There’s an incredibly easy way to increase insulin-like growth factor and you can do it right now!
IGF-1 is similar in structure to insulin (hence the name) and has potent ANABOLIC effects. It:
- Transports amino acids (building blocks of protein)
- Increases Protein Synthesis just like growth hormone
- Prevents muscle breakdown
Sounds good!
Now if I were to tell you that you could increase IGF-1 expression within muscle by 30% while lying on the couch, would you be interested?
Of course you would! 
OK, so here’s how it’s done:
Supplement With Creatine Monohydrate!
Research has shown that after loading with creatine, muscle biopsies revealed a 30% increase in expression of mRNA for IGF-I in RESTING muscle.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2005 - Volume 37 - Issue 5 - pp 731-736
The body is therefore in a more anabolic environment after you’ve increased muscle creatine levels by supplementing with creatine. This means that you have an increased capacity for muscle growth while lying on the couch watching TV – Result!
Although I’ve talked about and experimented with a very different method of creatine loading, it was no more effective than the regular 5-day loading technique traditionally prescribed.
Another important factor is the type of creatine you use. For a variety of reasons, I’ve previously blogged about the fact that regular old creatine monohydrate is the most potent form in terms of anabolic effects.
If you’re new to the game and want to know what creatine is and how it works, go here.
So if you want:
- Muscle Cell Volumization
- Increased Protein Synthesis
- Better Workout Performance
…Get yourself some creatine! A Creapure Creatine Mono comes highly recommended.
And before someone asks, yes it’s safe!
Stay Motivated!
Mark
Related posts:
- Myostatin Inhibitors – Do They Really Increase Muscle Hypertrophy?
- When To Increase Weight For Maximum Muscle Building
- Will Taking Creatine Leave You Bloated?
- 7 Ways To Jack Up Your Testosterone Levels Naturally
- Creatine – “The Most Effective Ergogenic Nutritional Supplement”
The Muscle Hacker is Mark McManus, a 29 year old Certified Fitness Instructor committed to helping others build the body of their dreams. Mark is a naturally skinny guy who overcame the hardgainer's curse through years of research and personal experience. Whether you want to build new slabs of muscle or drop your body fat percentage to reveal 
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cheers mark. I read your article on mono a few months back. I was on creatine EE before and I can say mono is much better. Thanks for always giving the no-hype info.
Alot of water needs to be drunk with creatine because its not easily filtered through the kidneys.
I love using creatine because it works, but I have been diagnosed with attrial fibrillation and every time I consume this product, my heart starts missing a beat every once in a while.
I’m trying to figure out how to loose 100% body fat and build muscle at the same time is there any thing out there that will achive my goal.
“Although I’ve talked about and experimented with a very different method of creatine loading, it was no more effective than the regular 5-day loading technique traditionally prescribed.”
So how do you recommend taking creatine and how much?
Im on a muscle building program and am 50 years old. How much and often should i take creatine each day?
Thanks ED
Thanx mark
. 100% body fat hahahaha nice one
how much do i need to take?
I’m skinny and want 2 grow muscle…
any idea please….
@Milo
I suffered from attrial fibrillation 2 years ago initiated by taking an ECA stack (not creatine fortunately). Mark once suggested supplementing with Magnesium for healthy heart rhythm in one of his articles and it worked, not a single episode since! My GP was amazed that none of the NHS tests picked this up on this deficiency. Sorry for going off-topic Mark but if it saves somebody having to go under the knife for ablation surgery then it’s worth boring the masses with …. (and a belated thanks for the Magnesium advice in the first place by the way!) Daz.
For all the guys asking about the best dosage of creatine. I have found no better way than the traditional:
5 days x 20g loading (4 x 5g servings)
Followed by 5g per day taken post-workout on workout days.
And yes you still take 5g on non-workout days.
@Daz, that’s great to hear mate. Very happy for you
Mark is that a cycle 5 days load 5 days 5g per day or do you only load once? and if you only load once do you stop every 10 weeks or so then restart the cycle?
Have you found that cycling creatine is any more effective than supplementing continuously? If so, what do you think is the optimum schedule? (I have heard 8-10 weeks on, followed by 4 weeks off, as well as up to 6 months/6weeks)
Unfortunately I am allergic to creatine monohydrate. It causes shortness of breath. I always drank plenty of water (gallon +) so its not because I didnt have the proper fluids. Any other supplements you could recommend to somewhat replace creatine?
yeah Rob, was wondering that myself
About the cycles.
There is no definitive data on cycling over continued use or vice versa. To be on the safe side, I cycle creatine. I’ll stay on it for 8-9 weeks and then come off it for 2 weeks.
To recap, it’s 20g per day for 5 days, followed by 5g grams per day only for the duration of the cycle. When starting a new cycle you load all over again.
@James. Unfortunately not. Creatine works by increasing the creatine phosphate stores in the muscle, you therefore need creatine to get the job done.
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