Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is mainly found in the body's muscles. It is often stored in the muscles as creatine phosphate, and during high intensity activity, the body breaks creatine phosphate down as an energy source. Since creatine phosphate is an energy producing substance, it has become a popular supplement to increase athletic performance.
Dosage
Creatine must first be built up in the body and stored in the muscles before it can be used. For adults 19 and older, 5 grams of creatine are taken four times per day (20 grams per serving). Continue the loading phase for one week.
After the loading phase, a maintenance dose of 2 to 5 grams daily is recommended.
Effects
Some animal and human studies have shown that creatine supplementation has an effect on short duration, high intensity exercises such as weight-lifting and sprinting. These studies also show an increase in strength and lean muscle mass, most pronounced in athletes roughly 20 years of age.
Specifically, some studies show a 5 to 8 percent increase in speed or power output when measuring sprints. It has also been discovered that work performed during multiple repetition sets of sprints is increased. Vertical jump performance and one repetition maximum strength (the maximum amount of weight able to be lifted one time) can be increased by approximately 5 to 10 percent following supplementation.
Effects of long term supplementation are still being studied, but preliminary evidence shows further gains in sprints (single effort and repeated sprints) and in strength.
Side Effects
Sides effects of creatine supplementation are typically mild. They include weight gain, mild dehydration, muscle cramps, strains and pulls. More serious side effects often manifest themselves when extensive amounts of the supplement are taken and can include stomach upset, intestinal distress, diarrhea, dizziness and liver and kidney dysfunction.
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