Cribb, P. J., Williams, A. D., & Hayes, A. (2007). A creatine-protein-carbohydrate supplement enhances responses to resistance training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 39, 1960-1968.

This study examined the effects of a creatine-monohydrate embellished protein-carbohydrate supplement in comparison to a supplement containing a similar amount of nitrogen and energy on body composition, muscle strength, fiber-specific hypertrophy, and contractile protein accrual during resistance training. Resistance-trained males were matched for strength and placed into one of three groups: protein, protein-carbohydrate, or the same protein-carbohydrate supplement with added creatine-monohydrate. Assessments were completed the week before and after a 10-week structured, supervised resistance training program for strength (1 RM, three exercises), body composition, and vastus lateralis muscle biopsies for determination of muscle fiber type, cross-sectional area, contractile protein, and creatine content.

The creatine-embellished protein-carbohydrate supplement provided greater improvements in 1 RM strength. At least 40% of the strength improvements could be attributed to hypertrophy of the muscle involved in the exercise. The creatine embellished supplement also resulted in greater increases in lean body mass, fiber cross-sectional area, and contractile protein compared with the protein-only and protein-carbohydrate supplement groups.

Implication. Supplementation with creatine-embellished protein-carbohydrate results in greater muscle hypertrophy from resistance training than an equivalent dose of protein-carbohydrate. This response was apparent at three levels of physiology (lean body mass, fiber cross-sectional area, and contractile protein content).

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