Creatine is classified as an ergogenic dietary supplement, and its supplementation aids in faster replenishment of creatine phosphate stores, as well as increasing muscle mass and strength. It is suitable for athletes engaged in short-term high-intensity activities. The purpose of this master's thesis was to determine whether creatine supplementation improves vertical jump height in athletes, as this measurement is an essential tool for assessing explosive power. We also aimed to investigate which supplementation protocol and type of creatine are most effective
for improving vertical jump performance. We systematically reviewed 362 studies retrieved from five databases (SPORTDiscus, Pubmed, Web of Science, Cinahl and Cochrane). 9 studies were used for further exploration. The results
showed that a statistically significant effect of creatine supplementation was seen in three studies. Notwithstanding that the overall effect of creatine supplementation on vertical jump height was statistically non-significant, creatine monohydrate supplementation improved vertical jump height by 4%, which is a significant performance improvement in elite sport. Therefore, this result could also support the potential effectiveness of creatine as an ergogenic
aid to improve explosive power, which is crucial for many sporting disciplines. We concluded that both acute and chronic supplementation make sense. Acute supplementation lasting five to seven days with higher doses (approximately 20 grams per day divided into four smaller doses) allows rapid saturation of muscle creatine stores, while chronic supplementation involves smaller daily doses (approximately 3-5 grams per day) and is equally effective for maintaining
increased muscle creatine levels without the risk of side effects. To improve vertical jump, the most effective supplementation is creatine monohydrate, which represents the most researched form of creatine. As vertical jump height can also be improved by adapting the training process, further research is needed in this area to better define the optimal combination of training and nutritional intervention for this purpose.
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