Creatine - Yay or nay?

[Jeremy Jive]

Simple question explained right in the title.

Creatine do you say yay or nay?

What are the benefits and drawbacks?

jeremy -don't know- jive

 

[Bass-Invader]

as far as i know, the benefits are that it will allow you to do longer sets, and it increases your muscle size due to water retention.

the bad side is that most of the size increase is lost once you stop.

it sounds like great fun, i'd hit it.

 

[Bass-Invader]

oh, and a study said that it can help with brain stimulation. As far as studies go, its probably meaningless.

 

[Subsonic Chronic]

I've always wondered about this stuff too, but have heard the warnings like Bass-Invader that it's mostly water-retention and a lot of the size dissapears once you're off it.

I've only talked to one or two people who have done it, one said that he felt really bloated while he was on it, but did end up gaining some muscle when all was said and done.

 

[beatjunkie]

I'd say Nay personally. Like mentioned above it increases muscle size by retaining water but once you stop working out it goes away, why bother?
My sugggestion would to eat healthy, lots of protein and work out on a regular basis.

man_slut may be able to answer more questions or even organik.

 

[echootje]

Seriously, all the scientific info has been posted 30 times before.

 

[moose-meat]

All it does is make the cells retain water , or something to that effect. Save you money. Better drugs to buy.

 

[diablo]

Nay.

It's all water retention. I knew a skinny guy who used it in high school, grew huge with only an average amount exercise, and then shrunk back to normal size less then a month after he stopped using it (even though he kept up his average exercise regimen).

 

[wyrm]

I used it to puff-up a bit for Varsity football.

But there was also the placebo effect. When I took it, I didn't want it to go to waste, so I was stricter in my diet and workout regimen overall, so who knows?

Unless you're preparing for something highly competitive, don't waste your money.

And cycle it -give your body a break.

 

[stir-fry]

it's not ALL water retention..
do some reading before you spout out garbage.

 

[junglegirl]

you have to be careful when using it - I had a friend who used it and didnt follow a strict regimen and he got really sick. It affects your liver and he was in bed for like 6 months...

 

[fuzzy]

I works well for the Experienced weight trainer

But I would not recomend it for anyone else

I have experienced injurines while taking it though, because it allows my muscles to do more work then my other conective tisues are ready for.

RIchard

 

[wyrm]

Originally posted by stir-fry
it's not ALL water retention..
do some reading before you spout out garbage.

Increases in intracellular (or is it interstitial) water levels can improve leverage = lifting more weight.

But so can getting fat around your joints.

 

[Bass-Invader]

creatine is an essential substance that is produced naturally by your body. Your muscles need it to produce energy. When you are working out it gets used up by your muscles and you tire out.

using a creatine supplement allows you to keep a larger reserve of the compound in your body, which your muscles can use, allowing you to do longer sets, probably at higher weights.

the water retention is just a side effect.

a more indepth description of exactly what it does is available here.

 

[PosTMOd]

Originally posted by junglegirl
you have to be careful when using it - I had a friend who used it and didnt follow a strict regimen and he got really sick. It affects your liver and he was in bed for like 6 months...

BS.

 

[Chris]

Yay

Before and after I workout

Creatine is a combination of amino acids, glycine, arginine, and methionine, not sure in what combinations ratio's. Mostly found in red meat.

In short it increases levels of ATP, allowing you to train harder and longer. Creatine also helps hydrate muscle cells, allowing the cell to increase in size and increase protein synthesis.

There is quite a bit of hype and discussion as to when the most beneficial time to take creatine, and to load or not load. All would agree that you have to at least take it after you workout for several reasons.

As for the load/no load, taking more of it say 15-25g per day for 5+ days to load up will have its benefits as you will begin to see results sooner. But personal Ive done both, and I found its much better for me to use it only twice a day before and after, 5mgs taken with a protein shake to help absorb it into my body.

check out

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=Creatine
www.absolute-creatine.com
www.creatinemonohydrate.net

 

[junglegirl]

hahha ok just thought I would post what I knew about creatine

apparently postmod knew my friend...

 

[Subsonic Chronic]

Originally posted by junglegirl
you have to be careful when using it - I had a friend who used it and didnt follow a strict regimen and he got really sick. It affects your liver and he was in bed for like 6 months...

My dad's a funny guy. He's a really healthy and fit guy, but he's also diabetic. He took a bit of creatine once and got severely fuxxored, almost had a trip to the hospital on his hands!

 

[Chris]

Originally posted by stir-fry
it's not ALL water retention..
do some reading before you spout out garbage.

Yes one of the effects is water rentention in the muscle cell size, but this is a good thing, because the cell is hydrated, it increases protein synthesis

"Another benefit of creatine is that creatine itself is a fuel source. In fact your body's first choice of energy when performing anaerobic activity (such as weightlifting) is your creatine phosphate stores. By supplementing with creatine phosphate you will increase these stores, thus giving you more energy for your workouts. There is another anabolic property that creatine holds and this is it's ability to hydrate muscle cells.1 When muscle cells are hydrated a few things happen. The most notable being an increase in protein synthesis. The second being an increase of ions into the cell. Since the cell is holding more water, it can also hold more ions since the ions will follow water into the cell in order to keep the concentration the same. When more ions are present in muscle cells (the most important being nitrogen) muscle protein synthesis also increases. "

1. Stoll B, Gerok W, Lang F., Haussings. Liver Cell Damage and Protein Synthesis. Biochemical Journal 287 (Pt 1) 217-222, 1992.

 

[wyrm]

Hence the cycling, and avoiding mega-doses.

 

[PosTMOd]

Originally posted by Subsonic Chronic
My dad's a funny guy. He's a really healthy and fit guy, but he's also diabetic. He took a bit of creatine once and got severely fuxxored, almost had a trip to the hospital on his hands!

I'd be willing to guess that he didn't take pure creatine, but rather one of those mixes of creatine and glucose.

 

[Jeremy Jive]

Basicly I'm just looking for something to give me more energy during my weight training. Being so tired lately I can't seem to lift as much or as long as I used to.

Creatine seemed like a good answer.

jeremy -still pondering- jive

 

[Torso]

Many experts are concerned that creatine is taken in huge doses, without much in the way of guidance. That is to say that evidence of its value and safety has yet to be ascertained. There are studies coming out almost every day, but few fail to provide definitive answers.
There is some evidence that short term use is related to kidney disease, but no evidence exists in regards to long term safety.
Theoretically, the more creatine phosphate in the muscles, the higher an athlete can perform. Supplements are meant to enhance stores of CP in the muscles.
In any case, red meat is a creatine rich food... if you are a meat-eater, you're getting it anyways.

 

[Subsonic Chronic]

Originally posted by Jeremy
Basicly I'm just looking for something to give me more energy during my weight training.

The stack!

 

[Chris]

Jive man

if creatine is scary for you (I cant believe people think it is), just get some extra rest, and ensure your diet is up to snuff. Space your workouts accordingly. You will see your energy levels increase naturally.