Eclipse 2000 Creatine Monohydrate. Think all creatine is the same? Its just not so anymore. Some greedy companies are using less pure sources and flooding the market with inferior, ineffective creatine. Eclipse creatine is manufactured by Pfanstiehl Labs. Pfanstiehl creatine is manufactured in the United States, which means regular FDA inspections. They manufacture creatine under patent 5,719,319 and are the only producer of creatine that has registered a drug master file on creatine with the FDA. Pfanstiehl creatine is kosher certified and they utilize state of the art HPLC analysis. This analysis coincides with their zero tolerance for impurities and by-products. All finished products are temperature and humidity controlled and produced using a double pass, reverse osmosis high purity water system (the production of creatine is water intensive - impure water yields impure creatine). Is this all a lot of trouble? Well, yes. Is it expensive? Sure. But we feel the satisfaction our customers get from our creatine makes it all worth while. Once a customer tries our creatine they never go back. What is creatine? One of the keys to success for anyone who exercises is to keep the muscles and brain energized. Muscle contraction and relaxation are fueled by a chemical form of energy in our cells, called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). However, muscles have only a small supply of ATP which is rapidly depleted during exercise, particularly of the anaerobic (short, intense) kind. When muscles need quick, explosive energy, as in weightlifting or sprinting, the body resynthesizes this ATP supply using creatine phosphate. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound produced by the liver and stored in the brain, skeletal and cardiac muscle, sperm and certain cells of the immune system where it is used to make creatine phosphate (CP), a key substance that helps speed up the ATP refueling process. More creatine in the muscles would mean more CP to unleash more energy. Muscles then are able to do more work at higher intensity. What happens when there is a creatine deficiency? CP breaks down rapidly during the first few minutes of intense exercise. Decline in muscle power and the onset of fatigue during repeated intense muscle contractions are thought to result from a depletion of muscle CP stores. Creatine as a nutritional supplement In food, creatine is found in highest concentration in raw meat and fish. However, it is unstable in the presence of heat, which means that cooking reduces the creatine levels. One would have to consume very large amounts of meat and fish to supply the creatine necessary to maintain energy during intense exercise. Muscle CP levels can be built and maintained with creatine supplementation. Loading the muscular and central nervous system with creatine supplements may produce a super-compensation. By boosting the body's creatine pool, athletes may be able to extend their workouts and compete longer at a more vigorous level, particularly those engaged in weight training, basketball, football, sprinting and other types of short-term intense activities. Creatine Monohydrate Pure Creatine = Pure Results Creatine is an amino acid in structure consisting of arginine, glycine, and methionine. Our bodies naturally synthesize creatine in the liver and pancreas.(1) Creatine monohydrate is the preferred type of creatine used for supplementation and is the precursor of creatine phosphate. Creatine monohydrate is stored inside the muscle cell as creatine phosphate. This leads to how creatine performs its functions inside the body. First, we need to understand that when we perform short duration exercise our body utilizes ATP (adenosine triphosphate) for energy.(2) As our ATP stores are being used they form ADP (Adenosine diphosphate) which needs to be recycled back to ATP. The creatine phosphate inside the muscle cell allows your ATP to recycle at a faster than normal rate by giving up its phosphate (+/-P).(3) This is how creatine provides increases in strength and endurance. As far as increases in muscle size, the increase in strength can contribute to increased muscular gains. The other and most accepted theory for the increase in muscle size is that once creatine is stored inside the muscle cell there is an increase in intracellular fluid. This intracellular fluid then causes an increase in osmotic pressure, which may turn on protein synthesis.(4) The activation of protein synthesis can then lead to increased muscular size. Research indicates that the best way to use creatine is by loading for 5-7 days on 20 grams divided throughout the day.(5) For the next two months a maintenance dose of 5 grams per day is recommended. (6) In order to maximize your results you should reload with 20 grams every 2 months. If you decide to cycle, then a layoff of 4 weeks is necessary because it takes 4 weeks for creatine to leave your muscles. (7) The use of caffeine and acidic fruit juices have been shown to inhibit creatine absorption. Carbohydrates are the only substances that have been shown to increase absorption of creatine.(8) The safety of creatine is another area of concern. According to the leading researchers creatine is safe at the recommended doses. There is not a single study showing that creatine may increase muscle cramping, muscle strains, or renal stress (9). Any reports of negative side effects are purely anecdotal and have no real scientific justification. Reports of muscle cramps are most likely do to the athletes poor hydration techniques. If you engage in intense physical activity you should consume 16 oz. of fluid 1-2 hours prior to workout, 4-6 oz. of fluid every 15 minutes during workout and then consume 16 oz. of fluid for every pound of bodyweight lost after exercise.(10) The importance of purchasing high quality creatine has become an issue in the supplement industry. Eclipse creatine is manufactured by Pfanstiehl Labs. Pfanstiehl creatine is manufactured in the United States, which means regular FDA inspections. They manufacture creatine under U.S. patent 5,719,319 and are the only producer of creatine that has registered a drug master file on creatine with the FDA. Pfanstiehl creatine is kosher certified and they utilize state of the art HPLC analysis. This analysis coincides with their zero tolerance policy for impurities and by-products. As you can see, this company is a leader in creatine manufacturing. Overall, any bodybuilder or endurance athlete should not overlook creatine monohydrate. As athletes already know, research shows that creatine works for most people. This is why Eclipse offers a 400-gram, 1000 gram. The next time youre looking for creatine monohydrate you can feel confident that the Eclipse label stands for quality and purity.