Baasically i`ve jsut heard about a supplement called creatine and ive got a few queries. Firstly, what is it?, as in is it considered as a drug,is it healthy?. Secondly, should i take it? Does it really help me gain muscle after all and will it help lower body fat and gain muscle? Thirdly, if you do recommend taking it, how much should the dozage be at the beginning? Thanks, Im here to learn anyways. :)

Hey David!

Creatine is an extremely "famous" supplement and for good reason. It works for most people. There are some non-responders, but you will know if you are a responder pretty fast. ( 5-14 dayS)

1) Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in most meats, especially red meat. Its not dangerous by any means. It might cause some dehydration if you ar e not drinking any water (crazy scenario)
2) You definitely should try it, because its cheap.
3) It does not help build muscle or lose fat. It helps with your recovery and it will give a strength boost in the gym. Those 2 factors together can indirectly lead to muscle gain and fat loss of course.
4) The dosage never changes. Its 3-5 grams if you are of average weight. If you are extremely heavy (over 240lbs) go for 5-10 grams. You never have to cycle it, you dont have to load on creatine the first days. Just 5 grams every day, doesnt matter when.
5) Either go for some simple creatine monohydrate ( extremely cheap) or go for a creatine based product like BSN cellmass which is far more expensive but it contains other recovery agents as well. The choice is yours.

Hope it helps, feel free to ask any more questions :)
Kostas

P.S. : Oh yea..check the FAQs out too! They are very helpful for questions like this

David,

To add to what Kostas (Whisper) wrote, creatine is natural and found in foods especially red meat. It is an essential building block for ATP - Adenosine TriPhosphate which is the primary energy source that powers the mitochodria (the power generators in cells) in your muscles. The net result is stronger muscular contractions and longer energy endurance. As Kostas said, this does not build muscle directly like a steroid but actually allows you to train harder which facilitates muscle growth. You will also hold a bit more water in the muscle giving it a slightly fuller appearance.

When using creatine, do not exceed the 3-5 grams per day dosage and drink plenty of water. Creatine creates extra work for the liver to process it and the kidneys to remove its metabolites so being hydrated is key. It is very safe and has very rarely caused liver problems - some people are sensitive so if you start feeling odd, loss of appetite, or develop other odd symptoms after using it, stop.

John

Thanks guys.. Simply perfect:)

All the relevant facts have already been mentioned. Besides that, I can only tell from my own experience that I was a bit disappointed by it's effect. Especially because I was told it might have a bigger effect on me, as I'm not too fond of red meat, which is a natural source of creatine.

I must say I had the feeling that the first few workouts after taking creatine for the first time, I really had the idea that I could lift more. But after like five times, this feeling was totally gone. My progress wasn't going any faster than before and I didn't gain weight faster than I used to.

After like a month, I got the feeling that progress was actually speeding up a little bit, but this may just as well be because of the fact I just trained more often and stuck to my diet more.

Then again, I'm kind of a beginner in all this. It's probably for good reason it's such a popular supplement. As said by the others above, perhaps it's best to try it out for yourself. I'm finishing my can and after that, I'll keep a close eye on my progress without, so I can compare to say for sure whether or not it did anything for me at all.

Finally - and I don't know the other's take on this - I believe tests have shown that taking extra doses of creatine for a longer period of time may compromise your body's ability to generate creatine by itself. Unless anyone can prove me wrong, I'd advise anyone to have a break of taking creatine supplements after like two months or so.

Menno,

Creatine isn't guaranteed to work as everyone is different. Your muscle fiber make-up will play a role. The more red fiber/slow twitch fibers you have versus fast twitch/white muscle fibers will come into play. White fibers are the high power but low endurance muscle fibers. They use an anaerobic (without oxygen) process for energy production which is dependent on ATP - Adenosine TriPhosphate. Creatine is a critical precursor compound to build ATP. The more ATP, the stronger the muscular contraction and the faster the recovery from each set. Red muscle fiber is not as powerful and is built more for endurance as it leverages oxygen for energy. In this case, Creatine will have minimal effect as red fibers don't produce energy anaerobically. Therefore if you are more red fiber dominant versus white fiber either in your entire body or in particular muscles, you won't see as much of an improvement with creatine as someone who is more white fiber dominant.

Your last point is one reason I don't use creatine. Your body is a very efficient machine and it will stop expending energy to make something if it can get it externally. Just like how your testes shut down making your own testosterone when you use exogenous anabolic steroids. My fear is that without cycling creatine, your body will be dependent on it and will not be as good at making its own anymore just like if you don't cycle steroids.

John

Hey John,

Thanks for the clearance! I actually feel I should've looked into the matter more before I started using creatine to begin with. Normally, I'm more careful with that kind of stuff.

You give a very clear explanation of what I "kind of" knew, like superficially. Good to read how it actually really works. It only made me more certain about stopping after I finished my package.

Menno