Creatine: Know-How, Do's, & Do-Not's

Creatine, a very contested substance within the health and fitness community. Some claim it to have no benefit, others claim it to be the holy grail of supplements. This blog will hopefully get you started on your own research and even use of the product. The first thing to know however is that our bodies naturally produce creatine, however many people take it as a supplement because the body cannot produce desired amounts. The only creatine that actually gives real results however is research grade, this is called Creatine Monohydrate. Avoid at all costs any other form. Many sport scientists have concluded that creatine helps with the following.

• Gains in Fat Free Mass, including Muscle Mass


• Increase in Muscle Fiber size


• Increase in myosin (helps muscle fibers move)


• Improves Maximal strength/power


• Improves Sprint performance


• Improves performance during peak loading peroid
  

Creatine does this by loading itself up into the muscle fibers and retaining water used for cell growth & repair along with promoting the production of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) the source of energy for cells.

Creatine is a safe supplement but remember to stick to your diet and workout, if you are eating a high amount of water soluble fats then creatine will be packing in those fats along with the water. Creatine is a supplement and should be taken as one, it will not lead to any gains if you do not work out and do not eat healthily.

Omega 3's & Fat Loss

Omega 3 Fatty Acids, found predominantly in fish have been found to help with metabolizing fat stores. However this has been tested to work only when you are exercising, you cannot just take Fish Oil pills and expect to drop pounds. A blind study was done at the University of South Australia that tested what combining fish oil and exercise would do. It came up that the control group who took sunflowwer oil did not loose any weight, however the fish oil group lost and average of 1.2% body fat, this translated into a average loss of 4.4 lbs over the course of 6 weeks. These studies were done with self reported diets as well so there is an uncontrolled. While this is not a major decrease in fat it is a decrease.

Conclusion: With the addition of Omega 3 Fatty Acids to an exercise program it is possible to increase the amount of fat metabolized by the body.

How to Loose that Fat

This is every ones question these days. "How do I loose fat?" or "How do I get rid of this spare tire?". The simple answer is that you need a combined regimen of eating healthy and exercising. There are no, repeat after me, NO MAGIC FAT LOSS METHODS OR PILLS.

With that being said let us get back to the workout and eating plans. We will focus on the eating plan first, this is where a majority of your fat loss will come from. The first rule of thumb is when you wake up drink 16oz. of Water. A Swedish Research team discovered that if you do this once you wake up you will experience a 24% increase in metabolism for the first 90 minutes of your day. Now in our diet we want 40% Protein, 40% Carbs, and 20% Fats (mostly unsaturated). I will leave the calculations up to you but good foods to look into are.

Primary Foods:

1. Lean Meats, Chicken, & Fish
2. Whole Grains
3. Fresh Fruits
4. Fresh Vegetables
5. Low fat Dairy Products, remember to read the label

Foods to Avoid:

1. FAST FOOD or Restaurant Food
2. High Fat Meats
3. Bleached Grains
4. Canned or Frozen Fruits & Vegetables
5. High Fat Dairy Products
6. Anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup or High in Sugar

HOWEVER, let yourself have one "unhealthy" meal a week, this is to act as an incentive to keeping with your diet.

The workout plan is what will help you tone your body and ignite your metabolism. You will want to be doing both Cardiovascular and Muscular Loading in order to get the biggest benefit. An alternating plan of Cardio one day, Lifting the next works best. For cardio I prefer wind sprints as I get bored with distance. Here is an example windsprint routine for the first two weeks of your workout. As you progress, add reps to each set every week. By the end of the last set you should feel like you could not run another.

Cardio Workout:

1. Sprint @ 70% max speed for 60 seconds, 4 reps, rest for 180 seconds between reps
2. Sprint @ 70% max speed for 60 seconds, 3 reps, rest for 120 seconds between reps

On days that you do not do cardio you should be lifting. Since you are working your legs out the most when you run we will focus on lifting for the upper body, back, and abdominals. Here is an example workout for these muscle groups. For these exercises you should use weights that will leave you barely able to complete the last rep of the last set. Remember you can add weights to the back or abs exercises too once you become comfortable with them.

Lifting Workout:

1. Dumbbell Bench Press: 5 sets, 5reps
2. Dumbbell Flys: 5 sets, 5 reps
3. Dumbbell Curl: 5 sets, 5 reps
4. Tricep Extensions: 3 sets, 5 reps
5. Lat Pulldown Bar: 3 sets, 5 reps
6. Back Hyperextensions: 3 sets, 12 reps
7. Roman Chair Knees to Chest: 3 sets, 12 reps
8. Roman Chair Leg Lifts: 3 sets, 12 reps
9. Double Crunches: 3 sets, 15 reps

Try and Workout 6 days a week, with the 7th being your rest day. For examples

Cardio: Monday, Wed, Fri

Lifting: Tuesday, Thurs, Sat

Follow this plan and I guarantee you will see results. I have been using it for three weeks and i am already seeing great improvements.