creatine for teens - JP Fitness Forums

igunick · 02-13-2007, 07:43 AM

My cousin wants to start using creatine, but he's only 16 years old. Is this healthy for him?

Also, on the side of the creatine box says you should only use it for cycles of 4-6 weeks? true? or is this something like the loading phase(not neccessary)?

Cynic · 02-13-2007, 10:49 AM

I haven't seen any true research stating it's harmful at any age or that it needs cycling, but I don't think a teenager needs it since they haven't peeked in their testosterone production. He's still growing.

Lisa~ · 02-13-2007, 12:03 PM

Creatine won't hurt him, but remember what Alwyn Cosgrove says about supplements, "Supplements are progress enhancers, not progress starters." (Not sure if that's an exact quote or just a pretty good version of it!)

Supplements are just that, supplemental, something you add on after you've gotten your training and nutrition in very, very good order. Nutrient timing with regular food will have a BIG impact on gaining muscle and strength. Creatine will have a small impact, and possibly NO impact if his nutrition isn't spot on in the first place. First things first. Clean up the food first.

Frank.S · 02-13-2007, 04:19 PM

Dont need to cycle. Run 20g/day for the rest of you life if you like, I highly doubt any ill effects will be apparent.

I personally, would just put in 5g after a workout. I dont notice a damn thing on creatine.. but many do.

igunick · 02-13-2007, 05:28 PM

Yeah I only use 6 gr/day myself. Don't see much physical changes, It has quite the impact on my strength though. I think I've put 44lbs on my bench in a 1 - 1.5 month

Frank.S · 02-13-2007, 06:19 PM

There is no way creatine gives gains like that..

If it did, id take it regularly haha.

Terry Monk · 02-13-2007, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa~

Supplements are just that, supplemental, something you add on after you've gotten your training and nutrition in very, very good order. Nutrient timing with regular food will have a BIG impact on gaining muscle and strength. Creatine will have a small impact, and possibly NO impact if his nutrition isn't spot on in the first place. First things first. Clean up the food first.

I don't think a truer but more ignored phrase has ever been uttered. If only people would realize this. And smart people fall into this too.

rgv · 02-14-2007, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa~

Creatine won't hurt him, but remember what Alwyn Cosgrove says about supplements, "Supplements are progress enhancers, not progress starters." (Not sure if that's an exact quote or just a pretty good version of it!)

Supplements are just that, supplemental, something you add on after you've gotten your training and nutrition in very, very good order. Nutrient timing with regular food will have a BIG impact on gaining muscle and strength. Creatine will have a small impact, and possibly NO impact if his nutrition isn't spot on in the first place. First things first. Clean up the food first.

soooo spot on. the one friend i have that goes to the gym with me a lot keeps asking me about my routine or if im taking supplements (I only take a little bit of whey/multi/fish oil). However, I watch what I eat and pay close attention to when/what I eat. He just eats fast food and pizza etc expecting to get gains. He saw some progress with creatine, but not much at all and certainly less than I gained when I switched my routine up in november.

nutrition = key. ive seen quotes of health being 80% nutrition/diet and 20% exercise and I believe it.

igunick · 02-14-2007, 12:18 PM

Don't know if my cousin's diet is any good or not. He's does have a descent physique though, similar like mine. But that just could be his age.

Terry Monk · 02-14-2007, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igunick

Don't know if my cousin's diet is any good or not. He's does have a descent physique though, similar like mine. But that just could be his age.

Then you already know what you need to do. Right?

Jason B · 02-19-2007, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgv

the one friend i have that goes to the gym with me a lot keeps asking me about my routine or if im taking supplements (I only take a little bit of whey/multi/fish oil). However, I watch what I eat and pay close attention to when/what I eat. He just eats fast food and pizza etc expecting to get gains.

That always bugs the shit out of me when the first question people ask me is what supplements I take, and it's obvious they don't have their training or nutrition in nearly the right order.

MAXX · 02-19-2007, 01:12 PM

As a teacher and a coach, I get a lot of questions from kids about creaine. I give them this handout which is a combination of my info and some info that came from Paul Moses' website:

*Please note--I do not recommend use of Creatine by anyone under the age of 18. As with all supplements, there may be some health risks that are the responibility of the user. Do your research before you decide to take a supplement!

Creatine is an amino acid (amino acids are the building blocks of protein) which is made in the body by the liver and kidneys, and is derived from the diet through meat and animal products. Creatine (usually in the form of creatine monohydrate) is a supplement taken to enhance strength training performance. Creatine Monohydrate is a white, odorless crystalline powder, clear and colorless in solution.

Creatine is a supplement that serves as an energy reserve in muscle cells. Muscular contraction is powered by the breakdown of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to ADP (adenosine diphosphate). When all the ATP is broken down, creatine phosphate in the muscle donates a phosphate group to ADP, and further energy reactions can occur. Creatine monohydrate is a precursor to creatine phosphate. By supplementing with CM, CP levels in muscle apparently
are maximized, and more muscular work can occur, since there are
greater energy reserves to use.

Many people report increasing their lean muscle mass while using CM, though gains seem to stop after a certain point.

Some people report symptoms including headaches, clenched
teeth, and the sound of blood rushing in their ears while using CM.
Creatines effects on blood pressure are an open question. Since it
has the effect of fluid retention in muscle, it might increase blood
pressure in the same way high sodium levels do, but this has not been
established or refuted.

In addition to this, one other symptom reported is stomach and muscle cramps. Reducing the intake of creatine can lead to a reduction in severity of the cramps. The cramping is usually a result of dehydration caused by creatine intake. If using creatine, you should drink PLENTY of water.

Scientific evidence supporting creatine is there, but while some very good results have been reported in strength increases, others have reported no significant gains while taking the supplement. Like all supplements, supplementing creatine is useless if your body already has enough of it. Further supplementation is then not needed and just a waste of money. If however, you do not have the optimal levels of creatine in your muscle cells, then supplementation can enhance your training. Some people get minimal or no effect from creatine. This is due to their already high creatine levels due to dietary intake or the efficiency/inefficiency that they produce ATP. If you take creatine monohydrate and don't notice any results in about 2 weeks it's a good bet that you're one of these people.

Once strength gains plateau, your muscle cells are be saturated with creatine and since the body loses about 1-2% creatine a day you should be able to get away with cycling on and off creatine to lengthen your results. Once you stop creatine supplementation and your body clears it 100% (about 2 month process) you'll probably be back at your old strength and muscle mass levels.

Finally, a "loading phase" at the beginning of a creatine cycle is NOT necessary!