Creatine Monohydrate is obtained from food (especially red meat — 2 lbs. of steak has about 4 grams of creatine) and is also formed in the liver from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Creatine is then taken up by skeletal muscle where it forms phosphocreatine, the high energy phosphate compound. Phosphocreatine serves as a backup source of energy for ATP, the immediate source of energy for muscular contraction. The amount of phosphocreatine in skeletal muscle partially determines the length of time that maximum muscle work can be done. Once the phosphocreatine is gone, ATP must be regenerated through the metabolism of substrates such as glycogen, glucose, fatty acids, ketones, and amino acids. Recent research has shown that oral creatine supplements not only increase creatine content in the muscle (the increase is greatest in exercised muscles), but delays fatigue, improves recovery (by increasing the rate of phosphocreatine resynthesize in muscle), and increases muscle torque during repeated bouts of maximal voluntary exercise. Other studies have shown that oral creatine supplements increases both power output and the total amount of short term work. Creatine may also independently result in increased body mass, although much of this increase seen in the first few weeks may be due to increased water retention.
The literature cites the dosages as: 5 to 10 grams of creatine on an empty stomach 4 or 5 times a day, depending on bodyweight, as a loading phase, and then use 5 grams 2-3 times a day for maintenance. Anyone over 200 lbs. should use: 40 grams per day, for five days, followed by a maintenance dose of 20 grams per day.
