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The human physique has a limited capability for producing energy on its own.
The system in the body that gives you the energy needed for sustained intense
workouts is called the ATP-PC (Phosphagen) system. ATP is short for adenosine
triphosphate, while PC stands for phosphocreatine. Both are components that
produce energy on the cellular level when their chemical phosphate bonds are
broken. The processes of digestion and eventually the breakdown of PC will provide
the energy necessary to regenerate the ATP compound that produces the energy
needed to do work. In the muscle cells, it is the ATP-PC cycle that actually
provides energy for individual protein filament contractions. However, when
the ATP stores are depleted, the muscular contractions are impaired, and your
workout suffers.
If you’re eating optimally and still ‘hit the wall’ in your
workouts, what else can you do? You need to replenish your source of fuel at
the cellular level! But how do you do that? Unfortunately the process of digestion
is too slow to provide you with a quick source of fuel when you’re training.
That means you still need an ideal energy source that will spare protein and
provide you with the energy needed to push you through an intense workout. Creatine
monohydrate may just be the answer you have been looking for! It has been tested
extensively, and has been shown to be a possible answer to your staminagrowth
dreams.
Creatine is not a new product on the supplement market. But
the addition of beneficial Malic acid is different, that is in comparison to
products that have been produced in the past that claim to be so called ‘enhanced’
creatine products. As we all know many of these products are just marketing
hype, basically an effort to add value, adding a twist to the old ‘stand
by’ base ingredient. What is exciting is that the addition of Malic acid
bound to creatine shows promise. When malic acid (a component that is used in
the Krebs cycle to increase energy) and creatine monohydrate are combined to
form the compound creatine malate, the resulting product is a more bioavailable
form of creatine monohydrate, which may prove to be more efficient in increasing
the production of energy because of the impact it has on ATP production and
utilization. And any product that can give you the edge in helping you to recuperate
faster and that helps you to build muscle and gives you more energy should be
at the top of your list of products to take every day! Creatine not only will
help to restore energy, but it can buffer the build-up of lactic acid that occurs
during exercise, which is also a cause of fatigue and failure.
The addition of chondroitin sulfate to the product adds value that you won’t
find in most other products sold to the active athlete. During those hard workouts
there is a major amount of stress placed on the joints and the tissues that
support proper joint function. Chondroitin sulfate is a major constituent of
cartilage, which is the tissue that allows the joints to move smoothly. It provides
structure, holds water and nutrients, and allows other molecules to move through
cartilage. This last property is important since there is no blood supply to
cartilage. In degenerative joint disease (which occurs due to a number of reasons
including over use) there is a loss of chondroitin sulfate as the cartilage
erodes. And with an estimated twenty one million adult sufferers in the United
States , the interest in chondroitin sulfate is no surprise. Chondroitin sulfate
belongs to a family of heteropolysaccharides called glycosaminoglycans or GAGs.
Glycosaminoglycans are also known as mucopolysaccharides. This macromolecule
naturally co-exists with several other known GAGs, including keratin sulfate,
heparin, heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate. As stated, chondroitin sulfate
is found in humans in their cartilage, bone, cornea, skin and the arterial wall
and needs to be replenished on a regular basis, especially if you train hard
year round.
Another ingredient that works synergistically with chondroitin is glucosamine.
There are several different kinds of glucosamine products on the market and
all work in a somewhat similar manner. There are literally hundreds of scientific
studies on the use of this ingredient that show it reduces pain and helps rebuild
connective tissues in the joints. Glucosamine is readily absorbed by the body,
it is a substance that is naturally found and made in the body, but due to a
number of factors it is produced in limited amounts and needs to be supplemented
in the diet to have a therapeutic effect. And again this is especially true
if you are a hard working athlete where damage to the joint tissues is more
prevalent. Even though this is not a cure for these degenerative diseases it
is a ray of hope for alleviating the pain and discomfort that is associated
with the pathology. Lets face it, any down time from training is time wasted,
so it only makes sense to get the protection and energy ingredients you need
all in one product. It is only common sense that if you take care of your body
by taking what it needs to perform well, you will make the gains that others
dream about!
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