Creatine...

my husband took it and nothing happened. he's had better luck with just protein shakes!

Hi Jeff,

I used a Creatine/Glutamine blend a few years back. It did, without a doubt aid in muscular growth and strength. I cannot comment on its fat burning properties though as at the time, I was only trying to "bulk up". Now of course I am trying to slim down, oh sweet irony! I can say it is known for and is sought out for its muscle building properties more than it's fat burning properties.

Creatine did not play with my mood at all and I was taking a healthy dose of 5-10g a day depending on workout schedule (5g if I didn't lift that day and 10g if I did, typically before and after a workout).

Unfortunately, cycling Creatine isn't very effective in the long term. To elaborate, the benefits of Creatine will fade as usage stops. This effect happens fairly quickly in my opinion. So maybe if you defined a cycle as a few months on and only a few weeks off, rinse and repeat, that could work for you.

Hope this helped some. Good luck!

I've never had a mood swing one with Creatine, nor have I heard of this problem. Roids yes, Creatine no.

Creatine is a byproduct of amino acid sythesis, and is found naturally in the body (mostly in the skeleton and brain. Is is a chemical compound responsible for supplying energy to muscles. If you are on a diet limiting your protein intake, or working out hard enough to use all available amino acids for muscle repair, suplements can be helpful. A study also showed cognative ability (IQ) to increase when those who are protein depelete took creatine as a supplement.

I work with some guys who are hard core lifters (one just benched 405) and they swear by the stuff.

Right now I am trying NO xplode. It is basically a creatine with some additives (caffine) to boost energy during your workout. So far it is OK. I'll use this container, then see how I feel without it before I purchase another one. For the $20-$30 bucks I would purchase some and give it a try. If it works for you great! If not, no big deal!

Cheers!



P.S.
I just noticed your sig line. You put lifting weights as a goal when you hit 230. My friend, if you lift now you will increase muscle mass, thereby increasing your base metabolic rate, and burn fat faster. Lift sooner in a weight loss program, not later! BTW good luck on the RCMP goal! I've been on the job for 12 years now and while I complain about court and such, I still love every minute of it!

Pros:
Your muscles bulk up, mostly because it makes your body retain water.
Your muscles DO work better because it allows for faster access to fuel.

Cons:
If you eat meat regularly, and you supplement with creatine regularly, it can cause your kidneys to stop producing creatine. This is bad.
It increases your chance of kidney stones (so drink lots of water)
A regular supplementing schedule will make creatine show up in your urine, which can be misinterpreted by health professionals as kidney failure.

Most of these cons are for people who use exceedingly high amounts, on a regular basis.

I used it occasionally, but not on any regular basis. It came in my protein shakes that I used to drink after running.

Do some research, the cons are usually overstated, but they are out there. However if you're not abusing it you should be fine.