The purpose of this study was to determine if a buffered creatine monohydrate (KA) that has been purported to promote greater creatine retention and training adaptations with fewer side effects at lower doses is more efficacious than creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation in resistance-trained individuals. In a double-blind manner, 36 resistance-trained participants (20.2±2 years, 181±7 cm, 82.1±12 kg, and 14.7±5 % body fat) were randomly assigned to supplement their diet with CrM or KA at two different dosages. Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis, fasting blood samples, body weight, DEXA determined body composition, and Wingate Anaerobic Capacity (WAC) tests were performed at 0, 7, and 28-days while 1RM strength tests were performed at 0 and 28-days. Data were analyzed by a repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and are presented as mean ± SD changes from baseline after 7 and 28-days, respectively. Muscle free creatine content obtained in a subgroup of 25 participants increased in all groups over time (p=0.03) after 7 and 28-days, respectively, with no significant differences among groups (p=0.46). Although some significant time effects were observed, no significant group x time interactions (p>0.05) were observed in changes in body mass, fat free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, or total body water; bench press and leg press 1RM strength; WAC mean power, peak power, or total work; serum blood lipids, markers of catabolism and bone status, and serum electrolyte status; or, whole blood markers of lymphocytes and red cells. Neither manufacturers recommended doses (1.5 g/d) or KA with equivalent loading (20 g/d for 7-days) and maintenance doses (5 g/d for 21-days) of CrM promoted greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, strength, or anaerobic capacity than CrM (20 g/d for 7-days, 5 g/d for 21-days). There was no evidence that supplementing the diet with a buffered form of creatine resulted in fewer side effects than CrM. These findings do not support claims that consuming a buffered form of creatine is a more efficacious and/or safer form of creatine to consume than creatine monohydrate.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between estimated absolute and relative squat strength and a static jump protocol with potential to provide desirable training adaptation data to practitioners in the field of collegiate strength and conditioning. Forty-one young (20.80 ± 2.44 years), healthy volunteers reported estimated back squat 1RM’s based on the most recent training block and completed a static jump protocol. Males (n=19, est. 1RM 141.29 ± 32.02kg) and female (n=22, est. 1RM 71.56 ± 19.64kg) jump data revealed large to very large correlations between squat strength, mean jump heights of jumps and other calculated variables.

Recent research suggests that adding protein (PRO) to a carbohydrate (CHO) supplement can have substantial benefits for endurance exercise performance and recovery beyond that of CHO alone. CHO+PRO supplements are often commercially available formulations consisting of carbohydrates (dextrose, maltodextrin) and whey protein. The effects of a supplement containing moderate protein and a low-CHO mixture on endurance performance has not been investigated. Also, the effects of CHO+PRO supplementation in the form of a natural food, flavored milk, on measures of recovery from acute endurance exercise, as well as on chronic aerobic exercise training adaptations, have not been characterized. Therefore, in this series of four studies, the effects of CHO+PRO supplementation on the following areas of endurance exercise performance, recovery, and adaptation are investigated: acute endurance exercise performance, inflammatory and muscle damage markers, muscle glycogen resynthesis, activation of signaling proteins involved in the initiation of protein synthesis and degradation, subsequent endurance exercise performance, and chronic aerobic training adaptations (maximal oxygen consumption, oxidative enzyme activity, body composition, immune cell levels, and inflammatory markers). Study 1 demonstrated that a supplement containing a low-CHO mixture plus moderate protein significantly improved aerobic endurance when cycling at or below the ventilatory threshold, despite containing 50% less CHO and 30% fewer calories relative to a higher CHO beverage. Study 2 demonstrated that CHO+PRO supplementation in the form of chocolate milk (CM) is an effective post-exercise supplement that can improve subsequent performance and provide a greater intracellular signaling stimulus for protein synthesis compared to CHO and placebo. Study 3 found that post-exercise CM supplementation during 4.5 wks of aerobic exercise training improves the magnitude of cardiovascular adaptations more effectively than isocaloric CHO or placebo, while the fourth study demonstrated that post-exercise CM supplementation during 4.5 wks of aerobic training improves body composition more effectively than isocaloric CHO or placebo. The fourth study also demonstrated that 4.5 wks of training does not appear to perturb resting immune cell concentrations or markers of inflammation and muscle damage. Taken together, the results of this research series suggest that CHO+PRO supplementation extends endurance performance, improves recovery, and increases training adaptations more effectively than CHO or placebo. / text