Creatine?

I guess this is directed to those more into the body building scene:
If I want to increase muscle size and help with my excercizes, will creatine really help? I was considering starting on powder creatine, or some form of protien shake... The protien shake would most likely be healthier, but I have a friend who was on creatine and said it helped.
Any comments or tips would be great, thanks.
-Thursday.

creatine is good and all but just remeber to drink alot of water everyday so ur liver doesnt suffer and harm. But if you think that you may want to try something alittle more safe then go with wey protien or something like that. Other than that just eat alot more and workout hard.

I drink a ton of water everyday, 3-4 nalgene bottles (32 oz each). I'm about 147 at 6'0". If wanted to tag a bit more mass on say, arms and calves, would Creatine be the way to go?

When I had a "real" job (self employed now) I used to take creatine every day after work. It helps to remove the lactic acid that forms after using your muscles a lot. Removing the lactic acid helps to ease the pain of muscle soreness after a good workout. I didn't use it for any other reason, what else does it do?

Creatine works well especially when it's taken along with a good whey protein. As already noted make sure you drink alot of water *a must*. I noticed tremendous gains in strength and recovery times after I completed my workout. One thing I also liked about creatine was the pumped feeling and look I had. You might want to also try this ~ it works well too.




In addition I'd recommend taking creatine in it's capsule form vice using the powder. Just from my own experience *I wasn't too keen on the grainy texture when I was trying to swallow it*. With the capsules you avoid all that. Hope this information helps. Good Luck!!

Well creatine is not really a major health hazard. The only problems i know of are
1) Possilbe Muscle cramping
2) Liver damage

drinking about 8 glasses of water a day or some bottles will usually help filter out any build up in the liver or whatnot and correct problems, other than that its completely safe except that is all that is known.

If you do plan an taking it take creatine, take the "creatine monohydrate" powder not the pills, the powder is more efficient.

Oh and here is little read on what creatine really is and what it does

Question:
What are the possible side effects of creatine monohydrate supplements?

Answer:
Creatine is an amino acid made in the liver and stored in the muscles of the body. It is essential to the creation of adensine triphosphate molecules (ATP), considered the primary carriers of energy that the body uses in physical activity. Several studies have determined that supplementation with creatine monohydrate can enhance athletic performance by accelerating the rate of re-synthesis of ATP during and after high-intensity, short-duration exercise. This translates into greater gains in muscle mass, strength, and sprint performance during intense athletic training.

The many scientific studies of creatine published over the past five years have found no deleterious effects or medical risk. While there have been some isolated anecdotal reports of negative side effects, such as decreased sexual functioning, there appears to be no credible evidence challenging its safety.

One concern some researchers have is that with continuous supplementation the body might decline in its ability to produce creatine on its own. Some indirect evidence of this was found in a study with rats. The study examined the "creatine transporter protein" which is responsible for uptake of creatine into cells, and is a key in the regulation of cellular creatine homeostasis. Researchers found that chronic supplementation with creatine in rats down-regulated their natural production of creatine transporter protein.

Another issue concerns the other ingredients that accompany creatine in various supplement products. You should compare labels of competing brands carefully to determine whether you feel comfortable with the other ingredients.

Although no risks from creatine supplementation in humans have yet been found, we won't know about any long-term effects for some time to come because the record of research is relatively recent. A conservative approach is to plan to use creatine only for limited periods before taking a substantial break from it so the body can re-set to normal functioning.

if you take creatine, workout hard and "stretch", drink plenty of water you may actually come to look like this



of course you can also achieve that in normal training with a longer amount of time.

I took creatine before and i did notice a change in my body after a short time, i had a longer pump and my size increased. There is some debate about cycling some people think that you should be on creatine all the time, and others say that it is best to use it for six weeks and take a 4 week break or something than go back on it. I prefer the second one but in the 4 week phase you may notice a decrease in mass and strength ( this is why i stopped taking creatine because i didn’t want to worry about if i would lose all my gains).

you can get the creatine either from a fitness/suplment store like GNC or order it offline from sites like www.bodybuilding.com...

here some good sites with solid info:
www.bodybuilding.com...
www.bla.net...
www.creatine-facts.com...

be armed with knowledge

I agree with all you said ATS but I'd advise UnMature and Thursday to at least experiment with both the pill/capsule form and powder. Me personally I prefer the pill/capsule form ~ I experienced those cramps you're referring to in my stomach even with drinking the necessary amounts of water. I got real good gains from using the capsule form. So, my advice would be to experiment with both and see which one you like.

I've read up a lot on creatine, and each has a disadvantage. The powder clings to foods and can be expelled rather than abasorbed, the pill also might not be completely be absorbed, but I found the creatine liquid to seem the most efficient? Then again, who wouldn't try to make THEIR product stand above all the rest?
Anyways, thanks for the comments and advice guys. I don't expect to be picking up anything as of yet, mainly because I haven't got a steady source of income to fuel every need (Just turned fifteen last september.)
But yeah, when I do get some, I'll post to keep you informed on the results I got from it.
Thanks again.

just try it.. if you dont like it come back and ill show you something that will build massive strength.

Give 'er man, tips and advice is always welcome.

check out dragondoor.com there are people there that dont use creatine and what not and have phenominal strength.