Creatine: A Necessity?

[WORKEROUTER]

How many people here regularly consume creatine? I was thinking of using it, but is it REALLY necessary? I am nowhere near peak potential in terms of physique, and a solid diet and workout program is showing great results.

I'd like to hear some different opinions on the subject.

 

[penkitten]

if you use it, you must work out, you must drink the appropriate amount of water or you will end up looking like a cow.

 

[MrFitness880]

umm...i dont know what PK is talking about ....but no supplements like creatine are never necessary. creatine however can be a nice addition to a good workout program w/ plenty of rest and food.

im glad to hear youre making results the way you are. almost exclusively i hear of ppl wanting to take stuff thinking it will make up for inadequecies in exercise, diet or rest.

how long have you been training? couldnt hurt to give it a try, but no its not at all a necessity.

 

[penkitten]

i am talking about my punk ex boyfriend that used creatine to get big muscles. however he didnt work out everyday and he got fat. lazy + creatine = cow not big muscles

and i did read in mens health that you must drink the required water amount or you could have health issues.

 

[mrExtreme]

but no supplements like creatine are never necessary. creatine however can be a nice addition to a good workout program w/ plenty of rest and food.

Agreed. Also, supplementing with creatine doesn't make you fat. It does cause you to retain water however. As Penkitten said, if you decide to supplement with creatine be sure to drink lots of water. You should be drinking at least 1 gallon of water daily and more if you can. Before you supplement with creatine, or any other supplement, you should research it before taking it. Here are some excellent links on creatine to get you started.

Creatine Myths and Facts

Creatine a Meta-analysis

i am talking about my punk ex boyfriend that used creatine to get big muscles. however he didnt work out everyday and he got fat. lazy + creatine = cow not big muscles

Creatine does not directly cause gains in muscle mass. It simply supplies more creatine to be used in the creatine phosphagen system, which is one of the three energy systems that your body utilizes during work outs. Therefore, giving the ability to be able to extend sets for longer periods of time which in turn creates more muscle mass indirectly.

 

[MrFitness880]

mens health is the last place i would go for information

if the ex got fat it is because he was lazy not the creatine

in regards to water retention, creatine increases intracellular water retention...water in the cell. this has been suggested to increase protein synthesis within a cell, and my personal hypothesis is that the increase in size prompts cell division which would increase protein synthesis and cell part replication

creatine increases adp to atp synthesis ... that is its role in energy supply

 

[Zaine]

Originally posted by MrFitness880
mens health is the last place i would go for information

if the ex got fat it is because he was lazy not the creatine

in regards to water retention, creatine increases intracellular water retention...water in the cell. this has been suggested to increase protein synthesis within a cell, and my personal hypothesis is that the increase in size prompts cell division which would increase protein synthesis and cell part replication

creatine increases adp to atp synthesis ... that is its role in energy supply

SOMEBODY took AP Biology.

 

[Grandor]

Yes Creatine has to do with the anerobic system.
Put short, it helps the ATP cycle.
Put in simplest terms. Creaine gives you more energy - BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO WORK FOR IT!
You have to train to failure and beyond. Otherwise there isnt much point in having the extra energy supply.
I know ppl on creatine who dont train to failure. They dont see results.

I drink 3.5Litres of water / day.
I take Balance Effervescent Creatine before a workout as directed. One scoop as directed.
I work out 3 days a week these days.

 

[coolguy676767]

Ok he is right on the water part, the more you take the more water you need as otherwise it is highly suspected and some people say it is proved but with weak results that lack of water plus too much creatine can hurt your kidneys. But on the weight part, that has nothing to do with creatine that has to do with protein, if you have too much protein and dont work out you get fat. But a study showed in 6 months a group gained 8 percent more on creatine than without.

 

[Garbury]

i took cell-tech every day, (just 5 grams, no loading phase) until the jug ran out. I worked out 5 or 6 days a week, and i wasn't over training because i felt stronger each time. I cut out cardio to eliminate extra calorie expenditure, and i ate like a pig immediately follwing my workout. I took in about 4-5K calories a day. My weight went from 185 to 220 and my bench from 240 to 290 over the course of 2 months. I didnt put on too much body fat, because im sportin a 6 pack for sprign break now. The creatine was good stuff, i could feel it working in me. Try creatine, it doesn't work for all people but if it does, oh my does it help.

 

[dastal]

the site says Creatine is made naturally. Is there any food that is high in creatine? I cant get the supplement, my parents think its unhealthy. I suppose that if your body makes it in the liver, than the liver and onions are good for you? Uggh

 

[D'light]

you can find creatine in beef and other meat products. i could very well be way off in this amount, but to throw a ballpart figure out..you may need 2-3 pounds of beef to get the 5 grams of creatine that is in a serving of monohydrate. i see you are only 15; that means puberty, and creatine will probably be pretty useless to you.

 

[semag]

i see you are only 15; that means puberty, and creatine will probably be pretty useless to you.

Yeah man.. .so many hormones going through your body... just lift and eat like crazy, no diets, just eat. You'll explode in growth. Think about extra stuff when they'll help... maybe 19-20ish

 

[Oxide]

penkitten..i am sure your bf had more things than just creatine that made him fat (like lack of sex.. hahahaha )


I've been taking creatine for a month and a half now.

Some things i've learned over time:

You can take creatine with water, but apparently it doesnt work as well as if you take it with juice. (after the work out).


Loading isnt necessary.. take 5g one hour before working out, 5g one hour afterwards.

Drink at least a gallon of water a day. this is very improtant. YOu dont want to dehydrate. I find that if i dont drink enough water, my lips becomes chapped much easier. (easiest way to drink that much water is simply to have a liter water bottle next to you when you watch tv/on computer.. you drink and dont even notice)


Peeing 20 times a day is normal when you drink that much water



As for results, i am not quite sure, recently i've reached a pretty impressive goal for myself - 135 on incline, never even considered it, and bam! all os the sudden pulled 2 sets of 6 each. If that was creatine helping, more power to it.

So far im taking it with water only.