Creatine Article

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in large amounts in skeletal muscle and brain as a result of dietary intake and endogenous synthesis from amino acids. Dietary intake from animal muscle (e.g. meat, fish) is 1-2 g/d or half the daily turnover. Muscle creatine content varies between individuals, perhaps related to gender, age or fibre type. Vegetarians do not consume a dietary source of creatine and are reliant on body synthesis of creatine; studies have shown that vegetarians have lower residual muscle creatine concentrations than people that eat meat.

 

Phosphorylated creatine provides a number of important functions related to fuel supply in the muscle. The most well-known role is as a source of phosphate to regenerate ATP. The phosphocreatine system is the most important fuel source for sprints or bouts of high-intensity exercise lasting up to 10 seconds. Creatine supplementation has been shown to enhance the performance of exercise involving repeated sprints or bouts of high intensity exercise, separated by short recovery intervals. Therefore, competition or training programs involving intermittent high-intensity work patterns with brief recovery periods of less than 1 minute, or resistance training programs may be enhanced by creatine loading.

 

Performance enhancements may be seen as a result of an acute loading program, but chronic creatine use to promote superior training adaptations may offer the greatest benefits. Studies have shown that prior creatine loading enhances glycogen storage and carbohydrate loading in a trained muscle. The performance implications of this finding have not been studied well, Although there is a lot of findings by individual athletes supporting the benefits of creatine supplementation on exercise capacity and performance. In saying that most of the findings weren’t done by the AIS and or its elite athletes. They were conduct by  bodybuilders and other sportsman where the intake of creatine supplement help them with their gains, but it may not necessarily work for every individual due to that we all have different body types and how we break down and absorb the supplement.

 

There are findings that show that creatine supplementation aids in therapeutic methods for a number of disorders including muscular dystrophy, polymyositis, ageing, Parkinson’s disease and Huntingdon’s disease.

 

Consuming creatine doses with a substantial 50-100g amount of carbohydrate enhances creatine uptake and storage into the muscle. Taking creatine doses with a carbohydrate-rich meal or snack may help all individuals to respond to creatine supplementation and reach the muscle creatine storage threshold. A weight gain of 600g to 1kg is typically associated with acute loading and may represent water retention. Although it has been suggested that the slow loading protocol may circumvent this weight gain, this theory has not been properly studied. It is possible that any weight changes associated with slow loading are masked by normal body mass fluctuations or the outcomes of longer term training and the diet in the individual.

 

 

Many athletes who use creatine either are unaware of correct supplementation protocols or persist in using unnecessarily high doses of creatine. Studies show that high doses of creatine do not further enhance creatine stores. This weight gain associated with creatine loading may be counterproductive to athletes competing in sports where power-to-weight is a key factor in successful performance or in sports involving weight divisions. The long-term consequences of creatine use are considered to be unknown, although there is now a 20 year history of creatine supplement use with few reports of adverse outcomes. There are many reports of an increased risk of muscle cramps, strains and tears, but studies to date have not reported an increased risk of these events. In fact, several studies show a reduced prevalence of muscle cramps and tears and enhanced thermoregulation during prolonged exercise in the heat in creatine users compared to a group receiving a placebo treatment. Some individuals experience mild side-effects from creatine supplements in the form of gastrointestinal discomfort or an increased prevalence of headaches.

 

Creatine is best used for athletes and or bodybuilders trying to increase mass through resistance training, athletes that may use creatine monohydrate may be Sprinters, Lifters Shot putters and the like. The main reason for the use of creatine is by athletes and Bodybuilders to increase lean muscle mass to create a faster and stronger response when perform in the sport.

 

References

AIS group A Supplements – Creatine

Examine.com/Creatine

Blog Article Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a normal result of aging. It is also caused by 'wear and tear' on a joint. Cartilage is the firm, rubbery tissue that cushions your bones at the joints, and allows bones to glide over one another. If the cartilage breaks down and wears away, the bones rub together. This causes pain, swelling, stiffness and bony spurs or extra bone may form around the joint. The ligaments and muscles around the joint become weaker and stiffer, often; the cause of Osteoarthritis is unknown. It is mainly related to aging.

The symptoms of Osteoarthritis usually appear in middle age. Almost everyone has some symptoms by age 70. However, these symptoms may be minor. Before age 55, Osteoarthritis occurs equally in men and women. After age 55, it is more common in women.

There are quite a few factors that can lead to Osteoarthritis.

·         Can be hereditary tends to run in families.

·         Being overweight increases the risk of Osteoarthritis in the hip, knee, ankle, and foot joints because extra weight causes more wear and tear.

·         Fractures or other joint injuries can lead to Osteoarthritis later in life. This includes injuries to the cartilage and ligaments in your joints.

·         Jobs that involve kneeling or squatting for more than an hour a day put you at the highest risk. Jobs that involve lifting, climbing stairs, or walking also put you at risk.

·         Playing sports that involve direct impact on the joint (such as football), twisting (such as basketball or soccer), or throwing also increase the risk of arthritis.

Medical conditions that can lead to Osteoarthritis include:

·         Bleeding disorders that cause bleeding in the joint, such as hemophilia

·         Disorders that block the blood supply near a joint and lead to avascular necrosis

·         Other types of arthritis, such as chronic gout, pseudogout, or rheumatoid arthritis

 

The symptoms you may find are pain and stiffness in the joints are the most common. The pain is often worse after exercise and when you put weight or pressure on the joint. If you have osteoarthritis, your joints are probably going become stiffer and harder to move over time. You may notice a grating or crackling sound when you move the joint. The phrase "morning stiffness" refers to the pain and stiffness you may feel when you first wake up in the morning. The stiffness usually lasts for 30 minutes or so depending on how bad you have the disease; however the stiffness may get better once your bones and muscles warm up and move more freely. During the day, the pain may get worse when you're active and feel better when you are resting. After a while, the pain may be present when you are resting. It may even wake you up at night. Some people might not have symptoms, even though x-rays show the symptoms that you may have Osteoarthritis.

 

If you feel that your joints are tightening and feel a lot stiffer than they used too you may have osteoarthritis. You can get tests and X-rays done to confirm whether you have Osteoarthritis or not. Signs that you may have the disease are-

·         Joint movement may cause a cracking (grinding) sound, called crepitation

·         Joint swelling

·         Limited range of motion

·         Tenderness when the joint is pressed

·         Normal movement may be painful

An x-ray of affected joints will show a loss of the joint space. In advanced cases, there will be a wearing down of the ends of the bone and bone spurs.

Osteoarthritis cannot be cured. It will most likely get worse over time. However the symptoms can be controlled.  You can get medication for Osteoarthritis from your local Pharmacy you can get pain killers, which you can buy without a prescription, which may help with the pain relief. Most doctors recommend acetaminophen first, because it has fewer side effects than other drugs. If your pain continues, your doctor may recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Types of these drugs include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. If after that you still have bad joint pains surgery would be the next option as well as stronger medication that can have side effects.

By having osteoarthritis it will make general day to day activities and exercise quite painful and uncomfortable. Osteoarthritis will keep you from doing any to all leg exercises, lifting and or carrying may be restricted. Basically anywhere you have osteoarthritis it will severely hamper the capability of that joint doing any form of movement.

There are activities and exercises that can help you with your osteoarthritis and different ways of doing things to limit the pain in your joints. Staying active and getting exercise helps maintain joint and overall movement. Ask your health care provider to recommend an appropriate home exercise routine. Water exercises, such as swimming, are especially helpful. Other lifestyle recommendations include:

·         Applying heat and cold

·         Eating a healthy, balanced diet

·         Getting rest

·         Losing weight if you are overweight

·         Protecting the joints

As the pain from your osteoarthritis becomes worse, keeping up with everyday activities may become more difficult or painful. Sometimes making changes around the home will take some stress off your joints, and relieve some of the pain. If your work is causing stress in certain joints, you may need to adjust your work area or change work tasks.

There are plenty of people that can help you maintain this disease, your local doctor, physiotherapist and personal trainers can help you with controlling the disease and making exercise and general movements enjoyable again.

 

References:

Medical Health Australia – Osteoarthritis via Google

 

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Introduction

My name is Benjamin Dowton and this is my professional Blog, I am a Fitness enthusiast with a main focus on my strength and conditioning. I love helping people reach there full potential in the gym whether it be trianing a friend or a complete stranger. I am currently studing to become a Personal Trainer by completeing both Certificates III and IV through Fit College which are a national recognised training organisation through Fitness Australia.

 

I am currently employed at Samios Plumbing Supplies here in Toowoomba, I am in sales at the moment and just finished a certifacte III in Business Management through the company, I have also been doing Security work at local night clubs for extra money. In my spare time I play Football for the Toowoomba Rangers Rugby Union Team,

 

My aim is to complete my Personal Training course and then advance into Strength and Conditioning, with my goal of landing a career as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for high profile athletes. By hopefully forefilling my goals I hope I can change many poeple's lives along the way.  

 

 

Welcome to our Strength in Fitness Blog, Here you can ask us anything you would like to know about fitness in general or what you are trying to achieve with your personel goals, set up interviews and/or personal trianing sessions. we are always contactable and will answer any queries you may have.

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Strength in Fitness Team