Ergogenic Effects Of Creatine

Objectives. - In the last few years many athletes and persons engaged in recreational sports activities have begun using creatine supplementation. Creatine feeding is possible by oral administration of creatine monohydrate. The objectives of this paper are to recall the mechanisms by which creatine might improve performance, to discuss the known effects of creatine supplementation on exercise performance, and to examine its side effects.

Topics. - The rate of turnover of creatine for a 70 kg male has been estimated around 2 g/d. Creatine is partly supplied by the diet that provides I g/d through meat and fish. Recent studies have shown that ingestion of about 20 g of creatine monohydrate per day is able to modulate total muscle creatine, free creatine and phosphocreatine. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of recent knowledge on the effects of creatine supplementation on exercise performance. Many studies demonstrate that creatine supplementation has beneficial effects on performance of short-duration exercises, during repeated isokinetic or isometric contractions of the quadriceps muscle, jumping or high-intensity cycling exercises. The beneficial effects of creatine supplementation on performance capacity are strongly related to the efficacy of the treatment for enhancing muscle creatine pool. If is thus clear that phosphocreatine stores play a key role for ATP resynthesis during muscle contraction and recovery. The improvement in performance following creatine supplementation is dependent on the characteristics of the exercise. It has been suggested that human skeletal muscles have an upper limit for total creatine concentration. In contrast with sedentary subjects, in athletes and well-trained subjects who have high initial total creatine concentrations in skeletal muscle, only a slight improvement in exercise performances is expected. Taken together, the results of most studies published to date suggest that only performances of repetitive high-intensity exercise bouts are positively affected by creatine supplementation. During this type of exercise, the expected increase in total creatine contributes to the fast resynthesis of phosphocreatine during recovery. Until recently, it was well accepted that except for a slight increase in body weight, no adverse effects have been associated with creatine supplementation. However, a recent report described a clinical case of renal dysfunction that was associated with oral creatine supplementation.  (by Elsevier, Paris) [TOP] 
 

Here are some great ideas on how you can vary your workout to get at some of those muscle fibers which may not be recruited in your present program. Variations in loads, exercise angles and velocities of movement are all vital for optimal muscular development.

Introduction Development of muscle size is dependent upon the recruitment of as many fibers in the whole muscle as possible. Intact muscles (such as your biceps) are made up of hundreds of individual muscle fibers. Development of these fibers depends upon whether they are effectively recruited in a resistance exercise program. If a program does not use a variety of intensities, many fibers may not be recruited. It's the recruitment of fibers that are not being utilized which holds the key to size increases, especially after an individual has been training for some time.

Trainees often do not give themselves a chance for further size and strength gains due to the very limited scope of their program. It is the purpose of this article to give you a few ideas on how you can vary your workout to get at some of those muscle fibers you may not be reaching in your present program. Exercise demands many times do not require a contribution of force from all muscle fibers, and therefore not all fibers are used in any given resistance exercise.(5,7) To develop optimal size of an intact muscle one must first develop a training program which gets at the recruitment of as many fibers as possible.(5) In Figure 1, a cross-sectional cut through the belly of muscle is depicted. It shows that many muscle fibers make up a muscle. (by WIlliam J.Kraemer, PH.D.)  [TOP]
 

In a series of four studies (from 14 weeks to six months) in football players, conducted by W. J. Kraemer, it was shown that "periodized" resistance training was vastly superior to high- intensity, one set training for "building programs" (i.e., those programs seeking to improve a testable variable). In addition, even the use of three sets in a high-intensity training program produced much greater gains over 14 weeks when compared to one set training. Improvements in strength, power, lean tissue mass, vertical jump, and local muscular endurance were all significantly greater when multiple sets and periodized training was performed. Such data raises serious questions as to whether an optimal stimulus is actually created with the use of only a one set, high-intensity training program for training gains in athletes, especially over longer periods of time. In addition, the use of only single joint isolation exercises, using controlled slow movement with each exercise, forced repetitions, and no explosive lifting movements, resulted in no development of power capabilities essential for athletes. These data demonstrate that volume of exercise is an important factor in developing an athlete's physical capabilities. In addition, it showed that periodized resistance training is vital for building programs that are undertaken for more than three months. While high-intensity training programs can be used within a training program to provide variation and a "change up" in the style of training, its sole use for an entire long-term training period is not supported by factual information presented in this series of scientific studies.  (by WIlliam J.Kraemer, PH.D.) [TOP]
 

Ab Training And Dieting Secrets

If rock-hard abdominals are what you're diligently working toward, training them properly is only part of your battle. Athough a well-rounded routine is essential in building these much-desired muscles, fat-burning exercise and sound nutrition are especially important factors to ultimately showing off what you have earned.

"You can't flex fat!" preaches NPC TWINLAB Natural Team Universe champion Chris Faildo.

This month, the top natural bodybuilding stars share their abdominal training secrets, their cardiovascular schedules, and their diets. Implementing a plan of these three factors will get you on your way to the well-defined abs you have always wanted.

Micheal D'Angelo 1996 ANBC CLASS CHAMPION

# of days a week abs are trained: 1 or 2 EXERCISE Decline Bench Sit-ups Decline Side Crunch Hanging Leg Raises Rope Crunches with cable SETS 2 2 2 2 REPS Until Failure Until Failure Until Failure Until Failure CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING TRAINING PHASE Off-Season Pre-Contest TYPE Stationary Bike Stationary Bike TIME 30 Minutes 30 Minutes TIMES PER DAY 1 1 DAYS PER WEEK 3 7 NUTRITION MEAL Meal # 1 Meal # 2 Meal # 3 Meal # 4 Meal # 5 TIME 5:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. CONTENTS OF MEAL Steak, or chicken or egg whites (mixed together) with oatmeal, milk, and raisins. Chicken, pasta, tomato sauce. Chicken, salad with flax, rice. Tuna, potato, vegetables. Chicken or steak, vegetables. (by Skip Lacour)  [TOP]