I have a couple of questions concerning creatine use that I hope some of you can answer for me...1)how safe is creatine as far as possible side/long term effects? 2)How long before cutting weight for a competition should the athlete be off creatine? 3)Can use of creatine supplements cause the body to stop producing its own creatine naturally?
thanks guys
- Very
2. 2 weeks
3. No
^ Short, but perfect.
Creatine works through PCr and ATP, not just ATP
And while the studies on single sprint performance saw small gains (5%) the studies on maximum strength showed an increase by 15% wich is quite substantial for a non steroid supplement
Repeated sprint performance was also increased by 15% in some studies and higher vertical improvement
creatine has also shown to increase fat free mass, increase myosin muscle fiber, muscle fiber size, reduce lactate levels, increase lactate treshold (yes i know its h+ not just lactacte) and shown to decrease injuries
And John Berardi had an article with a few studies that showed creatine improves cognitive performance wich is why he recommends it even for people who dont train seriously. There is currently some studies being done with creatine and neuromuscular diseases
I would personally use it during anaerobic/maximum strength blocks of my training and then cycle off during aerobic focus work
jkennedy - creatine mono is cheap enough these days to trial it
i remember when cell-tech first came out, lol - if id have paid that it better have turned into jessica alba when i added water & that was cheap chinese shit creatine & sugar... now your walmart sells better stuff at a 100th the price
Just my two cents about creatine, and I know that opinions will vary: I've used some different types (mostly mono), and I have to say I am not a fan. It always feels like it ties my stomach in knots (this is not an initial symptom for me - it continues as long as I take it), and the strength benefits that I get from it aren't worth mentioning. I have never noticed any difference in terms of recovery.
The creatine does for sure puff me up. The last time I used it, I used it for two months every day with the recommended dosage. Within ten days I was about seven pounds heavier and at the end of the two months I was ten pounds heavier than when I started using it. This was with no change in my diet or workout program. Again, I wasn't really any stronger and didn't really perform any better.
I have stopped using it for the past six weeks, and I am only just now starting to drop down to my pre-use weight.
I am not a fan, and wouldn't use it again. It makes my stomach hurt, it puffs me up and it doesn't make me any stronger or better. For me, it's all negatives, but that's just me...
Im using it right now. Just a plain mono that i mix with some gatorade and pound back 30 minutes prior to lifting. I have nothing bad to say about it except for the bloating. But that doesnt really bother me so to me its no biggie.
Creatine can make tendons and muscles inflexible. I ruptured my biceps tendon while using creating for the first time in my life.
I talked to my doctor and he told me the same. If you do BJJ where you constantly get pulled and smashed you may not want to use creatine.......
^^ more like you had an unfortunate accident and incorrectly see the creatine as cause of it
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC233174/
Hey everybody. Long time lurker, first post. Thanks to all who've unintentionally supported my training over the last decade...
I had a similar experience to Zero1 - long term, acute tendon injury. I've taken regular protein sups but switched to an all-in one.
Boom.
One legged for 6 weeks. Couldn't work it out, but achilles swelled up to the size of an apple. Visited doc, got a horse-sized anti inflammatory. Swimming, still lifting but only seated or lying weight.
Suddenly, it went away. Then I realised the problem co-incided with the duration of the course of creatine.
I google creatine + achilles tendon injuries, there's a lot of anecdotal evidence out there...
R
Regarding creatine and injuries, could it be that if you do take creatine, there are other things you need to do to prevent a higher chance of injuries? Maybe something as simple as increasing water intake or something?
I too injured my achilles tendon shortly after beginning to take creatine. Except I was on crutches for 5 months and in a boot for one more month after that. I can't say that I strongly feel that there is a corelation, but even just a slight possibility is enough to prevent me from taking it since I'm not a high level competitor that needs every advantage I can get.