ATP Creatine
Creatine helps release energy your muscles and occurs naturally. It is a crystalline molecule that contains atoms of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen.
The main molecule that produces the energy for spurts of rigorous muscle contraction is adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Your body only contains enough ATP to last a few seconds. Your body replaces ATP by replacing a phosphate atom so adenosine diphosphate, ADP, can be recycled into a new ATP molecule. That’s where the creatine comes into play.
This process occurs very quickly in bodybuilders and athletes because of the rigorous demands they put on their muscles. Therefore, many bodybuilders and athletes use creatine, to supplement their muscles. However, only 70 percent of the people who take creatine have any real beneficial effects. Those who do benefit from ATP creatine have shown increased lean muscle mass within one or two weeks after starting the supplement.
Creatine works with the ADP, to quickly restore ATP molecules to muscles. By taking an ATP creatine, bodybuilders and other athletes are keeping their muscles well supplied with energy to sustain them during vigorous workouts or other athletic activities.
Furthermore, ATP creatine, and creatine, is not banned by the U.S. or any other international sporting federation.
While the U.S. Government does not have any recommended dietary allowance for ATP creatine, an average sized person will lose approximately 2 grams per day. Athletes and bodybuilders will, obviously, burn more, and therefore either load up, or maintain higher ATP creatine levels. To load up on ATP creatine, a bodybuilder should be consuming 20 grams per day for a period of 1-5 days.
If you are more interested in maintaining your ATP creatine levels, then your daily intake should be at least 2 grams. However this is just a rule of thumb, and depends on your body weight. For example, if your body weight is between 165 and 185 pounds, (75-84 kg), your 1 to 5 day loading dosage should be only 10 grams per day, with a 4 gram dosage for maintenance.
An ATP creatine or creatine deficiency may manifest itself in several ways. If you notice you need to rest more during a vigorous workout, an increase in muscle soreness, and reduced endurance during workouts, your body may need more ATP creatine, or creatine.
Besides supplements, good sources of creatine are red meat and fish. However, creatine is very sensitive to heat, and since meat or fish should be cooked fully, you may not be getting enough creatine through your diet alone. Also, a large serving of meat or fish only contains one gram of creatine. Therefore if you are a bodybuilder or athlete, you may want to supplement your ATP creatine intake, especially before a workout.
Bodybuilders and athletes are not the only people who can benefit from ATP creatine. Vegetarians, because of their reduced dietary intake generally have low amounts of creatine. So if you are a vegetarian, you might want to consider taking 2 grams of an ATP creatine supplement daily.
ATP creatine may also be beneficial in weight loss programs that include aerobic exercise. During an aerobic workout lasting more than three minutes, ATP creatine, along with body fat are being burned at an increased rate.
As you age, your body naturally produces less ATP creatine. Without ATP, the protein in your muscles will not contract, the muscle will not be able to work, and eventually the muscle will die. By using an ATP creatine supplement, you are not only feeding your muscles, but also your brain, kidneys, liver, and cardiac muscles.
ATP creatine, and creatine in other forms, can be used by almost all adults, but not usually recommended for children. However, if you have high blood pressure, you may want to talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program or an ATP creatine supplement.
When taking ATP creatine, you should also drink at least ten to twelve 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Also, coffee appears to retard how effective ATP creatine is to your body.
So, in conclusion, if you are already working out on a regular basis, or are going to be starting a rigorous exercise and fitness program, you may want to consider adding an ATP creatine supplement to your daily regimen. | |||||
