The best muscle building exercises address the full range of muscle types, from fast twitch to intermediate and slow twitch muscles. The also engage different compositions of muscle motor units (groups of muscles), which forms the foundation for your ideal workout strategies. Fortunately, weightlifting is the core of the most advanced approach based on recent scientific research.

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Choosing Muscle Building Exercises

An overwhelming amount of scientific research shows how the Body by Science method yields the most efficient results for strength and conditioning through weightlifting. Researchers Dr. Doug McGuff and John Little have a book at Amazon by that name as well as a set of videos on YouTube.

Role Of Creatine

Creatine is an energy storage molecule in muscle tissue. Workout intensity and duration depend on creatine. Maximum workout quality and workout recovery are possible only when muscles are saturated with creatine. Although your body makes it in liver and kidney, the amount in muscle is almost always less than saturation.

The combination of creatine-saturated muscles and weightlifting exercise via a Body by Science workout program give you the best foundation for getting good results for building muscle. The key is to get muscle tissue saturated with creatine most efficiently. Doing so entails paying attention to recent research on the critical factors for supplementing with creatine.

Choosing A Creatine Supplement

Fundamental research on creatine for exercise derives from studies using creatine monohydrate. Other forms of creatine (citrate, etc.) may be as effective as the monohydrate form, although they are not backed by research to the extent that creatine monohydrate is. This form is also the easiest to find and the least expensive.

Creatine Dosage And Boosting

Early research shows that an initial loading phase is important for getting muscle creatine levels to saturation quickly, followed by long term maintenance. The loading phase is typically 20 grams per day (taken 5 grams at a time over the day) for 5 to 6 days. After loading, long term maintenance is 3 to 5 grams per day.

Using a loading phase gives the fastest results from exercise because it saturates muscle tissue more quickly. However, such a high dose of creatine often leads to stomach upset and diarrhea. Research shows that skipping the loading phase and starting with 3 to 5 grams per day is equally effective although it takes longer to get significant results (4 or 5 weeks instead of 5 to 10 days). Skipping the loading phase has the advantage of avoiding stomach distress caused by high dosage.

Research on boosting the impact of creatine takes advantage of the anabolic effects of insulin. This just means that the right dose of carbohydrate, which stimulates insulin release, drives the import of creatine into muscle cells. The most effective carbohydrate is normal blood sugar, otherwise known as glucose or dextrose. The dosage is about 5 to 1, glucose to creatine monohydrate. Each gram of creatine monohydrate is best taken with 5 grams of glucose.

Lots of commercial creatine formulas contain carbohydrate because of this well-known boosting effect. However, your best bet is to buy creatine monohydrate and glucose (dextrose) separately and mix them together in the desired amounts in a glass of water just before taking them. Too many commercial formulas offer extra boosting ingredients or other carbohydrates, none of which is as well-supported by scientific research as the simple mixture of creatine monohydrate and glucose.

Creatine Safety

Creatine may increase the need for extra fluid intake, since it drives muscle cells to become more hydrated. However, creatine has not been shown to increase dehydration.

Medical doctors often repeat the mistaken notion that the production of creatinine by creatine supplementation is a sign of kidney problems. Indeed, creatinine levels do increase when taking creatine, although this increase is not toxic to the kidneys. Creatine has been well-researched for decades, and dozens of studies clearly show it to be safe and effective for long term use. Claims to the contrary are unscientific and ignore this vast body of research. Creatine clearly offers tremendous benefits for muscle building exercises.

By the way…

The best books that I know of for showing you how to stay fit with quick, simple, at-home workouts are the Lightning Speed Fitness Program by Roger Haeske and the Fit Over 40 for Women by Brett Yokley. Roger and Brett also throw in lots of bonus books on diet, exercise, and lifestyle when you purchase their books. Click on images below for details.

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All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

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