Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Creatine Reduces Oxygen Requirement During Bike Sprint Time Trial

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Muscles get energy for contraction by breaking down adenosine triphosphate (ATP)— an important compound that supplies most of the energy to the cells. Creatine phosphate is a high-energy chemical that restores full energy levels to ATP after it releases some of its energy. It does this by donating a high-energy phosphate to restore ATP. Creatine monohydrate supplements increase muscle creatine phosphate by 20 percent. Most ATP comes from reactions involving oxygen, but these reactions are slower than high-energy reactions involving ATP and creatine phosphate. Brazilian researchers showed how creatine phosphate synthesized from creatine monohydrate could benefit performance during high-intensity sprint cycling. Athletes who consumed a creatine monohydrate loading protocol (20 grams per day for five days) showed lower oxygen consumptions during the beginning phase of a one-kilometer time trial. The body will preferentially use the energy available to it. It chose to use more creatine phosphate at the onset of cycling because more was available. (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 47: 2660-2668, 2015)