Why Should I Take Creatine

Should I Take Creatine
Should I take Creatine? Is a question we here virtually every day ( no one has asked us on Christmas Day yet which is why we say virtually) from people engaged in all sorts of sporting activities from athletes, cyclists, rugby players, bodybuilders - in fact just about every serious ( and active) sport you can name ( so far no chess players have asked - but as it can help to improve memory and intelligence then why not!) as well as people who go to the gym regularly and want to get  better results from their weight training or aerobic work.
If you are going to take Creatine there are many different types strengths and versions of the supplement - but in general terms we always tend in the first instance to recommend Creatine Ethyl Ester. Why? Basically because it is very strong, fast acting and has none of the side effects that some (but not all) experience with Creatine Monohydrate such as water retention - this means that it is the ideal supplement for men and women alike.
Creatine is made up of three amino acids - Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. Our liver has the ability to combine these three amino acids and make creatine. The other way we get creatine is from our diet.
How much Creatine do we have in our body?  This varies based on the amount of muscle mass you have and your weight. On average a 160 pound person would have about 120 grams of creatine stored in their body.
Where is Creatine stored in our body? It is believed that approximately 98% of the creatine in our body is stored in our muscles. The remaining 2% is stored in various other parts of the body including the brain, heart and testes.
What does creatine do? 
1. Provides additional energy for your muscles
2. Volumization of your muscles
3. Buffers Lactic Acid build-up
4. Enhances Protein Synthesis
Creatine is a substance found naturally in your body. Every time you perform any type of intense exercise (such as sprinting, or training with weights), your body uses Creatine to provide your body with energy. Unfortunately, creatine stores only last for a maximum of around 10 seconds. That's why you can't sprint "all-out" for very long - your creatine stores become depleted. Adding Creatine to your diet raises the levels of Creatine in your body. This dramatically improves your performance in the gym, or in a sporting event such as rugby. Creatine also speeds up muscle growth, often leading to gains of 3 or 5 pounds in less than 7 days. Creatine supplementation has been shown to enhance maximum strength levels [2], improve sporting performance in football players [1], and accelerate gains in lean muscle mass [2]. Studies have also shown that test subjects given Creatine for 12 weeks in combination with a structured weight-training programme gained a massive 24% and 32% more strength in the bench press and squat PLUS they also gained twice as much lean muscle! -[3]. Additionally a study published in the prestigious journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise showed that just five days after using 20 grams of Creatine daily, test subjects gained an impressive 3.1 pounds of lean muscle [4].

For mor information check out Discount Creatine Supplements

References
1.Mujika, I., Padilla, S., Ibanez, J., Izquierdo, M., & Gorostiaga, E. (2000). Creatine supplementation and sprint performance in soccer players. Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, 32, 518-525
2.Vandenberghe, K., Goris, M., Van Hecke, P., Van Leemputte, M., Vangerven, L., & Hespel, P. (1997). Long-term creatine intake is beneficial to muscle performance during resistance training. Journal of Applied Physiology, 83, 2055-2063
3.Volek J.S., Duncan, N.D., Mazzetti, S.A., Staron, R.S., Putukian, M., Gomez, A.L, Pearson, D.R, Fink, W.J., & Kraemer WJ. (1999). Performance and muscle fiber adaptations to creatine supplementation and heavy resistance training. Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, 31, 1147-1156
4.Mihic, S., MacDonald, J.R., McKenzie, S., & Tarnopolsky, M.A. (2000). Acute creatine loading increase fat-free mass, but does not affect blood pressure, plasma creatinine, or CK activity in men and women. Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, 32, 291-296
So if any of the above reasons are of interest to you then if the question is - Should I take Creatine? the answer is YES!