opinions

[mea140]

on creatine? lets here em

[EmptyneSs]

i used it once for a couple weeks a few years ago. i did add some mass to my frame, and boosted my strength a bit. however, the best thing about it was that while i was taking it, it gave me such extreme amounts of endurace that i was able to train in muay thai and bjj rigorously for long periods of time without getting tired. way longer than i normally could.

however, i havent taken any since because i figured something that gave me so much extra energy had to have some kind of adverse affect. you cant have your cake and eat it too.... however i did much research on creatine that suggested creatine was relatively safe and its been around for quite a while. all its really doing is hydrating your muscles more than usual so they can work harder than normal.

hopefully some people with more info and experience than me will reply.

[mea140]

thank you. I have noticed bigger and longer "pumps". I haven't noticed much more energy per say. Thanks for your input

[eXcessiveForce]

you must load creatine for it to do much.

The effects are you put on water weight in your muscle tissue. Making you look bigger, however you lose firmness, So your muscles aren't solid.

the effects wear off very quickly after you stop taking it.

Most studies I have seen have shown little to no benefit from creatine supplementation.

Side effects can include, constipation, renal damage, renal failure, headaches, vomiting. there were a few more but I don't really remember what they were.

Mostly it's hype and placebo effect.

[EmptyneSs]

Mostly it's hype and placebo effect.

well, i dont know about that. i mean, i for sure felt the effects of taking creatine. i loaded creatine and after a week my muscular endurace had gone through the roof. and i know it boosted my muscular strength quite a bit too because i was having problems on the bench press. i wasnt making any more gains on the bench, but after i took creatine i was able to bench more than i ever had before, and my strength increased on all other lifts as well.

but yeah, once i stopped taking it everything went back to normal. i got a little bit stronger than i was before, but my muscles werent as big as they were when i loaded and my endurance wasnt anywere near the same.

btw, i hear creatine is different for everyone. some people make massive gains on it, some people dont notice anything at all. so who knows.

[eXcessiveForce]

Who really knows, that's part of the problem with sups.

One thing though is that unless you are have been lifting for a long time and are already seasoned as a lifter, creatine is not for you.

I see guys come in my gym all the time, they don't even lift and are on all these sups.

if you aren't lifting at least 4 days a week forget sups and save your money.

[Maxx]

The science behind Creatine is something like this:

There is a chemical in your body called Adenosene Triphosphate (ATP). This is the chemical fuels muscle contractions. During lifting exercises when it becomes difficult to contract your muscles, the muscles being worked have nearly exhausted their supply of ATP.

The body creates ATP from Creatine phosphate. Most creatine supplements are creatine monohydrate. When injested, the body will convert Creatine monohydrate into creatine phosphate. Some of it is then converted to ATP and some of it is maintained at Creatine phosphate. This supposedly translates to a surplus of fuel necessary for muscle contractions which theoretically can lead to more intense workouts, greater endurance and greater strength.

Results of supplementation seem to vary from person to person... anything from a workout epiphany to feeling absolutely no change. I won't discount the use of the supplement because I've heard a lot of people swear by it but I've never felt any kind of change from the supplement that I could credit to a healthy diet and a good night's sleep. My advice is to try some and make your own decision.