Teammates, Mike Ryan, CEO of Intensity Nutrition, is weighing in on creatine. You can post follow-up questions here or on twitter @InNutrition. Here’s a link to Part I, which ran last week on CHARLIE MIKE. Thanks Mike! AMM

“Every body is different, and everyone trains for different purposes and at different intensities. So here is what I recommend:  start with a relatively small amount, monitor the timing of your supplementation and the effects during training, and revise your intake accordingly.   It’s that simple. 

I’ll admit, several years ago I had some less than positive experiences with creatine.  My greatest complaint was that creatine seemed to adversely affect my endurance workouts.  My muscles were just getting too ‘pumped” and occasionally my legs felt ‘heavy’.  Having said that, I was gaining lean muscle, recovering better, and getting stronger.  Rather than modifying my approach, I just stopped taking creatine altogether.  Stupid move. Later, as I focused less on endurance and more on strength and speed training, I revisited creatine and started to experiment with both the amount and timing of my supplementation.  By modifying my intake, I was able to experience the benefits of creatine without compromising performance in other training areas.  The results have been terrific. 

As with other supplements, creatine augments my normal nutritional routine.  Because I get some creatine from other protein sources throughout the day, I skip the ‘loading phase.” I have found that my optimal dose is 2.5g daily taken about 30 minutes before training.  As always, I ensure that I am optimally hydrated and consume some good carbohydrates prior to any training session.       

Considering the overwhelming scientific evidence supporting the ergogenic benefits of creatine, I believe it merits serious consideration as part of your overall nutritional and supplementation strategy.”

Alden Mills here, shouting out a huge HOOYAH for the Perfect SITUP. Like all our products, we design them with your success in mind.

One of the key design criterion was taking the guesswork out of working your abs – enabling anyone to be successful the very FIRST TIME they use it. I’ll be expanding on these points, and many others, over the next few weeks but here are a few attributes to keep in mind:

* Perfect SITUP is adjustable for someone as petite as 4’10” to as tall as 6’ 8”.

* We took the guesswork out of the Perfect SITUP workout. When you reach full range of motion, you’ll hear a click! Perfect form made easy.

* If you’ve taken a vacation from fitness, you can get started with the Perfect SITUP in a chair – and the workout chart will show you how to engage your lower abs even you’re upright.

Creating new products is a journey. You start with a vision statement, an open mind, great teammates, and the determination to never give up until you get it just right…in our case, until you get it Perfect. We hope you find the success you’re looking for if you decide to purchase the Perfect SITUP but more importantly, we want to hear from you – what did you like, what didn’t you like and how can we make it even better. Because at the end of the day, what matters most to us is your success – YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR SUCCESS.

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN MILLS

2. If you can’t plan it — then you won’t get it. “Perceive/Achieve” = Goal Setting.

Teammates, here’s the second of my 10 Perfect Principles. I want to hear from you how this precept has changed your life because it’s all about Continuing Your Mission! Check out Andre Fredrick’s take on this principle.

CHARLIE MIKE — ALDEN

Andre Fredrick: “Another powerful promise, and one that I am still learning to employ in more facets of my life. I can recall making the decision to change my eating habits and how daunting it seemed, but I educated myself, set a plan in motion and started losing weight. As I shed pounds, I was left with a lot of extra skin. It was then that I first began thinking about working out to fill in the space.

I kept telling people, “I’m thinking about working out.” I realized soon after that “thinking about” something was really the easy part of the puzzle. Setting about achieving those goals was another matter, but I took a lot of the negative emotions that I was dealing with in those days and channeled them into achieving my goal.

Each day that I accomplished those small goals brought with it greater confidence and bigger aspirations.”