Quote:
Originally Posted by Tron_fdc
I'm curious, how would creatine help with hockey? I play 3 or 4 days a week, so I would be interested to hear about it.
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In short Creatine increases the energy of your muscles and increases recovery time.
Creatine produces ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which provides energy to the muscles. Your ability to generate ATP depends on your supply of creatine. The more creatine you have, the more ATP you can make. Having the extra creatine in your body allows you to work your muscles to the maximum potential, letting you squeeze every bit out of them.
Taking creatine about an hour before your workout or game would give best results as creatine is quickly absorbed in the bloodstream and your muscles. Creatine is a supplment where if you don't use it, you lose it. I recommend taking creatine with a drink like Gatorade which has sugar and will help the creatine to your bloodstream quickly.
Creatine is not something you can take every morning thinking you will just get bigger or faster. You still need to train your body to do those things with the creatine in your system to see results.
Never take creatine with acidic drinks, don't take more than recommended and however the 'loading phase' is not necessary. It's also best not to take it with protein drinks, but not for safety reason, because the protein and creatine will be 'fighting' for the same muscle tissues and you may waste some of the creatine you consume.
I'd just do a quick google search read about the benefits and negative effects it can have. Creatine is probably one of the worlds most studied and tested training products in the world. It goes back years, and years and the side effects are very minimal if you stick within the guidelines of taking it, excessive use can lead to kidney problems.
DO NOT buy cheap creatine, in my experience these are the types that give you upset stomach, headache, cramping ,etc. Spend the $10 more on a better product and skip all those hassles.