Creatine

[Big Ol' Smitty]

I've hit a plateau in my strength training and I'm thinking about using creatine. Anybody had any good/bad experiences with this supplement? My girlfriend (who seems to want me to remain skinny) thinks it's a gateway to steroid use.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I wouldn't use it. It'll suck heavily if your body becomes dependant on it.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Creatine is great if you continue to work out. But the day you stop, you'll be getting flabby as hell very quick, and then you need to go through a heavy fat-burning exercise routine, which is a pain in the ass if you're also trying to put on weight for muscle purposes.

 

I'd say if you haven't tried it already, add more good proteins to your diet and put on some weight. Any sort of weight training whatsoever should be accompanied by aerobic exercise anyways, so if you're not already doing it, you should definitely start. I saw some great leaps and bounds in my strength training when I did creatine, but again, once I stopped I came down hard.

[Guest Brian]

Ehh, I wouldn't recommend. You never know when one of those things becomes the next steroid, and generally at this stage you can't tell. Right now, creatine may have adverse affects on your liver, though I'm not sure.

[Big Ol' Smitty]

It is nearly impossible for me to gain any weight at all. I take protein shakes, eat like hell, and lift regularly. I don't think the weight gain with creatine would be a problem.

 

The liver stuff Brian mentioned concerns me though.

[iliketurtles]

How about Just WHEY protein? That stuff has made me more lean.

[Big Ol' Smitty]

I already use whey and I'm already quite lean. I just want to pack on more muscle really.

 

I'm 6'1 155 lbs.

[Guest thetrendsetter]

You want to intake more carbs and fat, healthy carbs and fat of course, eat whole eggs instead of just whites, eat more pasta and such, especially before and after a workout.

 

As for Creatine being an 'steroid' it's a completely different thing, and closing in on 10 years after the boom has started, no long term health affects have yet to be found.

 

That said, if your doing a proper cycle, go for it, but don't come to completely depend on it, as it'll make it harder to keep gains without it.

 

Bodybuilding.com has alot more resources on it though.

 

I suggest taking ZMA before bed as well, as it'll increase your testostrone production while your asleep, when your muscles will grow the most (as they recover from previous days workouts)

[Big Ol' Smitty]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm just going to forego creatine and try to eat more good fats and clean carbs like you said. Plus, I think I'm just going to have to learn to live with being skinny.

 

At least I got some guns on me.

 

*flexes*

[Guest Brian]

Thing is with Creatine is all of the tests they've done have been short-term, so we really don't know much of the long term effects. They're just starting to really run those tests, so we'll have to see. How long did it take them to figure out the adverse effects of andro on estrogen production in male glands?

[The Mandarin]

eat more pasta and such, especially before and after a workout.

I eat pasta like a mofo. Hell, I was honestly just eating some rigatoni before I made this post.

 

..I'm still 6', 140.

 

I guess it's better than being noodle-loving and 340 pounds.