Creatine?

Groa,
Well said. To summarize, any supplement is just that - an “addition” to an already established program or routine. There is no “magic bullet” in body building, or PE, for that matter. Anyone who thinks a supplement will be the end-all-be-all is greatly mistaken. And it does affect everyone differently. I’ve had friends have flank pain, muscle cramps, and complained of looking “bloated”. Others have no no effects, positive or negative! I’ve had nothing but great results, so, IMO, its great.

Doc,
Yes, when supplementing with creatine, h20 is even more of a necessity than before, due to the cellular super-hydrating effects. Most, if not all, of creatine’s negative side effects(muscle cramps, dizziness, renal/flank pain) are due to users not hydrating properly, and leaving themselves in a state of dehydration.
Any luck on finding some cardiac effects of creatine?

acualy no, Im still hesitent to try it though because of the refrences i spoke of b4

I went to buy some creatine but I wasnt sure what kind to buy, they had creatine monohidrate and some others. Wich works best?

Doc,
Creatine Monohydrate is the usual standby. I think EAS came out with creatine phosphate, and pumped the advertising, saying it worked better, but studies have shown that the monohydrate or phosphate have had the same results. EAS makes a solid product, but it’ll cost you more in the end. My advice is to buy a well-known brand of creatine monohydrate. I use Champion Nutrition myself.

BTW - These forums have a “spellcheck” option.

Micronized creatine supposedly has better absorption. I hear creatine with the CreaPure symbol on the label is good stuff. CreaPure is a trademark of SKW Trostberg AG, a Germany manufacture of creatine made to high standards with little or no impurites. My understanding is that the cheap creatine, even though label claims 100% pharmacutical grade, still has impurities of some sort.

Opitmum Nutrition creatine has the CreaPure symbol on the label. I’ve never used Optimum products so I can’t vouch for the quality. Another place I found the CreaPure creatine was from Nutrition Express.com. It was sold under the Fitness Labs brand name, supposedly a German based supplement manufacture. I used to use EAS stuff, but thought it was a little over-priced and I also felt thier quality went south once they started making that cheaper line stuff “Simply….”, just my opinion however. I now use Biotest products….Yes very pricey, but feel the Biotest products deliver every bit if not more results than Biotest claims. Sorry, Biotest does not offer a creatine product anymore.

Creatine Anhydrous from syntrax
I get mine from netrition.com They have the best prices I have found so far. I use it to help with hydration and an abnormal matabolism. Interestingly, creatine was first studied for its affects on metabolism in the elderly (read this a long time ago,anyone with a link to verify or debunk please post.)

After I catch up on my mail I will start a new thread. Nothing but prices, quantities, and .com’s We can all save each other a great deal of time and $ on the different suppliments we are using.

I got 20 packs of 28gram creatine for 25 dollars at a local gnc, im taking it for muscle enhancment but I wont mind if it helps pe :)

Guys,

Careful with that Creatine. Do your homework. Drink a shitload of water while using that stuff.

If you are into aerobic exercise, running, cycling, endurance events, stay away from Creatine.

This is a link to webmd, I have used creatine for a few years and this site pretty much "sums" up the information I have run into over the years.

WebMD - Better information. Better health.

As with any supplement the effects will differ per user. Many recent studies have shown that caffeine while using creatine will block it’s uptake. Of course again, for each user etc… The main, very main thing is to Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! This link merely sums up the use of creatine. hope it helps, Str8

Creatine:

The ATP/PC system is fulled by creatine phosphate. This system lasts up to 10-12 seconds of Maximal work e.g. doing 8 reps of bench press… thats why so many bodybulders use creatine, so that they have more supplies of creatine therefore increasing the ammount of work that can be done.

as mentioned before creatine causes water retention (water traped under skin/in muscles) and makes the athlete look “fat” and not as “defined” as prior to taking creatine. Bodybuliders cut creatine out of their diet about 2 weeks before a contest so that they look more defined and not fat.

Creatine is safe i think as long as you use what the label tells you, i took 5 grams after workouts when i was taking it and i didnt see any adverse side affects.

good luk dudes

Ive had no muscle gains while taking creatine and acually ive lost a pretty good portion of the muscle in my chest. On the other hand I have gained back some weight without getting fatter. I drink about a gallon and a half of water a day wich must be going somewhere because I dont urinate but mabe half of that out.

Ok, to re-iterate:
Creatine does NOT increase lean muscle mass itself; it’s not anabolic. What it DOES, as other have stated, to simplify, is cause your muscles to recover faster from anaerobic activity. Now, theoretically, it makes you stronger, too. This could be psychosomatic, I dunno, seem to work for me. But——by making you recover faster, you can do more sets, and in a workout, lift “heavier” (more)—thereby doing more damage to your muscles. And when you recover with rest and protein supplementation, boom, bigger guns :D

Now, sitting around smacking your monkey whilst on creatine WILL do nothing but make you a large sack of blubbery H20.

But we all already know that, don’t we?

Okay guys let me clear a few things up because theres some bad advice going around.

Creatine does not make you fat, in no way can it make you fat it has no calories.Fat is soft and wobbly creatine makes you tighter and full, puffy but no way flabby.

Yes it is true Creatine may cause a bit of water retention, some people like it others dont.Creatine allows the cells to hold more water and thats what gives you that pumped up puffy look which can make your stomich look a bit bloated in some people.

I have done research on creatine and not once have i heard that creatine kills your heart , thats bullshit do you have any proof or links to back up your words?

Creatine doesnt help you recover quicker but does make you stronger from being able to work out more intensly due to greater ATP production.

If your into cario i wouldnt worry too much, yes its true Creatine may cause muscle cramps if you dont drink water, so drink water and make gains.The majority of people who use it do and thats why its so popular.

Jelqking,
Nicely put. I forgot to add about cardio and creatine. Seems some studies (facts, ma’am, just the facts) have proven benefits to creatine supplementation and aerobic activity. Myself, I noticed MAYBE a slight increase in aerobic capacity. I’ve since cut most cardio from my workout; I’m chasing the elusive “lean muscle gain”.

h20 retention? Please, people, study up. Try “Skeletal Muscle Cell Water Retention. Biiiig diff than holding water under the skin.

Bottom line, drink your h20, and do your homework.

Jelqking——-you’ve never noticed a decreased recovery time between sets? I have, but it does affect everyone differently.

PS—-I’d like to hear from more people on creatine, the pros and cons.

nt