Creatine has never been directly implicated in any deaths of healthy individuals. Go on pub med and follow peer reviewed studies, not some anecdotal crap on the web. I remember the one wrestler dying(U of M) and they tried to say it was creatine in the press. They never mentioned that the kid did extensive cutting in rubber suits in a sauna. He died of cardiac arrest likely from electrolyte imbalance. I think whey protein or BCAA along with some form of carbohydrate(dextrose, maltodextrin, or vitargo being preferred choices) are imperative post workout if you want to recover quicker. I do think many athletes over eat protein. Most well fed athletes(carbs, fats, and calories) don’t need to over indilge protein due to fat and carb being protein sparing. In times of carb and calorie restriction, upping protein is necessary. For your dad, go on pub med and you will see hundreds of university based, peer reviewed studies talking about decreased DOMS and enhanced recovery. Good luck.
I meant indulge
If your dad is worried about it just tell him you are going to eat raw stake instead - a couple of grams of creatine and 25g of protein! Job done.
it is irrefutable that creatine works. i think creatine is the most beneficial supplement to enhance speed and power based on firsthand experience. and about the false gains, i’ve never lost gains that i made on creatine once i stopped taking it.
thanks for the input guys, ill check out that pub med thing. i was thinking about doing creatine over the summer, and i probably will
im only 17 and my body isnt very mature yet, does this change the circumstances for using creatine at all?
I don’t see a problem with a 15 year old taking creatine. Make sure you know what you are doing. Drink plenty of water and don’t abuse it.
I started taking creatine in eighth grade when I was 14 years old so I don’t see a problem with you taking it. But don’t think that it will magically make you stronger. It helps you by giving you a greater ability to train. It doesn’t help you on its own. With out the extra training that it will allow you to do, you won’t have greater gains than you would have without taking it.
I noticed immediate gains when I started taking it. My bench went up 10 pounds in a week. I feel like creatine has allowed me to make more consistent progress over the years. I used it all of my ninth grade year when I was 15 and my bench went from 185 to 265. I’m not saying that was all because of creatine, but it definitely helped…I took it all year.
False gains would mean you gained something that you wouldn’t have gained without using creatine. It also means that once you quit taking creatine you won’t be able to do what you could while you were taking it. I disagree with the second statement.
Probably worthwhile just training for a year or two first as you will get stronger all the time as you grow anyway. No creatine works if you are 17 or 70 - it’s just not a priority for someone your age.
ive been weight training for almost a year at this point and want to add a lot of strength over the summer so i can have a good track season as a sr in high school. i wouldnt say im necessarily an experienced lifter, but at this point i no pretty well what im doing and i can squat over 2x my bw, so i might just try it over the summer to see if i feel like i benefit from it
creatine isn’t in any way affecting hormones or anything that has a feedback loop. 5 grams post workout is good. It gives more phosphates for ATP production and some increased tissue leverage. I have all my football players use it off season.
would your advice be the same for an 18 yr old female using creatine as it is for a male?
If you already squat 2x your bw, how’s “adding a lot of strength over the summer” gonna make you a better sprinter?
My coach says 3 grams post workout and no loading phase. I started recently with the above dosage (3 to 4 times per week), and it hasn’t affected my weight at all.
most of my body is pretty weak except for my squat and my clean is okay too (~1.5x BW). its my understanding that squatting isnt the only exercise important for sprinting
All things being equal, wouldn’t it make him faster? That is assuming that other training aspects aren’t neglected, exess bodyweight isn’t gained, etc…
I mean 2x bodyweight is pretty strong, especially for anyone still in high school but I still think he could benefit from further strength gains as long as they didn’t compromise his speed training. I know throughout high school career, as my relative strength in the squat went up, my times dropped. And I was pretty strong since 10th grade.
10th grade-365 for 2-3 reps above parallel…and I ran 15.56 110 hurdles
11th grade-not sure of parallel cuz i squatted ATG 355 for 5x5…and I ran 15.00
12th grade-430 for 3 sets of 6 at parallel, 405x9 below parallel which would give a projected max of 521…and I ran 14.5
I weighed 175-180 sophomore year, 185 junior year, and 195 senior year.
also i need to point out that my primary race is the 55m dash, so more than half the race is an acceleration which strength helps a lot with (ive been told)
Yea it is important, but so are many other elements of training…none of which you should ignore.
Going into your senior year of highschool I would worry more about the running and plyometric aspects of the sport rather than the strength aspects.
While I agree with you that strength is important to overall athletic development. If you are focusing primarily on your senior year, I would concern myself more with on the track preperation.
Timing of protein intake is definately an important factor and should be taken at least within an hour of post workout.
Be careful with your creatine intake. I would recommend around 3g pre-workout. I have not seen or read on a consistent basis of any significant adverse effects of creatine.
Some people advocate a loading phase for creatine, I am not one of them, but to each his own. Find out what works for you and stick to it.
V
im not sure my primary focus is exactly my senior year because i would like to run in college, just for me to walk on to the track team at the school i would like to attend i need to drop some good time before this coming fall