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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2007 16:23:43 GMT
The thing is, Im a big guy, and I certainly consume my fair share of protein (I live mostly on a diet of steak, fish, eggs, etc.). MY friend is a lot thinner and likely gets a fair amount of protein from the creatine. OMG Luke you are really scaring me! Creatine is not a protein supplement. I repeat: "There is ZERO protein in Creatine." Do not listen to a word this guy tells you, and do not start taking any chemical (Creatine) until you properly research what it is and how it works. Man your body is fragile be careful what you put in it. You clearly don't need to change much, and with results like you describe you could get killer results if you really applied yourself to studying diet, form, and techniques. You must have naturally good genetics. Training stimulus + Food + Ample Rest = Growth, simple. Don't over complicate it. And don't take advice from some skinny guy. Glad you asked before doing anything. I'm not saying never to take it, but to understand what it is and how it works before you do. And that you clearly don't NEED it. ok ill go with that. I figured it must be some kind of protein supplement due to the fact it comes from fish, etc... could have sworn i read somewhere that it was... Ive just felt insanely weak lately cause this is the first month ive been working out and my max bench went from 245 to like 200 cause i got so much weaker in the time period I couldnt work out.
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Dec 15, 2007 16:35:36 GMT
ok ill go with that. I figured it must be some kind of protein supplement due to the fact it comes from fish, etc... could have sworn i read somewhere that it was... Not even close. Glucosamine comes from shell fish - was that it? Hang in there man, rome wasn't built in a day. Thats just weight training all round. You get stronger and stronger, then you get sick or injured and you have to start again. Just be happy you aren't in a wheel chair and be the best you can be naturally. You don't need any 'crutches'. Don't worry about what others are lifting or what they look like or may think of you. It semprinis me that when I was 15 I was 61kg and could bench press 93kg 3 times max. Then I got distracted and gave it up for 6 years. Then I trained for a few years and got big. Then got distracted again. I've been at it again on and off for a few years but never expect to be that strong again, I keep getting injuries. I no longer try for PBs, I'm just happy to be healthy. Good to see your training instead of playing PSP like so many others. +1 for being motivated.
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Post by rammstein on Dec 15, 2007 16:37:01 GMT
I can bench "maybe" the bar.... but I can squat up to 500 lbs - I blame school bookbags It may be worth pointing out that I am very healthy and my workout ruotine involves no weights at all. Generally I do a bit of sit ups before bed, but generally my main workout comes from not living a sedentary lifestyle. I never take escalators or moving walkways. Who need an elevator when you've got stairs? I'll carry my own bag, thanks for the offer . It's the small things that add up to being healthy. I also bike, swim, do archery, and run a little, and I've just compelted my first year of fencing (which I do for excercise and reflexes rather than any desire to do anything with the sport - the attitude there sickens me). Anyway, my point is, one can be healthy entirely without weights. I took a weightlifting class in 9th grade for a P.E. requirement, and didn't really like it. Sure I got an A, but I felt no thrill at doing the same repetative movements again and again. My goal isn't to get bigger, it's to stay healthy.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2007 16:39:14 GMT
Yes, creatine is found in fish and meat but like Brenno said, it is NOT a protein. I'm with Brenno 100%, stay away from creatine if you are getting results. Once you reach a plateau and need to give your muscles an extra push, then you can try it if you still want to but don't take it now.
Regarding getting weaker; it's true that you lose some strength if you don't do it for long time; but don't worry, you'll gain back the strength once you get back in to a workout routine
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2007 17:36:27 GMT
I can bench "maybe" the bar.... but I can squat up to 500 lbs - I blame school bookbags It may be worth pointing out that I am very healthy and my workout ruotine involves no weights at all. Generally I do a bit of sit ups before bed, but generally my main workout comes from not living a sedentary lifestyle. I never take escalators or moving walkways. Who need an elevator when you've got stairs? I'll carry my own bag, thanks for the offer . It's the small things that add up to being healthy. I also bike, swim, do archery, and run a little, and I've just compelted my first year of fencing (which I do for excercise and reflexes rather than any desire to do anything with the sport - the attitude there sickens me). Anyway, my point is, one can be healthy entirely without weights. I took a weightlifting class in 9th grade for a P.E. requirement, and didn't really like it. Sure I got an A, but I felt no thrill at doing the same repetative movements again and again. My goal isn't to get bigger, it's to stay healthy. Great choices Ramm! I often choose to take the stairs as well! but weights are important to keep your muscles strong and in shape especially as you get older or if you have an injury (you have plenty of time to start worrying about that anyway lol ) keeping your muscles strong is a lot different than bulking up and you don't need to do too much of it to be in good shape.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2007 0:48:20 GMT
Main supplements: One part patience Two parts persistence Three parts good old fashioned grit Add water and stir.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2007 3:50:57 GMT
Hello
I thought I would chip in and explain what creatine actualy *does* in the body.
First, a crash course in energy. In the body, sugar (or fat, protein but to keep it simple let's stick to sugar) is "burned" with oxygen to create energy our body can use. This energy is in the form of a chemical called ATP. ATP is the "final step" in the energy chain, and with it the body does all sorts of things, including muscle contraction. ATP is constantly broken down, and constantly regenerated with the help of the energy provided by sugar. If you ever were to run out of ATP, you DIE. Our body will do *anything* to stop this from happening. This is why people starving get so thin - the body start breaking tissue down to keep the ATP levels high.
Now, you can generate a lot of ATP (about 30-36) from one molecule of sugar IF you have oxygen. However, if you don't you can still get some ... but not a lot (only 2). Not only that, the sugar isn't broken down properly and it creates lactic acid. This waste product produces cramps. But sometimes you need a lot of energy fast, and there is not time to get oxygen to the muscles, so you have to do this. Basically, our muscles can use oxygen faster than we can supply them with oxygen.
Back to Creatine:
Phosphocreatine is an "energy back up". It sits in the muscles, and when needed gives its phosphate to help regenerate ATP. Creatine is simply phosphocreatine "used up". However, like ATP, it can be regenerated (by adding a phosphate). Unlike burning sugar with no oxygen, it doesn't create lactic acid and doesn't create cramps. However, supplies of phosphocreatine get exhausted fasts - as fast as 5-10 seconds.
Our body naturally produces creatine and converts it to phosphocreatine, ready to lend us an extra energy boost when we have to suddenly jump out of the way of a charging rhino (or car). Increasing phosphocreatine levels in muscles will mean your muscles can generate energy for a longer period of time without oxygen. I'm not convinced that taking dietary creatine will do this however, since we already generate it ourselves, and excrete excess amount. Eating extra might simply be peed out! Obviously, it seems to work for some people and not for others, but it needs proper scientific study to see if it does have an impact, or if it's just in people head. (Believe something work can make it work at times, the mind is a powerful thing!)
I'm not aware of such studies, but I didn't look into it so it doesn't mean they don't exist.
Does this help?
Ancalagon
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2007 5:08:38 GMT
Most studies that look at creatine supplementation include a placebo.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2007 6:39:35 GMT
Great post Ancalagon. That deserves karma for doing what I was too lazy to do, which is look up the technical names and explain all that.
You actually touched on the "secrete to life" as I learned it in college biology. The body mixes sugar and oxygen to release low level energy. They then use that low level energy release to create high level energy reactions. That is how "life" is able to go from a low state of organization to a high state of organization. Damm it has been about 14 years since I studied that.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2007 10:34:40 GMT
Ok guys i'm a bit late in here, but back in my college days when I worked out near the hardcore end of the spectrum, i used creatine shakes, liquid aminoacids, and the THEN new Xenadrine caplets (you can do the math of the timeline ). In my case creatine just bulked me up in water, not muscle, and I trained 5 times a week 2-3 hrs approximately including a routine like this: Mondays: Bench press 3 x12, inclined bench 3 x 10 , declined bench 3 x10 , dumbell flys 4 x12 pec dec machine 3 x 15; biceps with dumbells 3 x 12, preacher with dumbells 3 x 12, preacher with z bar 3 x 12, standing z bar 3 x 10, trapezius with dumbells 4 x 12, trapezius with the benchpress bar (in a modified dead lift position) and upscaling from 225 to 295 to 315 in 2 x 15, 1 x 12, 1 x 8, cardio 30 min at begginng and at end of routine Tuesday: back excercises pulldown machine 4 x 12 front, 4 x12 back, row machine 4 x 12, with dumbells 3 x 10, delts with military press 3 x 8, dumbell single military press 3 x 12, lifting dumbell to the front 3 x 10 (light), to the sides 3 x10 (light), triceps with pull down machine with rope 3 x 12, with short z bar 3 x 12, with straight bar 3 x12, and with dumbells 3 x12 same cardio routine Wednesday: legs, cardio Thursday: Monday routine Friday: Tuesday routine From time to time i got lazy with the legs, and just did one week the monday routine x 3 and the tuesday x 2 and alternate the other week. As you can see i never worked out with crunches or situps, so i never got a sixpack but did get 17 1/2" guns all lost now i remember though when andro was still the thing to use............and then a brief stop into the world of juicing.........but that's another story...............
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2007 10:37:43 GMT
ohh and i forgot a diet of granola bars or cereal as breakfast, plenty of water (1+ gallons daily), lean meats, although i cheated on drinking soda...................I had been like 9 months without missing a single training day (even sick!!) and i was beggining to yield results when alas!!! i met my ex-wife and then, the long way from a lean 195lb mean machine to a 300lb ball of a man....everytime i remember that i cry out loud
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2008 10:55:58 GMT
Watch creatine it can make you very brittle. Do you guys remember Sterling Sharpe?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2008 11:46:48 GMT
Watch creatine it can make you very brittle. Do you guys remember Sterling Sharpe? What do you mean by brittle? Please provide scientific references, if able.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2008 23:53:20 GMT
It dries out the body
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2008 0:24:30 GMT
Creatine Use and Exercise Heat Tolerance in Dehydrated Men www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16619091Context: Creatine monohydrate (CrM) use is highly prevalent in team sports (eg, football, lacrosse, ice hockey) and by athletes at the high school, college, professional, and recreational levels. Concerns have been raised about whether creatine use is associated with increased cramping, muscle injury, heat intolerance, and risk of dehydration. Conclusions: Short-term CrM supplementation did not increase the incidence of symptoms or compromise hydration status or thermoregulation in dehydrated, trained men exercising in the heat.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2008 1:25:01 GMT
Dont use it, just train right, hard work will get the job done.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2008 18:46:01 GMT
Oh yeah and don't forget to hydrate.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2008 21:03:18 GMT
I used creatine for a while when I was lifting weights but I would get this itch all over my face for like 20 minutes which was a pain in the ass. The muscles them self were itching so I couldn't itch it heh. But however it did give me some boost, I could do 1-2 more lifts in the bench and I could squeeze out one more rep in biceps curl.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2008 6:49:05 GMT
I think that itching you describe is actually the minor muscle cramps other people have reported.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2008 1:32:46 GMT
I dont use creatine, but I use Rhodiola Rosea. Its a non-stimulant that increases serotonin in the brain and improves the efficiency of oxygen use in muscles especially the heart. It takes the edge off fatigue without over stimulating you. It can have side effects though....some people claims it helps them sleep if they use it in the morning, others claim they dont get tired at night and become restless....Im not sure why it can have opposite effects on different people.
I use it only in the morning, and I use the whole herb with green tea and brew it in a glass tea pot. I noticed that I became leaner and built some muscle while using it. Nothing drastic, but I saw some modest gains without changing my diet or activity much.
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