Creatine

            The article I chose to read examined the effects of varying recovery intervals on multiple bout, short duration, high intensity cycling efforts of adult men supplemented with creatine or a placebo. The participants who volunteered were thirty trained male cyclists around the age of 26 years old. The subjects were physically active and were not using creatine as a supplement at the time of volunteering for the study.
             The methods and procedures consisted of using a pretest and posttest to determine the effect creatine had on repeated sprint cycling performance. The subjects were placed into randomly assigned groups that were either supplemented with creatine or a placebo. The subjects were also assigned to specific recovery interval groups which were 1 minute, 3 minute, or 6 minutes. The subjects mean power, peak power, and fatigue index were measured in both the pretest and posttests and then later compared. The subjects took part in 3 separate exercise trials. During the first trial the subjects completed a maximal aerobic power test and practiced on the cycling equipment that was going to be used in the study. To record the participants VO2 max they underwent five 15 second sprints with a 3 minute recovery time between rides. After trial 1 the subjects returned 1 week later for trial number 2. At the beginning of trial 2 the subjects height and weight were recorded and they were assigned to either the 1 minute, 3 minute, or 6 minute recovery groups. After properly warming up on the cycles the subjects then performed 8 cycling bouts, each lasting 15 seconds. All subjects received the assigned resting times in-between bouts. Once the cycling test was completed the subjects were assigned to a creatine or placebo group. The creatine group was s given a six day supply of creatine while the placebo group was given the same amount in tablets made from rice powder. The two pills were impossible to differentiate from one another.