<p>I was thinking about taking creatine along with protein whey but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Also, I have heard from friends that creatine is overrated and that it could have serious side effects such as muscle cramps, kidney malfunction, etc. I was wondering if creatine if fact does help in gaining lean muscle mass and its side effects are not that serious. Is it also true that you have to drink a ton of water?</p>
<p>You're actually going to do your research about this topic on a college message board? Do some Googling and try to find a few non-biased websites.</p>
<p>If you are going to take creatine you need to drink between a gallon and a gallon and a half a day. It is only hard on your kidneys if you don't drink enough water. There are no plausible short term effects and long term effects aren't known yet. </p>
<p>Some of my friends tell me it effects them psychologically. I'm not talking about brain damage but rather making people go crazy while they are on it.</p>
<p>I know a lot of people who do it and never died. But be careful. It can lead to steroids.</p>
<p>^ by the way, why do you need creatine if you're drinking milk all day long?</p>
<p>Because there is no correlation between milk and creatine.</p>
<p>Not to mention creatine is the biggest joke in the fitness world.</p>
<p>I use it. I find you can lift for longer periods of time and you have more energy during your workout. But make sure you drink plenty of water.</p>
<p>Unless you're a athlete who needs to add weight or professional weight-lifter, you shouldn't take creatine. Creatine helps you put on weight by making sure that you retain your water. Instead of becoming defined, your muscles will have more of puffy look. They will of course be bigger and stronger. But unless you are extremely skinny, I'm not sure many of us want the effect. </p>
<p>I took creatine for three years because I did want to get stronger and bigger for playing football.</p>
<p>hEy lOOk I'm jOsE cAnsEcO!</p>
<p>Yeah, don't take it. Work out and get your muscles the natural way. Supplements cause more harm than good most of the time. (See: Ken Caminiti)</p>
<p>I found this site a while back, well its pretty easy to find it by google, but it seems to be a good source. <a href="http://www.absolute-creatine.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.absolute-creatine.com/</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
hEy lOOk I'm jOsE cAnsEcO!</p>
<p>Yeah, don't take it. Work out and get your muscles the natural way. Supplements cause more harm than good most of the time. (See: Ken Caminiti)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't agree with that necessarily. Jose Canseco took steriods. Creatine is not illegal and almost all athletes use it. Some people have a hard time gaining weight and putting on muscle. Supplements such as protein powder are extremely good for you because as you know protein is what is used to help build muscle. Also, creatine is found naturally in your body and small amounts are found in many types of food. You are not putting a foreign substance in your body so your not going to mutate into an alien ;) . But like I said the long term effects really aren't known yet.</p>
<p>BTW, another reason people use supplements is because many times they can't get what they need in their diets. Vegans sometimes have protein deficiencies, low iron counts and low blood cell counts. Supplements help keep people working at their optimal levels.</p>
<p>Ken Caminiti died because he was a cokehead mostly.</p>
<p>Why are so many people ignorant about creatine...whenever someone who hasn't lifted in their life hears creatine right away they think steroids. Completely wrong. Creatine is naturally produced in the body and also is found in red meat...taking the supplement only adds more to your body so eventually your body starts producing more.</p>
<p>I take it and see great results from it. I mix it w/ dextrose (gatorade powder) and take it throughout my workout and you see increase in energy and greater pumps...the thing is, you have to make sure you're drinking about 1 1/2 - 2 gallons of water a day which you should already be doing if you take care of your body and workout. If you don't, you'll get cramps and whatnot. And also...not all people respond to creatine monohydrate, so if you plan on taking it I recommend CEE.</p>
<p>But this goes with any supplement discussed...before taking any supplement you have to make sure you're eating right. Diet first, supplements later. Hence why they're called supplements.</p>
<p>BTW...if you're wondering what creatine actually does...it pushes water into your muscles pretty much</p>
<p>"Why are so many people ignorant about creatine...whenever someone who hasn't lifted in their life hears creatine right away they think steroids. Completely wrong. Creatine is naturally produced in the body and also is found in red meat..."</p>
<p>first sensible post. there have been thousands of studies on creatine. it is both safe and effective(although as mentioned, not everyone is a responder). It will not kill your kidneys and is great to take with something like whey protein post workout. It does not lead to steroids and is not unnatural. of course, being well hydrated is very important. i personally take 5-10 grams a day. most people that complain of cramps while using creatine get them because they are taking a dose that is much too large.</p>
<p>some fun reading for anyone interested:</p>
<p>"The Creatine Controversy"
<a href="http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=768093%5B/url%5D">http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=768093</a></p>
<p>"Cell Volume and Muscle Growth Parts I and II" (how creatine works)
<a href="http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/supplementation/cellvolume_1.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/supplementation/cellvolume_1.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/supplementation/cellvolume_2.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/supplementation/cellvolume_2.htm</a></p>
<p>"Dangerous Creatine" talks about how much you really need
<a href="http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459369%5B/url%5D">http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459369</a></p>
<p>to drinkingmilkallday:
<a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com%5B/url%5D">www.bodybuilding.com</a></p>
<p>that is the best resource for any creatine etc questions that you have. creatine is not steroids by any means. Don't take it only if you have kidney disease/received a recent transplant/are in danger of kidney failure/have a genetic kidney problem. creatine isn't a miracle drug by any means (it's not even a drug), but it definitely helps your workouts somewhat. btw, jose canseco and mark mcgwire certainly didn't get huge solely off creatine. </p>
<p>I'm 100% with jlazz, eating properly is the main thing you should be worrying about. some ppl will workout, take supplements, and then complain that they haven't got many games, while their diet is the McDonalds value menu. Proper Food is the best supplement. </p>
<p>I've also found that getting creatine in pill form is better than powder, bc in my experience with monohydrate, it just ended up getting all over the cup. CEE (creatine ethyl ester) also causes less bloat than plain creatine monohydrate</p>
<p>hey! those cheap burgers have helped me through more than one bulking phase ;)</p>
<p>Don't buy GNC products unless they have a super sale, most of them can be bought online for a cheaper price. Also GNC employees get a commission off of every GNC product they sell to noobs, so they'll try to sell you their crap (their whey doesn't taste good). I suggest that you get ON's Whey Protein or make sure the one you buy is a whey isolate, not a whey concentrate.</p>
<p>Yah..I recommend ON 100% Whey Strawberry...prolly the best flavor they have...tastes just like strawberry milk from nesquik lol. The creatine mono I have is from CEA or REA whatever its called...when its done i might switch over to CEE but not sure since im a responder to mono but most people aren't.</p>
<p>Stupid but honest question here. I know nothing about body building, but from what I read creatine is most useful for power sports like lifting, rather than endurance sports. So, if this is true, why would people take it for baseball performance? What would you think of a high school baseball coach who encouraged protein supplements and creatine for his players? Good or bad idea?</p>