16? Yeah my little brother is 16 and if a whole bunch of people told him something wasn't a good idea even he would listen. dumbarse.
Creatine is one of the most widely tested supplements ever. There are NO studies that I am aware of that show serious side effects. So far, it appears safer than sugar. If you are aware of a study that indicates some danger, kindly provide the reference. The hypothetical concerns are: 1) kidney damage (clearing out the excess creatine) 2) cancer (due to creatine's increase in protein metabolism and oxygen to cells; from a 2 1/2 year-old warning from France's FDA...no more info on that..in fact, the report's not even on their website anymore) The only cautions, based on the potential/hypothetical, but totally unproven side effects are: 1) Use only the recommended dosages 2) Drink extra water 3) Take periodic breaks from it And FWIW, recent studies are showing it's a benefit for other, non-anabolic uses such as protection of the brain against concussion, improving brain performance, and possibly to treat neuromuscular disorders (like MD). If you don't want to use it for whatever reason, by all means don't. But don't spread word-of-mouth disinformation. FWIW, I think anyone under 20 or so should be extra cautious about supplements. Safe or not. Too much is going on in your body right now. It could be safe for us old folks, and screw your system up. If you want to read up on it for workouts, I recommend Dr. Michael Colgan. Here's a brief (fully referenced) overview of some benefits: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/mar2003_report_creatine_01.html
No, dont take creatine. I put on over 25 pounds of muscle, (the fat is a b**** to get rid of though). To gain muscle, max out your weights for 2 times a week. For example, if you curl 25, do 40, but only 2 times a week. Eat plenty of peanuts and sunflower seeds.
rocketsnlpfan. people are saying No. no. But you are letting it pass through your ear, and you keep thinking we/they say yes.
people here are. but all the experts i asked have said yes. i even asked some of the personal trainers at my gym!
Why the rush to get big man? You are 16, 5'10" and 155 pounds. If you put on 10 pounds a year(which you could probably do easily without creatine), you will weigh 175 at 18, 195 at 20, and 215 when you are 22. Is that not good enough? Even if the creatine does work for you, I really doubt getting too big super quickly is that good for you. What are your goals for lifting anyway? Are you doing it for the look (chicks and style)? Are you doing it to improve your performance at sports? Do you have a specific size/weight in mind? I guess what I am getting at is have you evaluated the risk reward ratio for this? If you are serious about bodybuilding, you should be evaluating everything you put into your body. If it was my body I was messing with, I'd sure like to make sure that I couldn't do something naturally before paying money to put anything questionable into my body. P.S. Is your food intake sufficient? I believe the best supplement you can take is the correct amount of foods and the correct time.
I can see it now, next week RocketsNLPFan will be asking if it is okay to jump off the roof of a building and despite everyone telling him no, he is going to say that he is "jacked" to jump.
lol. you guys are the only people that have told me no. i think personal trainers know more bout it then u guys do .
Dude, I am sorry but how old are you again? 16?? You do realize that they are going to tell you that because they want to make money . I'll say that again...they are going to tell you that because they want to make money. One more time for effect....they are going to tell you that because they want to make money. Look, I am 30 and I work out 4 days a week for a little over an hour and I have NEVER taken creatine, supplements, or any of that stuff. I work out and do things the old-fashioned way. I was weighing 180 when I started a year and a half ago, and I am now up to 193. Yes, it is frustrating sometimes to sit there and realize that I am not up to 200 lbs or that my bench press max is at 245, but I then look at the big picture. When I first started lifting, I didn't even do a barbell bench press. 2 months later I started one and I was lucky to do 150 as my max. All the other guys I work out with marvel at how far I have come and NOBODY in there can beat me on biceps exercises, especially standing alternating dumbbell curls (did 14 reps with 50 pounders the other day). To me, it is SOOOOOOOO much more satisfying to see the results that I have made in doing it the old-fashioned way plus I am not worried that I might have damaged my liver or kidneys or anything else by taking those supplements. But hell, you are a kid and you want everything now, so I guess in time, you will learn. Maybe it will take something to scare you like what happened to one friend of mine. This guy was taking hydroxy cut and suffered a stroke. Fortunately, for him he recovered but guess what? He stopped taking hydroxy cut.
I know personal trainers, hell I train all the time, and they don't like it and tell people don't use it. I don't care for any of that stuff. A friend of mine was taking creatine and his heart wouldn't seem right to him, like it became irregular so he quit. Another person I used to train with took creatine and for some reason urinated blood. He ended going to the doctor, quit taking it and is now back to normal. If you're trying to get "jacked", "swole", "ox" or whatever then take lots of protein and lift heavy 1-2 times during your weekly work out cycle. Mostly it's about your diet, from there you add lifting heavier to increase the size as well.
dude's just trying to get some opinions, plus not everyone has been against it. at 16 i don't think there's any point in you taking it because like guttersnipe said, what's the rush? alot of people seem to automatically have a negative reaction to creatine but should you take it eventually i believe it's perfectly safe.
A friend of mine started taking it and he developed kidney failure after a few years. He is convinced it is because of creatine, which I suppose is debateable. The thing about this is that it is such gamble. Also, have you even tried to get bigger the natural way for an extended period of time? Have you thought about taking higher amounts of protein perhaps? I'm sure there are people who are on it who have experience the good effects. Because it is true that it will work to some extent. However, how long have they been using it? Have they thought about any of the after effects? I'm also a bit skeptical about these people that are advising you. I mean, don't they admit there isn't proof that it is safe? There are more doubts about this supplement than most others. Anyway, do remember that the advice we give you here is honest.
That's also true. You are just 16, you have a lot of development left and there is no reason to put your body at risk just yet. Also, I am curious as to why you want to take this supplement.
Ace, You missed the blurry picture of his uncle on the first page of this thread...that is his inspiration. ima, I am saying that we live in a capitalistic society!
