creatine

Man, everything makes this choice harder.

I'm going to take it, but at very small doses (250 - 500 mg) and work my way up. That way I get to catch any problems, if any. Given my body type, creatine might not do anything for me.

I'll also take protein too, which I should be taking anyway. I'll note in my vertical leap thread when I start using creatine and its effects.

ktpr, that amount of creatine won't do anything for you...most people start out taking 20g a day for loading and then go to 5-10g a day. The water saturation that happens in your muscles with creatine is only after you have brought your creatine levels up to the peak, and then you just maintain that saturation with a small dose each day, but less than 2.5g/day isn't enough to do anything really. And, your body doesn't use it all either, so with 500mg you wouldn't achieve any saturation, which is what you need for it to work.

There have been many studies done with creatine, the one long term (5yr) study done on football players taking the normal loading dose of 20g/day and 5g/day after that I believe, and all liver/kidney function and everything was perfectly fine. Anything you hear about that is a myth, and is due to something else people are taking or if they already had a liver or kidney problem to begin with, but it's not from creatine...remember, creatine is completely natural, our own bodies make about 2g/day, and there is also creatine in red meat and fish (although not a lot of it)...if you ate a 16oz steak for dinner you would be getting more than 500mg of creatine easily.

I have been taking it for a long time now, and know many other people who have too, and it is perfectly fine. It is nowhere near as great as people hype it up to be (like a steroid ), but it does give you an edge with no side effects that we know of.

[Edited on 16-5-2004 by Shoktek]

Originally posted by ktprktpr
What did you end up doing morbid? I'm going to get some creatine as a belated b day present very soon and I'll soon face your same choice.

I haven't tried it yet. But I might soon, because I really want to build up for this summer, and get rid of the love handle that I have. So I'll do a lot of jogging from now on, and if the result are not satisfying enough, I might give creatine a go.

Let us now how it's working out for you when you tried it for a little while.

Long-term creatine supplementation does not significantly affect clinical markers of health in athletes.

Kreider RB, Melton C, Rasmussen CJ, Greenwood M, Lancaster S, Cantler EC, Milnor P, Almada AL.

Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Human Movement Sciences and Education, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA. [email protected]

Creatine has been reported to be an effective ergogenic aid for athletes. However, concerns have been raised regarding the long-term safety of creatine supplementation. This study examined the effects of long-term creatine supplementation on a 69-item panel of serum, whole blood, and urinary markers of clinical health status in athletes. Over a 21-month period, 98 Division IA college football players were administered in an open label manner creatine or non-creatine containing supplements following training sessions. Subjects who ingested creatine were administered 15.75 g/day of creatine monohydrate for 5 days and an average of 5 g/day thereafter in 5-10 g/day doses. Fasting blood and 24-h urine samples were collected at 0, 1, 1.5, 4, 6, 10, 12, 17, and 21 months of training. A comprehensive quantitative clinical chemistry panel was determined on serum and whole blood samples (metabolic markers, muscle and liver enzymes, electrolytes, lipid profiles, hematological markers, and lymphocytes). In addition, urine samples were quantitatively and qualitative analyzed to assess clinical status and renal function. At the end of the study, subjects were categorized into groups that did not take creatine (n = 44) and subjects who took creatine for 0-6 months (mean 4.4 +/- 1.8 months, n = 12), 7-12 months (mean 9.3 +/- 2.0 months, n = 25), and 12-21 months (mean 19.3 +/- 2.4 months, n = 17). Baseline and the subjects' final blood and urine samples were analyzed by MANOVA and 2 x 2 repeated measures ANOVA univariate tests. MANOVA revealed no significant differences (p = 0.51) among groups in the 54-item panel of quantitative blood and urine markers assessed. Univariate analysis revealed no clinically significant interactions among groups in markers of clinical status. In addition, no apparent differences were observed among groups in the 15-item panel of qualitative urine markers. Results indicate that long-term creatine supplementation (up to 21-months) does not appear to adversely effect markers of health status in athletes undergoing intense training in comparison to athletes who do not take creatine.

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Effects of long-term creatine supplementation on liver and kidney functions in American college football players.

Mayhew DL, Mayhew JL, Ware JS.

Exercise Science Program, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 63501, USA.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of long-term Cr supplementation on blood parameters reflecting liver and kidney function. Twenty-three members of an NCAA Division II American football team (ages = 19-24 years) with at least 2 years of strength training experience were divided into a Cr monohydrate group (CrM, n = 10) in which they voluntarily and spontaneously ingested creatine, and a control group (n = 13) in which they took no supplements. Individuals in the CrM group averaged regular daily consumption of 5 to 20 g (mean SD = 13.9 5.8 g) for 0.25 to 5.6 years (2.9 1.8 years). Venous blood analysis for serum albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, urea, and creatinine produced no significant differences between groups. Creatinine clearance was estimated from serum creatinine and was not significantly different between groups. Within the CrM group, correlations between all blood parameters and either daily dosage or duration of supplementation were nonsignificant. Therefore, it appears that oral supplementation with CrM has no long-term detrimental effects on kidney or liver functions in highly trained college athletes in the absence of other nutritional supplements.

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Creatine supplementation in young soccer players.

Ostojic SM.

Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory, O.C.A. Sports Medicine Institute, Kikindska 13/11, Pancevo 26000, Yugoslavia.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute creatine-monohydrate supplementation on soccer-specific performance in young soccer players. Twenty young male soccer players (16.6 +/- 1.9 years) participated in the study and were matched and allocated to 2 randomly assigned trials: ingesting creatine-monohydrate supplement (3 x 10-g doses) or placebo for 7 days. Before and after the supplementation protocol, each subject underwent a series of soccer-specific skill tests: dribble test, sprint-power test, endurance test, and vertical jump test. Specific dribble test times improved significantly in the creatine group (13.0 +/- 1.5 vs. 10.2 +/- 1.8 s; p < .05) after supplementation protocol. Sprint-power test times were significantly improved after creatine-monohydrate supplementation (2.7 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.2 +/- 0.5 s; p < .05) as well as vertical jump height (49.2 +/- 5.9 vs. 55.1 +/- 6.3 cm; p < .05) in creatine trial. Furthermore, dribble and power test times, along with vertical jump height, were superior in creatine versus placebo trial (p < .05) at post-supplementation performance. There were no changes in specific endurance test results within or between trials (p > .05). There were no between-trial differences in the placebo trial (p > .05). The main finding of the present study indicates that supplementation with creatine in young soccer players improved soccer-specific skill performance compared with ingestion of placebo.

Nitro-tech Cell-tech is a great creatine/placebo sub. It was shown to have 5 times more of an impact. I myself use it and also Nitoro-tech Masstech for gains. I have a very fast metabolism and must use alternatives like these for weight gains and transfers. It works very well for me. www.bodybuilding.com...

Originally posted by I See You
Nitro-tech Cell-tech is a great creatine/placebo sub. It was shown to have 5 times more of an impact. I myself use it and also Nitoro-tech Masstech for gains. I have a very fast metabolism and must use alternatives like these for weight gains and transfers. It works very well for me. www.bodybuilding.com...

Lots of people take "muscletech" products because it looks nice...but the brand is well hated among the bodybuilding/fitness community because of its high prices. Cell-Tech is creatine, dextrose, and ALA. You can buy all ingredients seperately and make your own mix for about half the price...not to mention traces of steroid compounds have been found in muscletech products causing people to test positive for steroid use.

Hey i just loaded an hour ago and I feel totally fine. It's a bit early, but I'm wondering if this stuff will actually work. How would one know if it's working?

Originally posted by ktprktpr
Hey i just loaded an hour ago and I feel totally fine. It's a bit early, but I'm wondering if this stuff will actually work. How would one know if it's working?

Continue loading with 20g/day for 4 more days, then go to about 5g/day after that...make sure to drink lots of water every day, at least a gallon to get good results. With creatine, drinking enough water will determine if it helps you at all, it makes a huge difference. You should start to notice more fullness in muscles probably in one to two weeks, and you will probably gain around 5 pounds in the next few weeks because of the water retention. It's not going to help you enormously in the gym, (creatine does not live up to the mainstream hype of how it makes people huge very fast), but it is helpful and you should notice a positive difference, in strength and size...after you are done loading you should take a small amount immediately before your workout, and a small amount immediately after your workout every day to total 5-10g. For postworkout, take it with a protein and carb shake (Postworkout shakes should be around 50g protein, 100g carbs) simple carbs such as dextrose are good postworkout because of the insulin spike they give you which is very anabolic after lifting, and gets the creatine into your muscles faster and more efficiently.

Also, with the extra muscle fullness you will look a bit puffier from water retention, but it's not really a bad thing and barely noticable...just make sure to drink a lot of water and you will get good results with it.

Finally, there are a small amount of people who are creatine non-responders, which means that creatine mono. (I assume you got powdered monohydrate) does absolutely nothing for them...if you don't notice any weight increase, size difference, or strength difference within maybe three or four weeks (provided you drink plenty of water), then you could be a non-responder...good luck with your results

[Edited on 15-6-2004 by Shoktek]

I just found out I was loading incorrectly. There have been no problems but some creatine may have been wasted. Instead of taking 4 teaspon intervals, according tot he package, every 4 hours, I was taking 5 teaspons at once, when i woke up. I'll switch to the 4 doses a day.

i heard crap like that makes your head big and your balls shrink. so if you see a sports figure with rasinetts and a mardi gras head YOUR OUT!

I use nitro-tech Celltech creatine formula stacked with nitro-tech protien formula. The cell tech tastes just like tang in the orange flavor but trust me on the protien formula...don't get the orange flavor, taste like crap. The chocolate isn't bad. This mix works awesome and have gained a great amount of strength.

Originally posted by KrazyIvan
i heard crap like that makes your head big and your balls shrink. so if you see a sports figure with rasinetts and a mardi gras head YOUR OUT!

I'm pretty sure that's a myth, derived from the use of steroids, not creatine. Urban legend, basicly.

(until Kptr's balls begin to shrink... j/k! lol...)

If my balls started shrinking they'd still be bigger than yours.

here Morbid, found some cool info about creatine... enjoy!



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Creatine FAQ and Creatine Facts


FAQ: What is creatine?

A: Creatine is made from a combination of the three amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Read more about creatine monohydrate in this article



The main function of creatine is providing energy to your muscles for movements, especially quick and explosive movements. Your body gets its creatine from food and/or supplements. You can imagine then, that taking extra creatine monohydrate will help you out during workouts. Read more about creatine monohydrate in this article.

most bodybuilders use creatine some at point in their lives, and it does work. However, before you jump on the bandwagon, find out all the facts about creatine first, and we have all the info about creatine you need. See these articles: Creatine monohydrate info, Creatine benefits, Creatine side effects,



There is support for and against cycling creatine, and you're going to hear different stories as well. From personal experience, I'd say that most athletes do cycle creatine. The beneficial effects of creatine tapers off after a period of time, and cycling does seem to help fight that off.

The only major difference between the two is that creatine serum is a liquid. Which one works better? Some people swear by liquid creatine, while others prefer creatine powder, and still, others use a creatine stack, which a combination of both. To find out facts about each, and help make your decision, read this article: Creatine serum vs. creatine powder.



No studies have show creatine to have any serious adverse side effects.


it's true that creatine is unstable in solution. recommended that you shouldn't leave your creatine dissolved in water or juice for too long (no longer than 6 to 8 hours).

popular creatine that people have had good results with: American Creatine, Prolab Creatine, AST's Creatine HSC, MuscleTech Cell-Tech, EAS Phosphagen HP.