucose, lactic acid may be produced during fermentation if the muscle cell isn't supplied with enough oxygen. The burn after a sprint is actually caused by the hydrogen ions released by lactic acid.
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