Creatine benefits after 40?

russb_

I'm wondering if taking creatine after 40 has any benefit in building muscle?

usmcmp

Creatine has a variety of benefits and they don't stop when you hit a certain age.

pinggolfer96

Creatine doesn't build muscle either. It increases atp in the muscle to provide quicker recovery or more endurance....leading to a high volume or weighted workout to enhance muscle size and or strength

psuLemon

^ agree with both of them. The below thread discusses creatine in good detail. I must note, that if you tend to have a diet high in meat, that it's possible you wont' see any benefit from creatine. Creatine has a fairly solid efficacy rate (~75%, IIRC) but there are still people who are non responders. And it can cause abdominal cramping.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10324688/considering-creatine/p1

trigden1991

I have not seen any benefits from creatine. Other people do. Try it and see how you go. Even a placebo effect is a positive if it makes you feel/think you look better.

Michael190lbs

I eat way to much meat to need a Creatine supplement and I'm 48- so I'm going to say No even though the answer is yes

xmichaelyx

I'm 44 and take creatine when bulking (which is right now). It works just like it did in my early 30s.

canadianlbs

i touched my first barbell at almost 49 and took up creatine about a year afterwards, so i have no objective pre-40 comparison to compare either thing with.

i don't think it builds muscle. i'm not even sure if it makes me 'stronger', actually. that's probably a pretty narrow margin in my case anyway. but what it does do for me is make dramatic differences in the amount of water my muscles retain. i'm just physically way more comfortable and have far fewer little catches and niggles with ordinary movement than i have without it. it's almost like creatine is my personal version of what fish oil is supposed to be for.

trigden1991

xmichaelyx wrote: »

I'm 44 and take creatine when bulking (which is right now). It works just like it did in my early 30s.

In what way does it "work", for you?

sgt1372

I'm 66 and have been taking 5 mg daily for 2 months.

Haven't noticed any energy or endurance gains while lifting and haven't gained any weight (lost weight actually) since starting it, but I have been getting a nice pump in my pecs and arms after doing my current 5x16 pushup, 5x6 pullup 5x11 dip routine that may be due to the creatine.

feisty_bucket

I would assume it does the same sort of things it does in your cells pre-40 as post-40.
Maybe as an aside: at 46, I'm also taking creatine for the potential neurological benefits.

Mary_Anastasia

This has been very informational. My creatine levels have been very low in labwork, outside the normal range, for years and I never looked into it.