Okay, So What About Creatine?

At my highschool (and highschools around the area) a lot of athletes have been talking about creatine lately (with the start of fall season sports underway).

Yeah, I know about it - it fills your muscles with more water, makes you feel more powerful and stronger, makes you somewhat dehydrated so you need to drink more water - has no known serious side effects if taken in the regular amount.

But has anyone here actually had an experience with it? I mean I'll be honest, I am a bit curious, though my coach has using it against the training rules so I never would, but I know a few guys who are thinking of trying it and I want to know more about it than biased internet articles. I mean, if all of the hippity jivvety stuff is just a lie, what does it really do?

Thanks in advance...
Nate

what i hear that most people dont like about it is that if you stop working out it will turn to fat all quicker then if you were not using it. and it makes some people feel weird after they take it and it makes your penis smaller













































joke about the penis part lol

[quote35b12c0ea2="Stroid"]what i hear that most people dont like about it is that if you stop working out it will turn to fat all quicker then if you were not using it. and it makes some people feel weird after they take it and it makes your penis smaller













































joke about the penis part lol[/quote35b12c0ea2]

I agree with stroid..if you dont keep working out and constantly working your muscles then it does turn to fat really quick..i've seen some kids that use it and have breasts..if you want breasts, than go ahead..but be sure to take pictures

never used it. Well thats becuase I played basketball in college and when i lifted it was more for conditioning and toning. Never really wanted to bulk up. My roomate was into that and had jugs of it. He was a little deez and was consistent in his workouts so I guess it could have its advantages. He did say that it tasted like shit and that he felt like throwing up the first week he was on it. Give it a try. It wont kill you and your the only one who'll know what it could do for you.

I took creatine in high school before my senior year. I played football, and it help me put on about 30 lbs in 6 months. I never had any problems with it, but I made sure I did my research before I took it. I always had at least a gallon of water every day, and I stopped taking it before the season started so I wouldn't get dehydrated as easily. I lost maybe 5 lbs the week I stopped using it but kept the rest, and didn't have any problems with it "turning into fat", since I made sure to stay in shape even after the season ended. Also, it was completely tasteless, so I just put in in some water and drank it with no problems.

Bottom line, do your research, and, if you can....consult your family physician.



My personal take Creatine = Man Boobs

[quotec644088537="FreeOffersNow"]My personal take Creatine = Man Boobs[/quotec644088537]
LMMFAO! lol

http//www.abcbodybuilding.com/creatine%20myths%20and_facts.htm

That cleared a few things up, though it seemed biased.

I already have man boobs, does that mean I'm cool to use it?

eh... creatine adds moisture to your muscles to make them bigger i believe. but if you want true mass and tone you should probably go with some whey protein. 3 shakes a day (15-25g of protein per shake) and you will see changes promptly. i am not sure what youre looking for but you should research before you start taking any kind of supplement. try www.bodybuilding.com for instance.

Thats a pretty good site tracemhunter, check out their forum too at forum.bodybuilding.com. I took protein and creatine together after workouts and don't have man boobs )

Creatine is just like any other "body-building" hormone... different strokes for different folks. It is used to rapidly repair and grow muscles after any type of workout --- where they have been torn/broken down. Your body produces and breaks down creatine naturally, but the powder increases the amount temporarily.

Just like anabolic steroids (and other hormones), Creatine should be used in cycles --- 4-6 weeks on, 2-3 weeks off. Sometimes high-endurance athletes (like runners) will "load" in the first and last week of their cycles --- where they take the daily dose 2-4 times a day. This creates a spike in the levels and supposedly helps the body maximize the benefits. It also multiplies the impact of the side-effects for those who feel them.

Doe it cause Man-boobs, shrinking balls or penis? No, it does not effect your testosterone levels so estrogen is not produced to re-balance your levels.

Two very common side effects are stomach cramping and weight-gain. A lot of people cannot use Creatine because of the cramping that may result (especially when "loading" a cycle). A good way to combat this is to take it with a highly acidic juice (i.e. orange juice) so that it will be broken down and absored into the body quickly. Gatorade always works for me as it covers the chalk-like taste of the powder.

As for weight gain, some people see it as a positive while others see it as a negative. It's not a noticeable (visually) dofference as it is mostly caused by water retention. This can be VERY unsettling if you are on a diet and setpping on the scale every day --- you will watch the pounds pack on even though you are eating right and exercising. Keep in mind that this is temporary and will go away once you end your cycle.

As for supplements, the most important one that you can take is a daily multi-vitamin. Many people don't realize all of the missing nutrients from living on a McDonald's and Starbucks diet. Second would be protein --- muscles need protein to repair and grow themselves. Even Creatine won't solve a protein deficiency, but it will help enhance a sufficiency.

From there, eat right and exercise... everything else will work itself out.

<--- played football at a collegiate level, never supplemented anything other than whey protein or protein isolates (save for detour bars, which are essentially just candy bars packed with protein).

i used to use it. got punched in the face. blood is a lot thinner so my face didnt stop bleeding for a while. dont use it.

[quote6b807dcd8b="smiller12"]i used to use it. got punched in the face. blood is a lot thinner so my face didnt stop bleeding for a while. dont use it.[/quote6b807dcd8b]

lol, I never heard of creatine making your blood thinner. And I would say don't get punched in the face, rather than don't use creatine lol

[quoteda9d3d1f1c="idrinklisterine"][quoteda9d3d1f1c="smiller12"]i used to use it. got punched in the face. blood is a lot thinner so my face didnt stop bleeding for a while. dont use it.[/quoteda9d3d1f1c]

lol, I never heard of creatine making your blood thinner. [bda9d3d1f1c]And I would say don't get punched in the face, rather than don't use creatine[/bda9d3d1f1c] lol[/quoteda9d3d1f1c]


lol lol lol

[quote3ba8e184d6="smiller12"]i used to use it. got punched in the face. blood is a lot thinner so my face didnt stop bleeding for a while. dont use it.[/quote3ba8e184d6]

Why did you get punched in the face?


Im sorry too laugh but that was the funniest reason as to why someone shouldnt do something. D D

[quotee957045097="no0ne2k"]Creatine is just like any other "body-building" hormone... [/quotee957045097]

Creatine is not a hormone. It its a storage for of the energy molecules used in the body, ATP. different strokes for different folks.

[quotee957045097="no0ne2k"]It is used to rapidly repair and grow muscles after any type of workout[/quotee957045097] Incorrect, it is used as a rapid energy store.

[quotee957045097="no0ne2k"]Just like anabolic steroids (and other hormones), Creatine should be used in cycles --- 4-6 weeks on, 2-3 weeks off. Sometimes high-endurance athletes (like runners) will "load" in the first and last week of their cycles --- where they take the daily dose 2-4 times a day. This creates a spike in the levels and supposedly helps the body maximize the benefits. It also multiplies the impact of the side-effects for those who feel them.[/quotee957045097] True to an extent. Cycling may help, but there is a limit as to how much is too much and how often is just right. Creatine will put on weight, not arguing about that. Although, that weight is water weight mostly.


[quotee957045097="no0ne2k"]Two very common side effects are stomach cramping and weight-gain. A lot of people cannot use Creatine because of the cramping that may result (especially when "loading" a cycle). A good way to combat this is to take it with a highly acidic juice (i.e. orange juice) so that it will be broken down and absored into the body quickly. Gatorade always works for me as it covers the chalk-like taste of the powder.[/quotee957045097] Not so mucha worry any more. In the older days, creatine was crystalline and that is what caused the cramping. Now, with microcrystalline, highly refined powders, cramping is virtually elliminated.

[quotee957045097="no0ne2k"]As for supplements, the most important one that you can take is a daily multi-vitamin. [/quotee957045097]True, unless you want to put on mass. Then you need to take protein. An excellent resourse to look at is www.bodybuilding.com This website has lots of training articles and lots of information that will help you make educated decisions about what supplements to take and why. They also have an online store with the lowest prices on everything.

[quote338b4677ca="smiller12"]i used to use it. got punched in the face. blood is a lot thinner so my face didnt stop bleeding for a while. dont use it.[/quote338b4677ca]

Its not a blood thinner and there are no research articles mentioning this as a side effect. If this in fact happened, you might have a vitamin K deficiency.

it makes blood circulate faster


and it was a fight.. i took it right before