Creatine...Good or Bad?
 

My friend is telling me to take creatine for my workout because i already take the protein and work out alot. phosphagen elite by eas has been recommended to me.

but everyone else is telling me its bad. what should i do? please somneone help.

Define "bad" and "good" a little more and we might be able to lend you some thoughts. Personally, i say it's bad if you are looking to be lean, but good if you want to just put on thickness and increase power.

some respond well while other see no gains.

Creatin is good.

Creatine is good if you want flabby watery muscles that go away after you stop taking it. Plus I hated how my stomach always felt so bloated because I had to drink so much water. My bench did go from like 180 to 250 in just a couple months though. So I guess it depends what you're looking for.

I'm happier now doing no supplements actually.

If your not really an advanced lifter (and you don't appear to be by your post) then creatine can be a good way to add a little some 'extra' to your workouts.

It works by allowing your cellular energy source (ATP) to be regenerated faster as it's being used in a workout. This gives your cells more energy, and can increase strength and endurance in short burst exercise.

A by-product is your body stores a lot more water than normal, and you will usually bloat up. I hated the bloat, as it made me sweat buckets just walking up the stairs, but for some people it's not so bad.

You will gain weight on creatine, mostly water, but extra strength can translate into extra muscle, so you may get a pound or two from a cycle (1-2 months 'on' with 1 month 'off').

Try it, see how it goes. It's a nice supplement to start out with.

It worked for me once. I didn't cycle it, stayed on it for a couple of months. Gained about five pounds, lost two when I went off it, but did gain some strength and hold onto it. As far as a workout is concerned, it feels like you've got a really good carbo load on; like you ate a ton of pasta or mashed potatoes the night before. Your muscles have a lot of energy to work with. You can push more weight. The effect seemed to lessen over the weeks that I was on it.

Went back on creatine a few months later, this time to no effect.

i bought some a long time ago. it seemed to give a little extra workout energy, as indicated above. it also tasted terrible and made me more thirsty during the workout.

i wish i hadn't bought it. i have had no problems exercising without it.

bloating is with monohydrate not ethyl ester...and CEE is all the hype right now...or was.

There's nothing wrong with Creatine at all. It's nothing but good for you.

Flat out, it gives you more energy. The water retention is a "side effect". Side effect is in quotes because... it makes your muscles look fuller by retaining more water.

But overall, it's good for energy. The additional ATP prevents your body from building up lactic acid. You won't be as sore and you get better workouts.

Read more here http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/cr...onohydrate.htm

Yeah, when I used it I was able to recover faster.
I also noticed a bit of a boost.

I never eat right, and it helped despite that.

I think it is worth a shot, but don't get the crappy brand, make sure it says like "crea pure" or something.

There are some kinds out there that are really shitty.

Remember when ephedra was so popular a few years back? Everyone under the sun (in a gym) was overdosing on it so they could look ripped and such. Now some have high blood pressure and heart problems. What ever happened to eating an apple with peanut butter on it before a workout? My fear with the current exercise suppliments is that in them lies the next ephedra. There is little risk in sticking to fruits, veggies, lean meats, nuts, and dairy. I've found that flax seeds and whey protien go far in a smoothy, too. My doctor basically said that evey sign so far says that creatine is safe, but there is little or no long term study out there. I'd say talk to your doctor and personal trainer before starting it. And don't use it if you're pregnate.

ok. i don't think i'll ever get pregnant.

anyways....i think i have to really research on this before i take it. i want to gain alot of mass and power.

Just take the damned stuff and see what happens! It's not steroids! :crazy:

For mass, eat eat eat, then eat some more, and power, have a good training regime.

As for ephedra, what do people expect when they take something to raise their body temperature? A perfectly valuble supplement ruined by the idiots amonst us. :hmm:

Edit: Heres a linky for you: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/gastelu8.htm

I used to take it. I got a lot of calf cramps during the second half of rugby games while taking it. I've since learned that a good diet and good old fashioned hard work is more important than spending money on supplements that promise to be a quick fix.

It's good stuff, have a read through some of these articles located here or just read this if you'd like to learn some more about it, though what people like Stompie and stevie667 have said here is pretty much spot on. I definantly reccommend reading those articles.

I agree.

I wanted to post a thread like this, although I would rather use "Supplementary Proteins" as the topic :) and as such, searched on that, failing to get any results.

Haha, so Creatine, it's a supplement right?

Dad tried it when he was younger. He stopped protein supplements and he stopped working out later. Taking the supplements gave him muscles and buffed him up in a short period of time. However, when he stopped working out and stopped protein supplements, he said his muscles "dissapeared". No longer buff.

However, at 50, he is bigger than me, has a large tough chest and some abs and wing muscles. He doesn't take protein supplements. :) You want muscles? Ask an instructor to guide you, not some protein.

Good luck.

I was of the masses that were fanatical about EAS when B Phillips’s magazine was MM2000. Aside from being the first to commercially market creatine (Phosphagen), it also provided complete breakdown of well known supplements and showcased new ones as they came out. He also was the first to educate laymen readers how to use anabolic steroids and similar substances. I experimented with most supplements one can buy at a store. Since then I’ve better educated myself in bio chem., nutrition, and exercise phys. With results related to myself and others I know I now understand these realities:

1. Everybody is built genetically different, so results will vary across the board
2. Nothing will compare in results to eating 6 times within a day- staying within your projected caloric range with each meal properly divided substrates- the last meal (#6 before bedtime) being strait protein
3. If weight resistance is used fully understand the muscle confusion principle and follow it.
4. If cardio is being used for lowering the fat percentage do it before breakfast, or right after weight training so the fuel is fat vs. carbs
5. For me personally, I found creatine actually helped lower my anaerobic threshold better than increase the looks of my lean mass. (At time I was in the military doing 6-8 mile runs in the soft sand and suffering each time we did- after becoming saturated with creatine I was in the front and not even winded)
6. If money is going to be diverted from food into supplements the best, most effective are 1. Meal replacement powders- for those that have trouble preparing their daily meals #2 and #4 (late morning and early afternoon) 2. protein powder 3. antioxidants
7. If someone is spending a lot on supplements for aesthetic reasons, and they don’t mind certain ethical issues- its actually cheaper and more effective just to go down south for a day and stock up.
8. proper eating regime and rest will naturally stimulate the body’s most anabolic hormone insulin, and naturally elevate testosterone and IGF-1 eliminating the true need for any sport supplements.

More info than needed, sorry

In case you were still interested check out the following link, it has a lot of questions about creatine :

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=100831

I'm no expert but used Creatine fairly regularly for a couple of years. Had good results with no side effects. Haven't used it for about 3 years now and probably won't in the future, but only because I've finally woken up to the reality that I'm getting older and personal bests are a thing of the past, literally! So I've given up trying to beat them and just run and do resistance training for fitness and fun and (usually!) try to keep a balanced diet. If I were back into serious exercise I'd probably still use it in moderation.

You can't just strictly rely on creatine, you have to balance it out with other nutrition. It's safe, it's not a steroid, just try it, and if it works for you, keep using it. Just keep in mind that you need to stay balanced, that's the important thing in improving your fitness.

sorry for the delayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

archer, of course i know u need a good nutrition which i already have. and im starting to take whey.

from my research, my sis' roommate took it in high school and stopped because he had nose bleeds (he had the right nutrtion and had lots of water).

i have other friends who get tired during the day because of the creatine.

ok. i used to be the scrawniest kid ever in high school because i was short and a long distance runner. but now gained muscle from eating alot and working out. my bench went from 80 to 110 in one and a half months. i used to weigh 100 pounds, but now i weigh 126.4 pounds (weighed myself at the gym today). and i always get tired and yawn alot at the gym. oh yeah, i'm 5'4 lol.

Creatine is great if all you value is higher numbers in as short a period of time as possible. I say fuck the creatine, put in the hardwork and effort and you'll be fine. Patience...

Outside of you professional wrestlers, who here needs an 80lb jump in their bench press before September?

Looks like I've found a new friend. I spend LOTS of time combating people about suppliments, diet pills and fad diets. I work as a personal trainer, and get people asking me about suppliments and diets all day long. I legally cannot tell them NOT to take something, but I make it very clear that I strongly disagree with most suppliments. All everyone needs is proper diet :D

You are tired because you run out of glycogen mid-workout. Load up on carbs an hour before you exercise, get that glucose pumping though you. This is the one place creating may help you, or you could just eat more before a workout, or even drink fruit juice during your workout, you will have more glycogen stores. You are yawning because you are not breathing properly, 2 different issues.

i agree with you topramen. i don't like taking supplements. im just trying to work on my diet for now.

when used correctly its beneficial....i used it a couple of times and got results....

i plan on using it again in a few weeks....

a friend did a research project on it. here are some things i remember
-it's relatively new and no long term effect studies have been done on it
-if you do it, follow the instructions
-it costs a lot of money
-some short term studies show if you use it incorrectly there might be a link with bladder problems
-it works but it doesn't work for you, you have to actually work out still
-once you stop taking it, you lose the extra stuff you gained

thats what i figured if i started and stopped taking it.

I'm very active with JiuJitsu and surfing. The only things I take are an antioxidant capsule (blueberries...), glucosamine, and whey protien powder shakes. Other than this, I try to eat balanced meals and drink plenty of water. Keep in mind that my goal is to be in top shape (healthy/performance) instead of wanting to be big and strong-looking.

help please
 

hi,

i have read loads of reviews about creatine but no one has actually said whether or not when you stop taking it what are the disadvantages

please can someone tell me what the side effects are once you stop taking it.

Do you become weaker and muscles shrink in size?

thanks

matthew, the thread touched on this, but generally your muscles carry more water when you're on creatine. This makes them look fuller, but this means you look "bigger" than you really are. When you stop taking creatine, the water mass will eventually be reduced. But I wouldn't be too concerned about that unless you want this superficial "benefit."

Otherwise, I've read a few sources stating creatine is a "must have" supplement, but only when it comes to its enabling you to work out with more intensity and recover faster.

If you stop taking creatine after a period, you won't lose any real gains. You'll lose the edge it gives your training and a bit of water in your muscles. You won't lose strength (i.e. muscle tissue), merely some performance and recovery advantages.

It's actually recommended to "cycle" creatine intake. (i.e. don't take it all the time) It all depends on your training regimen. Generally take creatine during your most intense phases. Stop taking it when you cycle down or take a break to make changes to your routine. It's generally recommended to break from weightlifting for about a week every 3 months or so.

There are many ways to use it, but I wouldn't be worried about "side effects" of stopping creatine supplementation.

As others have said. The biggest gains will come from proper diet and effective movements.

But, with that being said, I take it daily and have for years. The last time I quit I noticed I got tired a lot quicker during my workouts. It never made my bench go up. But it did let me bang out more reps at a higher weight, which did make all my lifts go up. The weight gain is minimal in my opinion.

And really as long as you get a good quality product, save your money and just get a big tub of monohydrate. All the other deliveries have not really made that big of a difference. Check out pubmed before taking though.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...pmc&cmd=search

I'm a skinny guy (6'1" - 155 lbs) and supplemented creatine this summer and it added about 10 lbs to my workout and I gained around 5 lbs. I went off about a couple weeks ago and so far I've lost 2 lbs. My weight and diet have been steady so the loss I attribute to water loss of creatine. I'm still lifting with the additional 10 lbs, so that wasnt a factor. Keep in mind, creatine is in meats and fish but in minimal amounts compared to amount needed to increase muscle size. Bodybuilding.com is a pretty good resource for creatine.

Just be sure to drink plenty of water while taking it.

not worth it, took it for about a year and I lost every bit of the gains within 6 months when I stopped taking it.

I reckon it's ok if you are at a training plateau. Suggest 3-5 weeks use in that case. Myself... I get sick of it before then. 3wks is my approx patience level.

It does look like like it may increase blood pressure however. Which is not good, but potentially acceptable short term. (You may want to research this).

It seems a bit nutty to take this stuff continuously. That seems like "cosmetic supplementation" if you ask me. Unless it's for competition. But it's your body.

Oh yea... I also used to occasionally take it after a long training session (as a one-off dose). The aim in that case is to increase growth slightly, and to be slightly less wrecked next day.

Just stick to the manufacturers labels and you'll be fine ,but look for reputable brands.