The effects of polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on anaerobic performance measures and body composition

Camic, CL, Housh, TJ, Zuniga, JM, Traylor, DA, Bergstrom, HC, Schmidt, RJ, Johnson, GO, and Housh, DJ. The effects of polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on anaerobic performance measures and body composition. J Strength Cond Res 28(3): 825-833, 2014-The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 28 days of polyethylene glycosylated creatine (PEG-creatine) supplementation (1.25 and 2.50 g.d^-1) on anaerobic performance measures (vertical and broad jumps, 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle run, and 3-cone drill), upper- and lower-body muscular strength and endurance (bench press and leg extension), and body composition. This study used a randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled parallel design. Seventy-seven adult men (mean age ± SD, 22.1 ± 2.5 years; body mass, 81.7 ± 10.8 kg) volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to a placebo (n = 23), 1.25 g.d^-1 of PEG-creatine (n = 27), or 2.50 g.d^-1 of PEG-creatine (n = 27) group. The subjects performed anaerobic performance measures, muscular strength (one-repetition maximum [1RM]), and endurance (80% 1RM) tests for bench press and leg extension, and underwater weighing for the determination of body composition at day 0 (baseline), day 14, and day 28. The results indicated that there were improvements (p ≤ 0.0167) in vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle run, 3-cone drill, muscular endurance for bench press, and body mass for at least one of the PEG-creatine groups without changes for the placebo group. Thus, the present results demonstrated that PEG-creatine supplementation at 1.25 or 2.50 g.d^-1 had an ergogenic effect on lower-body vertical power, agility, change-of-direction ability, upper-body muscular endurance, and body mass.