creatine??

[golden arhat]

i heard somewhere that all it does is fill your muscles with water and isnt very good for you

but some of the people at my gym use it and have had great results

whats the general consensus on it??
pro's cons ??

any better alternatives??


any info appreciated

[David Jamieson]

im not for it.

it is said to aid in recovery, but so does proper diet and sleep.

[sanjuro_ronin]

The simple version is that creatine helps load your muscles with water and that helps in recovery and to stave off the build up of lactic acid, which allows you to workout more.
No know side effects other than some intestinal issues and bathroom breaks.
Of course, like most supplements, its the quaility that is the issue.
T-Nation has many articles about it.
So does almost every other site on body building or strength training.

[bodhitree]

Creatine (usually creatine monohydrate) is used by the body as creatine phosphate, a pecursor to ATP (adenotriphosphate), which is essential in anaerobic activities.

Creatine DOES increase the amount of water held by muscles, but that is not all it does.

There have been rumors (all rumors) that creatine is somehow bad for the kidneys, but there is no scientific evidence to back that up. Most studies reveal other benefits of creatine (one I remember claimed increased concentration).



Creatine is a good supplement for anybody looking to increase power, or mass.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Creatine (usually creatine monohydrate) is used by the body as creatine phosphate, a pecursor to ATP (adenotriphosphate), which is essential in anaerobic activities.

Creatine DOES increase the amount of water held by muscles, but that is not all it does.

There have been rumors (all rumors) that creatine is somehow bad for the kidneys, but there is no scientific evidence to back that up. Most studies reveal other benefits of creatine (one I remember claimed increased concentration).



Creatine is a good supplement for anybody looking to increase power, or mass.

I think the kidney thing was when people were doing "loading" cycles and drink gallons of water.
Stuff that no one really advocates now.

[golden arhat]

so should it be used in conjunction with other supplements ?as opposed to using it by itself

does it build muscle by itself or just allow you to make better use of whatever protein your taking already??

[David Jamieson]

only you build muscle through ripping the tissues and letting them heal.

no drug in and of itself does anything of the sort such as building muscle.

you simply have to work your ass off to get bigger and stronger.

these drugs only help you to recover quickly so you can continue to gain mass through the rip and rest method.

[bodhitree]

only you build muscle through ripping the tissues and letting them heal.

Umm.. actually rest and nutrition play an equal part in this

no drug in and of itself does anything of the sort such as building muscle.

you simply have to work your ass off to get bigger and stronger.

and rest your ass off and eat right

these drugs

Supplements

only help you to recover quickly so you can continue to gain mass through the rip and rest method

Creatine does help recovery, but it also supplies ATP to muscles for more power output and helps add lean mass by increasing the amount of water in muscle cells.



Why do you always insist on acting like you know something when you really don't? (Rhetorical question)

[bodhitree]

so should it be used in conjunction with other supplements ?as opposed to using it by itself

does it build muscle by itself or just allow you to make better use of whatever protein your taking already??

Creating can be used with or without other supplements, the one essential is you will need to drink more water (throughout the day, not necessarily during your workout).

I prefer to use creating pre-workout. After mixing the creatine consume it rapidly (as it is only creatine for about 30 seconds, after which it turns into creatinine which will be removed from the body as waste). Try getting creatine with carbs already added, or mix it with juice, as carbs help the absorbtion process.

It will not build muscle all by itself, but with the other elements of a good program (training, rest, nutrition) it will certainly help.

[bodhitree]

linkey linkey to a thread started by some super awesome guy with supplement info in it.....

[David Jamieson]

bodhitree.

by definition, supplements are drugs.

they are an artificial way to make things occur as well.

and yes, rest is huge, i believe i indicated that but... In fact, your muscle only grows, like bone only grows IE: when you're sleeping. Most stuff that is about longer term body change occurs while sleeping or in a rest state.

I'm all for recovery drinks taht replace burnt glycogens that you stole from your liver during your wrokout and even for extra protein bars and such, but actual harder drugs than tomato or broccoli extracts and so on are simply not for me.
i'm just a bit of a nature boy that way.

drugs = your shit is fake.

[bodhitree]

bodhitree.

by definition, supplements are drugs.

they are an artificial way to make things occur as well.

and yes, rest is huge, i believe i indicated that but... In fact, your muscle only grows, like bone only grows IE: when you're sleeping. Most stuff that is about longer term body change occurs while sleeping or in a rest state.

I'm all for recovery drinks taht replace burnt glycogens that you stole from your liver during your wrokout and even for extra protein bars and such, but actual harder drugs than tomato or broccoli extracts and so on are simply not for me.
i'm just a bit of a nature boy that way.

drugs = your shit is fake.

Sorry for being so argumentative, bad day at work

I see your point, but remember, every time you eat meat creatine is in there

[sanjuro_ronin]

Sorry for being so argumentative, bad day at work

I see your point, but remember, every time you eat meat creatine is in there

I need to remind a few athletic women I know of that very fact

[WinterPalm]

Taken in small doses, say a quarter of what bodybuilders use, is actually good for recovery from atheletic pursuits and has nothing to do with water storage and bloating.
However, I've never experimented with it...I have taken a recovery drink, that tasted like laundry detergent, and it had creatine in it. My recovery time went up.
However, that was expensive and why bother?
Over time, through proper nutrition and rest, your body adapts so that when new stress is put on the system, it responds better than before and you don't get too sore.

The best thing to do is to train smarter, eat way more vegetables, get more rest, and chill out.

[bodhitree]

If you want to add lean mass or increase speed/power output, there is no better supplement.