Creatine supplementation has been shown to be an effective energy and power assistance program. It is also well established that exogenous (from the outside) creatine supplementation should be discontinued for at least a 2-week recovery period called an “off-cycle”. This off-cycle allows the body to re-activate its natural production of creatine and the high-powered energy compound phosphocreatine. These are primary energy and power compounds bio-synthesized by the body.

The synthesis of Creatine, chemically known as N-(aminoiminomethyl)-N-methyl glycine, requires three amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine. In its synthesis, the guanidino group of L-arginine is transferred to glycine to form guanidinoacetate and ornithine by a transamidinase reaction, a reaction that takes place in the pancreas, liver and kidney. Guanidinoacetate is methylated by a methyl donor to form creatine. About 1 to 2 grams of creatine are biosynthesized daily and another 1 to 2 grams are obtained from diet.

Supplementation of creatine will fill the intracellular storage capacity for this high energy nutrient. Prolonged supplementation (over 4 weeks) can significantly reduce the amount of creatine synthesized by the body. Basically, the body will recognize that there are sufficient levels of creatine in the cells and shut down or minimize its own natural production. This is because the supplemental creatine is meeting the demand for the nutrient and the body doesn’t need to manufacture it.

Excess creatine is secreted as creatinine, a waste product that must be cleared from the body. It is recommended by medical and scientific authorities that creatine be cycled allowing the body to begin to resynthesize creatine again and recover from the state of suppression.

During this “off-cycle” creatine levels will diminish and the body will begin the creatine synthesis process again. Many athletes want to avoid the off-cycle phase due to the fact that reduced creatine levels can result in loss of muscle strength and size. This state of weakness can be avoided with the rapid transition from supplementation to synthesis. By introducing calibrated dosages of the specific nutrients the body utilizes to manufacture endogenous (from within) creatine the body will immediately begin to resynthesize creatine on its own. This can result in maintaining elevated creatine levels even without supplementation of creatine.