by Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D.
New findings published in the scientific journal
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise show creatine supplementation dramatically increased squat and bench press strength -- in as little as five days.
In the study, 19 trained athletes were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to either the creatine (20 grams per day for five days) or placebo group. Before and after supplementation, subjects performed one- repetition maximum squat and bench press exercises (two sets to failure) with 60 percent and 70 percent of the subjects' one-rep max, respectively. After just five days, creatine supplementation increased average bench press and squat strength by 17 percent and 20 percent, respectively.