EFFECT OF ORAL CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON JUMPING AND RUNNING PERFORMANCE

The study was designed to investigate the effect of creatine monohydra te ingestion (20 g daily for 5 days) on performance in 45 s maximal co ntinuous jumping and in all-out treadmill running at an km x h(-1), (i nclination 5 degrees, duration approximately 60 s). The participants w ere qualified sprinters and jumpers. The effect of creatine was compar ed with placebo in a double-blind design. Creatine (Cr) supplementatio n led to a significant enhancement of performance capacity in the jump ing test by 7% during the first 15 s and by 12% during the second 15s of the exercise. The positive effect of Cr supplementation was not obs erved in the last third of the continuous jumping exercise, when the c ontribution of anaerobic metabolism was decreasing. The time of intens ive running up to exhaustion improved by 13%. The results show that Cr supplementation helps to prolong the time during which the maximal ra te of power output could be maintained.