VolcomX311
Legend
Most of us at some point have used, are currently using, or are interested in using Creatine, so I thought I’d offer its very specific role. Any of us can google the term Creatine + bodybuilding and we’ll get all types of in depth explanation regarding it’s effect on Adenosinetriphosphate, ATP. It’s the bodies energy currency blah blah blah, ATP fuels all muscle actions blah blah blah, something we all know and understand. However, as much information as I’ve found out there on Creatine, I haven’t found any information that really speaks to its very precise effect on which precise chain of events in the mechanism of a muscle contraction creatine primarily influences. This information will not help you pick a particular Creatine product, its simply for the sake of knowledge. There are people on this forum who interests are in steroid chemistry and can talk about nomenclatures and there are those like myself who are interested in bioenergetics, Creatine Phosphate being in that latter family. Here’s for the bodybuilding nerd in you, more information about the bodies’s reaction with Creatine then you’ll ever need to know.
Let’s pretend we’re all doing a bench press.
First of all, what happens in a muscle contraction. An action neuron, acetylcholine is released form the brain down the spine, nerves go out from the spine to the pectoral region (remember we’re bench pressing), but not to any muscle fibers yet. The acetylcholine reaches a motor unit which enervates many muscle fibers, which means one motor unit will excite multiple fibers. The motor unit will stem off into multiple branches called neuromuscular junctions, like little finger, each neuromuscular junction enervates a single muscle fiber and now we’ll follow the path of a single neuromuscular junction. The acetylcholine travels until it reaches the motor end plate. There is a minute gap between the end of the neuromuscular junction and the sarcoplasm. The sarcoplasm is the cytoplasm of a muscle fiber. Once the acetylcholine reaches the motor end plate, it crosses these tiny gaps into the sacroplasm and is broken down by the enzyme acetylcholine-esterase. As this occurs, the sacroplasm depolarizes, allowing sodium NA+ and potassium K to enter the sarcoplasm. This causes a reaction in the sarcoplasmic reticulum to release calcium (we’ve all heard that calcium helps with muscle contraction and here’s why). In the anatomy of muscle from macro to micro, goes muscle belly, which envelops bundles of epimysium, which envelops bundles of fasciculus, which envelops bundles of endomysium, which envelops bundles of sarcolemma, which envelops bundles of sacroplasm, which envelops bundles of myofibril. This is where the calcium is most significant in this process of contraction. Myofibril consist of two main parts, Actin and Myosin. Imagine two bridges lined paralleled to each other, Actin on top and Myosin beneath. The actin looks like a double helix, on this double helix looks like a rope that wraps around the actin called tropomyosin, and on the tropomyosin are binding sites called troponin. The myosin, lined beneath the actin have cross bridges. Cross bridges reach up and connect to troponin, however, at a resting state, the troponin is not in a position to bind. Back to the calcium, the release of calcium ions binds to the tropomyosin this causes a shift to reveal the troponin and the cross bridges from the myosin reach up, bind with the troponin and pulls (muscle shortening). Here’s where creatine comes in. In order for the cross bridge to de-tach from the troponin, ATP is required. Visualize contraction as a million little cross bridges like centipede legs, binding to troponin-pulling-unbinding from the troponin, binding to troponin-pulling-unbinding from the troponin, millions of times a second. Here’s the key, ATP is required not for the binding or the pulling, but for the release of the cross bridge head from the troponin. Creatine is a phosphate, therefore, the full name Creatine phosphate. Monophosphate, it carries a single phosphate. Once the ATP is used, the ATP, adenosinetriphosphate is broken down to ADP, adenosinediphospate (it can also be broken down even further to AMP, adenosinemonophoshate. Have you guys seen those energy drinks called AMP’d, its full of Adenosinemonophosphate which is low sustained energy, and now you know and knowing is half the battle). Back to ATP. Once the ATP is used to cause the cross bridge to unbind from troponin, we have ADP, but for the cross bridge head to unbind (so that it may bind again and pull) the cross bridges need ATP, not ADP. Now our body has natural energy systems to produce ATP. Kreb Cycle, Glycolysis, Electron Transport System, Oxidation System, Lactate System... etc., however, they all go through processes and cycles to manifest ATP and though some are very fast, having Creatine Phosphate already on deck is even faster. This is where Creatine Phosphate comes in handy. As the ATP has been used and becomes ADP, instead of bound cross bridges waiting for the body to supply more ATP, the Creatine Phosphate floats along, gives its phosphate to the ADP, so now we have ADP + P, therefore ATP and the cross bridge can instantly unbind and recycle this cycle of bind, pull, unbind without pause. This contracting mechanism occurs millions of times a second over millions of fibers, so the concentration of creatine phosphate gets depleted VERY quickly, which is why creatine is mostly good for anaerobic events. Sprinting, jumping, what we’re interest in, the first 5-6 reps in a lift. What about the rest of the lift, reps 7-15 (if you’re in a hypertrophy and not solely a strength phase). That would be beta-alanine and the lactate threshold which is another story I won’t be writing right now. So there you have it. Precisely what creatine does. Hope you enjoyed it, and I apologize to excessively knowledgeable people on this matter if I made any minor errors. I didn’t quit cover EVERYTHING for the sake of keeping it as simple yet detailed as possible, such as the depolarization of the sarcoplasm. It’s not just NA+ and K that seeps in, but it’s the most relevant substances so that’s all I mentioned. There are other things I could have gone more in depth with but I chose not to. I felt I hit the most significant points. Hope you all have a better understanding of why you take your creatine or why you should start.
Have a good weekend guys.
Let’s pretend we’re all doing a bench press.
First of all, what happens in a muscle contraction. An action neuron, acetylcholine is released form the brain down the spine, nerves go out from the spine to the pectoral region (remember we’re bench pressing), but not to any muscle fibers yet. The acetylcholine reaches a motor unit which enervates many muscle fibers, which means one motor unit will excite multiple fibers. The motor unit will stem off into multiple branches called neuromuscular junctions, like little finger, each neuromuscular junction enervates a single muscle fiber and now we’ll follow the path of a single neuromuscular junction. The acetylcholine travels until it reaches the motor end plate. There is a minute gap between the end of the neuromuscular junction and the sarcoplasm. The sarcoplasm is the cytoplasm of a muscle fiber. Once the acetylcholine reaches the motor end plate, it crosses these tiny gaps into the sacroplasm and is broken down by the enzyme acetylcholine-esterase. As this occurs, the sacroplasm depolarizes, allowing sodium NA+ and potassium K to enter the sarcoplasm. This causes a reaction in the sarcoplasmic reticulum to release calcium (we’ve all heard that calcium helps with muscle contraction and here’s why). In the anatomy of muscle from macro to micro, goes muscle belly, which envelops bundles of epimysium, which envelops bundles of fasciculus, which envelops bundles of endomysium, which envelops bundles of sarcolemma, which envelops bundles of sacroplasm, which envelops bundles of myofibril. This is where the calcium is most significant in this process of contraction. Myofibril consist of two main parts, Actin and Myosin. Imagine two bridges lined paralleled to each other, Actin on top and Myosin beneath. The actin looks like a double helix, on this double helix looks like a rope that wraps around the actin called tropomyosin, and on the tropomyosin are binding sites called troponin. The myosin, lined beneath the actin have cross bridges. Cross bridges reach up and connect to troponin, however, at a resting state, the troponin is not in a position to bind. Back to the calcium, the release of calcium ions binds to the tropomyosin this causes a shift to reveal the troponin and the cross bridges from the myosin reach up, bind with the troponin and pulls (muscle shortening). Here’s where creatine comes in. In order for the cross bridge to de-tach from the troponin, ATP is required. Visualize contraction as a million little cross bridges like centipede legs, binding to troponin-pulling-unbinding from the troponin, binding to troponin-pulling-unbinding from the troponin, millions of times a second. Here’s the key, ATP is required not for the binding or the pulling, but for the release of the cross bridge head from the troponin. Creatine is a phosphate, therefore, the full name Creatine phosphate. Monophosphate, it carries a single phosphate. Once the ATP is used, the ATP, adenosinetriphosphate is broken down to ADP, adenosinediphospate (it can also be broken down even further to AMP, adenosinemonophoshate. Have you guys seen those energy drinks called AMP’d, its full of Adenosinemonophosphate which is low sustained energy, and now you know and knowing is half the battle). Back to ATP. Once the ATP is used to cause the cross bridge to unbind from troponin, we have ADP, but for the cross bridge head to unbind (so that it may bind again and pull) the cross bridges need ATP, not ADP. Now our body has natural energy systems to produce ATP. Kreb Cycle, Glycolysis, Electron Transport System, Oxidation System, Lactate System... etc., however, they all go through processes and cycles to manifest ATP and though some are very fast, having Creatine Phosphate already on deck is even faster. This is where Creatine Phosphate comes in handy. As the ATP has been used and becomes ADP, instead of bound cross bridges waiting for the body to supply more ATP, the Creatine Phosphate floats along, gives its phosphate to the ADP, so now we have ADP + P, therefore ATP and the cross bridge can instantly unbind and recycle this cycle of bind, pull, unbind without pause. This contracting mechanism occurs millions of times a second over millions of fibers, so the concentration of creatine phosphate gets depleted VERY quickly, which is why creatine is mostly good for anaerobic events. Sprinting, jumping, what we’re interest in, the first 5-6 reps in a lift. What about the rest of the lift, reps 7-15 (if you’re in a hypertrophy and not solely a strength phase). That would be beta-alanine and the lactate threshold which is another story I won’t be writing right now. So there you have it. Precisely what creatine does. Hope you enjoyed it, and I apologize to excessively knowledgeable people on this matter if I made any minor errors. I didn’t quit cover EVERYTHING for the sake of keeping it as simple yet detailed as possible, such as the depolarization of the sarcoplasm. It’s not just NA+ and K that seeps in, but it’s the most relevant substances so that’s all I mentioned. There are other things I could have gone more in depth with but I chose not to. I felt I hit the most significant points. Hope you all have a better understanding of why you take your creatine or why you should start.
Have a good weekend guys.
