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| Creatine |
If you are a little unsure about what to expect from using a creatine supplement don't worry, you aren't alone. Not by a long shot. Despite being the most purchased muscle building supplement of the last twenty years, as a trainer I meet gym users every day who don't know what this supplement is actually supposed to do for their muscle growth progress.
Most of the supplement industry is built around hype. Each product will tell you that you 'need' it to get a good workout and try to make you believe it's the best thing since sliced bread. That's just life. But usually this also leads to companies trying to over complicate matters by simply confusing people with science. Most people never get past the beginner stages of supplement knowledge because they're led to believe that you need to be a rocket scientist to build muscle.
When you cut to the chase, however, this supplement is very easy to understand.
Most of the supplement industry is built around hype. Each product will tell you that you 'need' it to get a good workout and try to make you believe it's the best thing since sliced bread. That's just life. But usually this also leads to companies trying to over complicate matters by simply confusing people with science. Most people never get past the beginner stages of supplement knowledge because they're led to believe that you need to be a rocket scientist to build muscle.
When you cut to the chase, however, this supplement is very easy to understand.
Enjoy today\'s video, in which Fitness Instructor Russ Howe PTI gives a complete jargon free walkthrough on how creatine works.
This isn't a superhuman substance developed by scientists. In fact it is already inside your body right now, it's generated by the human body. So don't worry about it being illegal or steroid-like.
So what does it actually do?
This is where most folks get lost in jargon, each supplement trying to over sell you with scientific know how to beat their competition and simply leaving you with a sore head. We're not going to do that here.
Next time you hit the treadmill try sprinting hard and see what happens. For the first fifteen to twenty seconds you'll be flying by at a great pace but then suddenly you will notice an overwhelming burning feeling creeping up on you through your legs. This is called lactic acid, and it's a sensation designed by your body to tell you you have to slow down temporarily.
That initial explosive strength you had comes from your body's natural resources of this supplement. When it's gone, it's gone. You'll notice you can carry on running but you need to slow down considerably. As you recover from the burning pain in your legs you're levels of the substance are building back up slowly in the background. After a couple of minutes you are able to briefly sprint once more, as your levels have now built back up.
Using this supplement allows you to briefly increase that small period of explosive strength.
Now think about a boxer. Often when somebody looks to have run out of gas they will suddenly get a second wind from somewhere.
Now you know what's going on underneath the surface it's time to take that example and put it into a gym setting. By having more of this product inside your body than the base levels provided by your muscles, you'll notice that you can push slightly harder for slightly longer.
This can result in a slightly heavier lift, or maybe another rep you previously could never perform. And in a nutshell, without any over complicated science talk, that's how creatine works.
By Russ Howe Pti
