Rest for thirty seconds and record resultsThe Experiment: Evaluating the Impact of Creatine on Anaerobic Endurance

A study on the influence of creatine on anaerobic endurance of

Homo sapiens

Table of Contents

Background

Anaerobic exercise occurs during higher intensity exertion and forces muscle to operate in the absence of oxygen. When muscles are in this state they rely on adenosine triphosphate, referred to as ATP, to fuel cell function. In comparison to aerobic activity, anaerobic cannot be sustained over long times due to the absence of oxygen. Some examples of aerobic activity would be jogging or swimming while examples of anaerobic activity could be weightlifting or sprinting. Muscle cells have a limited supply of ATP to fuel anaerobic activity while aerobic activity can be fueled by breathing because the demand for oxygen is not exceeded by what breathing can provide. In summary aerobic function can be done for extended periods of time but at light intensity while anaerobic function is more powerful for a much shorter period of time. This is where creatine comes into play. Creatine is a naturally occurring protein that is produced in the kidneys and liver of a human being and serves to recycle ATP. The average amount of creatine produced by the human body in one day is one gram but if this number is artificially increased then results begin to show. When muscles have increased creatine content this allows for them to have prolonged anaerobic activity by being able to recycle the ATP used to fuel anaerobic activity. When ATP is expended it is transformed into ADP, adenosine diphosphate, and now lacks the phosphate it needs to return to ATP. Creatine exists in cells as phosphocreatine and has the ability to quickly break down and release a phosphate that can now be used to turn ADP into ATP. Phosphocreatine can be broken down into a phosphate and two amino acids known as glycine and arginine. This phosphate is then utilized to turn ADP to ATP.

Safety and Health Concerns

There are few negative side effects to taking 10 grams of creatine daily. One side effect is the highly hydrophilic properties of creatine will increase my weight gain over the duration of this experiment by on average .8 to 2.9 percent of my total body weight. Also 5-7% of creatine users experience gastrointestinal distress but I did not. Another possible side effect is fits of mania for people with bipolar disorder but my mental health is fine. Creatine also can worsen preexisting kidney disorders but my kidneys are healthy. Both my parents and I signed a consent form while fully informed of these side affects.

Aim

The purpose of this study is to see to what extent creatine can improve anaerobic endurance in a human. This will be achieved through testing a controlled environment while controlling as many variables as possible in order to gather data that can be quantified.

Research Question

How extensive is the affects of creatine in increasing anaerobic endurance in a human?

Prediction

Creatine supplementation will increase anaerobic endurance by at least 20%. This will be measured by comparing the number of pull-ups I can perform while my muscles are saturated with creatine and the number I can perform in a natural muscle-creatine content state. The creatine will allow my muscles to operate longer without oxygen by being able to cycle ADP into ATP quickly. The exercise of the “pull up” was specifically chosen to reflect anaerobic endurance because it is designed to be done for multiple repetitions but not almost endlessly like steps in running. It is also more aerobic than an exercise with heavy weight but better represents anaerobic by showing how muscles are acting upon failure. By doing as many as i possibly can until my muscles fail this will force them to be in a completely anaerobic state and allow the creatine to take as much effect as possible. A side prediction is that my weight will increase a noticeable amount due to the highly hydrophilic properties of creatine.

Procedure

This experiment is organized to give each trial equal grounds and consistent data. There are five trial days, each separated by two rest days, with five attempts to failure on each day. There are thirty seconds of rest between each attempt. The first day of trials is run with no creatine supplementation to provide a control baseline to compare data with. Overall the testing will take exactly 13 days. Creatine supplements of 10 grams per day are taken at 7:00 AM staring on the second day. The creatine is consumed in a white crystal powder form mixed in water. This is tasteless and can be mixed in other beverages such as a protein shake because it is still absorbed.The attempts must begin at 4:30 every trial day. Calories must be counted in order to assure muscles have the same amount of glycogen stores on each trial. In this case the calories eaten every day was between 2700-2900. One pull up is executed by holding a horizontal bar with each hand slightly more than shoulder distance apart with palms facing away from the body. One full pull up is completed when your chin goes higher than the bar.

Steps

One complete set of trials is organized as the following:

Step 1: Record weight

Step : Begin testing at 4:30 (or desired time that can be replicated)

Step : Execute as many pull ups as possible until one can no longer pull their chin higher than the bar