Creatine

[vault3rb0y]

Can we agree that unless you are an elite level athlete with specific needs, there are much more productive ways to increase your performance than by going straight to supplements? Aka.... eating the right foods and getting the proper rest before and after workouts?

[golfdane]

Can we agree that unless you are an elite level athlete with specific needs, there are much more productive ways to increase your performance than by going straight to supplements? Aka.... eating the right foods and getting the proper rest before and after workouts?

Without restitution and proper food, will you come into overtraining or have similar symptoms. Far more important than any supplement can ever be.

However, people who don't eat a lot of meat or fish might benefit, and some are able to store more creatine (allowing for a more intensive workout), than they can possibly digest (without getting too much protein (which can also put a load on your system)). Sure, the body syntethizes creatine, but it becomes even more complicated to get the right nutrients for creatine synthesis.

I agree, that it's not for everyone. Unless you are training +5 times a week, and the workouts contains a high degree of explosiveness (lifting, short sprints, jumping and plyo's), should you focus on proper diet (and this does NOT stop if you use supplements). If you are sure that all other factors (food, rest, training schedule) are optimized, and you still aren't able to complete a full workout in a satisfactory way, could creatine be the answer. So optimize all other things before going for supplements.

[powerplant42]

I've read that the only negative side effect of creatine (if you discount water-weight) is possible diarrhea... and that's if you're taking way too much...........?

Anyway, I'm wondering what it might be able to do to help with my hip/leg building back strength? Just asking, not seriously considering the notion... yet. How would I want to use it?

[kcvault]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatine#S ... d_warnings

I would read this first. Remember the real thing that determines how you can get over an injury is what exercises and what you do to rehabilitate it.

" Creatine may cause muscle cramps or muscle breakdown, leading to muscle tears or discomfort."

---Kasey

[rainbowgirl28]

I think it's easier to get dehydrated if you are taking creatine, which is probably part of what makes it easier to get injured. I am not sure it would be helpful in injury recovery, you should probably talk to your doctor or physical therapist about it.

[sduvinage]

PP
If your leg is bothering you, you should go see a physical therapist if your insurance covers it....that will help more than anything else you can do

[powerplant42]

Just a thought... that has been squashed. I'll go back to stretching now...

[bobdog77]

I've taken creatine for my lifting workouts, and what i found is when i began my cycle when i don't take any, i can't lift what my plan says i should be lifting. I also didn't gain any weight and so i believe it is worth the 10 bucks for a month or two it just sucks when you try and lift 85% of your max and you can't get all your reps in because you stopped taking it.

[EIUvltr]

Good lord. Here we go...

Creatine is a compound found in the human body. It is a group of amino acids. So whoever said its a NCAA banned substance is wrong, you might as well ban calcium while you're at it. Colleges cannot distribute creatine, however the athlete can still purchase it on his/her own. Yes, ingesting too much of it can cause health problems, however this is true for everything. Drinking too much water can cause hyponatremia and kill you, but no one is suggesting we not drink water. Creatine is found in the body in the form of creatine phosphate. It is used for short term energy production by donating it's phosphate group to Adenosine Diphosphate to create Adenosine Triphosphate (the energy currency of the body). Different people have differing amounts of natural creatine stores. Some people are near their genetic potential for creatine storage whereas other people are nowhere near it. It is this phenomenon that dictates the effectiveness of creatine supplementation. If you naturally store lots of creatine in your muscles, then supplementation will probably not do anything. However if you have a lower amount of natural creatine stores, then you will see very significant results from creatine supplementation. This is why you hear such varying opinions on if it works or not. Whether or not a pole vaulter should take it is really up to you. Higher levels of creatine allow you to perform intense activity for slightly longer than you otherwise would, and also allow you to recover faster. Although there is a chance you could gain weight, so the effects may cancel out. And as far as health considerations go, as long as you have a healthy diet and don't take WAY too much, you should be fine. Nothing about creatine is inherently dangerous.

http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_Detail.a ... =4&topic=4

[duhcalvin]

creatine is good if you have a consistent lifting routine and lift with proper techniques. If you are unconsistent don;t expect great results and then blame the creatine. If you are serious and want gains in strength and have the discipline to lift regularly creatine is ver y helpful in accelerating results and from personal experience building muscle helps you be better at almost everything and helps prevent injury. For instance last year i had a p.r. of 9'6" at my very first highschool meet and io also had a season ending back injury. after recovering all summer and deciding i was going to get serious about traingin so i would not have another injury like last season and i could actually be competitive in pole vault if i got stronger. so this year my weight training teacher mr polamalu (troy polamalu's cousin) helped me develop a lifting regimine and i began training. I decided that i would try a creatine supplement and a friend i have helped me pick out the supplement to use. It is called HALO and the results i saw with it were incredible. As long as you have the discipline to be consistent with your lifting a creatine supplment will show huge gains in strength. i have not had any track meets yet this year but in practice the difference is clear. I had the bungee somewhere around 12'6" the for the first time i was doing full jumps and it was incredible how much easier vaulting seemed. Now it is time to work on my form. lol But in my experience creatine is helpful as long as you have the discipline to lift. Do not expect to take it work out once a week and see results you must have the will and the want to get bigger.

[ajchaisson12]

I had been struggling with this question of whether to use or not use creatine for the past week and a half after starting my senior year of PV Pre-Season training. I had never regularly lifted with any intensity before and after 5 weeks i can already feel a difference in strength. But when the question arose as to whether i should try a protein supplement or creatine, I asked my health teacher. He said he would not recommend it and that i would be better off just eating a 1-serving sized can of tuna fish 30-40 minutes after I lift or work out since these are the stages in which your body begins to repair the slight muscle damage caused from lifting and tuna is high in protien. He said that yes, creatine has its benefits but for an 18 year old that a loaded a high protein snack would work just as well and I wouldn't risk any health issues down the road. He said that your body would much rather take in natural sources of protein rather than artificially.

I'm going to try the tuna fish and see where it takes me.

[rainbowgirl28]

I had been struggling with this question of whether to use or not use creatine for the past week and a half after starting my senior year of PV Pre-Season training. I had never regularly lifted with any intensity before and after 5 weeks i can already feel a difference in strength. But when the question arose as to whether i should try a protein supplement or creatine, I asked my health teacher. He said he would not recommend it and that i would be better off just eating a 1-serving sized can of tuna fish 30-40 minutes after I lift or work out since these are the stages in which your body begins to repair the slight muscle damage caused from lifting and tuna is high in protien. He said that yes, creatine has its benefits but for an 18 year old that a loaded a high protein snack would work just as well and I wouldn't risk any health issues down the road. He said that your body would much rather take in natural sources of protein rather than artificially.

I'm going to try the tuna fish and see where it takes me.

Just so you know, creatine and protein powder are two different things.

Eating natural protein is better than the powder, but sometimes it can be hard to eat enough from natural sources.