JudgementDay
Legend
- Awards
- 3
Energy – At the Source of it All
Everyone could use more energy. Whether it’s to run farther, train longer, or tackle your day – you need more gas in the tank. But relying on countless cups of coffee and energy shots to make it through the day, results in an endless cycle of highs and lows. There’s a better way. You can improve the body’s ability to generate energy naturally, and tapping into that is the holy grail of performance.
Our bodies ‘make’ energy with the foods we consume (carbs, fats, proteins); and converts them to the high-energy compound called ATP (Adenosine triphosphate). ATP is the chemical energy currency that fuels everything we do from our heart beat to bench pressing 315 lbs. Having more energy means improving the efficiency of ATP production by our cells and having more accessible ATP. Our bodies generate ATP in different ways depending on the type of exercise we do – aerobic vs. anaerobic, but it almost all happens within a tiny cellular organelle called the MITOCHONDRION.
Mitochondria generate most of the energy that our cells need to do their jobs. For muscular contraction, there are 3 modes of ATP generation:
(1) from Creatine Phosphate (PCr),
(2) from Glycogen (stored glucose),
(3) from the Kreb’s Cycle (conversion of macronutrients into energy within the mitochondria).
Creatine phosphate is typically stored in larger amounts in cells than ATP (10x greater) and can be depleted to rapidly resynthesize ATP. Similarly, glycogen can be metabolized to provide quick bursts of ATP. Both of these two sources are engaged during very short duration, high intensity exercise where oxygen delivery is not abundant (anaerobic conditions).
“Improve the body’s ability to generate energy naturally… that’s the holy grail of performance.”
Of the 3 energy sources – ATP generated in the mitochondrion from carbohydrates and fats is much more significant. As the duration of exercise continues, oxygen availability to contracting muscles increases and ATP coming from cellular respiration provides most of the energy for skeletal muscle contraction.
Much more ATP is generated from 1 Kreb’s cycle of cellular respiration than any anaerobic metabolism:
Creatine and Its Role in Cellular Energy
Creatine is a dietary protein-like compound found in meat and fish. Muscle tissue does not produce creatine, and therefore it must take up creatine from the bloodstream. Once inside muscle cells, creatine gets a high-energy phosphate attached to it and is then known as creatine-phosphate (PCr). It is this high-energy molecule that is one of the most critical components of creatine’s beneficial effects in the body. That’s because PCr donates its high-energy phosphate to create ATP, which is used by the muscle for the rapid energy it needs for muscle contraction, such as during weight-lifting. Having more PCr in muscle cells means more ATP can be rapidly produced during exercise, allowing you to exert yourself more, which can lead to gains in strength, power, speed and muscle growth.
Creatine monohydrate is one of the most stable forms of creatine in solution99% of creatine monohydrate is either absorbed by muscle tissue or excreted through sweat or urineCreatine monohydrate is not degraded to creatinine during normal digestionSupplementation with Creatine can saturate creatine stores in muscle cells and therefore enhance creatine-phosphate levels and availability. While there are constantly new forms of creatine coming onto the market, no form of creatine is more tried, tested and true than Creatine Monohydrate.
“You can’t actually absorb much more than 99% can you?”
Several creatine manufacturing companies market that their forms of creatine may be more absorbable because in water they are more soluble – but typically this is just an artifact of pH manipulation of the solution (either acidic like with Creatine HCl or basic as with Creatine buffered with bicarbonate). At the end of the day, you can’t actually absorb much more than 99% can you?
Here is a table comparing the potency of different forms of creatine based on a gram vs. gram comparison, and some of the marketed claims of each. Which would you choose?
Mitochondria & Cellular Energy
Aerobic cellular energy production happens within the walls of the mitochondria. These cellular powerhouses churn out the majority of the body’s energy incredibly efficiently (i.e. a net of approximately 30 ATP molecules per 1 sugar (glucose) molecule). The Krebs’ Cycle is a critical component in producing large amounts of cellular energy. It is the main energy producer at rest and for low-moderate intensity exercise and for longer durations of aerobic and even anaerobic exercise. There are numerous substrates, co-factors, minerals, enzymes and steps involved in making it all work. Just take a look at the Kreb’s Cycle, the engine behind each cycle of ATP creation.
There are several Kreb’s Cycle Intermediates including citrate, malate, fumarate, alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) and succinate which have supporting literature in their roles in energy recovery and performance. These key ingredients make up the exclusive KrebsPower™ mineral substrate complex – only found in CreXcel. Mitochondrial health and the efficiency of its ability to produce ATP is important for health, stamina and performance. KrebsPower™ makes up just one of the incredibably powerful compounds found exclusively in CreXcel.
