Creatine - Triathlon Week

Griz · 01-29-2003, 10:58 PM

Anybody supplement with Creatine?

Raoul in L.A. · 02-02-2003, 07:22 AM

IMO, only aids athletes that need short burts of power (seconds)

Griz · 02-02-2003, 01:59 PM

Found this article, which is interesting...

The truth about creatine and endurance.
New research shows that creatine could improve your performance in the latter stages of sports such as field hockey, soccer, or football.

While the benefits of creatine have been shown during short periods (less than 10 minutes) of exercise, what's not so clear is whether these improvements persist during the middle and latter stages of exercise. So, a research team from the University of Western Australia decided to find out.

Exercise test
They took a group of active (but not well-trained) men, and asked them to perform a series of "all-out" bike sprints for 80 minutes. The sprints were separated by recovery periods that varied in duration. This exercise test was designed to mimic the demands of sports such as soccer, or field hockey.

After completing the test, the men were split into two groups. One group took 20 grams of creatine daily, while group two was given a "dummy" supplement (known as a placebo). Five days later, the men took the test again.

Creatine improves performance

Results showed that the total amount of work performed increased by 6% in the creatine group.
No such improvements were found in subjects using the placebo. Moreover, the creatine group outperformed their colleagues in the middle and latter stages of the exercise test.

Because the test was designed to mimic the demands of a sport involving repeated sprints (such as soccer, or field hockey), the authors conclude that,

" ... the use of creatine supplementation for enhancing physical performance in multiple sprint sports (performed over a similar time frame) seems justified."

That said, it's worth pointing out that there is evidence to show creatine may impair performance during endurance exercise. When cross-country runners used creatine, their times actually got worse. Presumably, the weight gain that accompanies creatine supplementation may actually slow you down during certain sports or activities.

The bottom line?
Creatine can enhance your performance during short, repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise — even when they're performed in the middle and latter stages of a match or training session.

Traditionally, the use of creatine involves a "loading" phase. This involves consuming roughly 20 grams of creatine daily for up to five days. Loading with creatine also leads to a weight gain of several pounds.

An alternative method might be to use just five grams of creatine daily. This has been shown to "saturate" your muscles with creatine to the same degree as a loading phase, but it just takes a little longer (30 days).

Because you'll also gain weight more slowly, the 30-day protocol might give your body time to "adapt" to the small gain in weight, and reduce the risk that creatine could interfere with your performance.

Reference
Preen, D., Dawson, B., Goodman, C., Lawrence, S., & Beilby, J. (2001). Effect of creatine loading on long-term sprint exercise performance and metabolism. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33, 814-821

Raoul in L.A. · 02-02-2003, 02:38 PM

1: Clin Sci (Lond) 2003 Feb;104(2):153-62 Related Articles, Links

Effects of creatine loading and prolonged creatine supplementation on body composition, fuel selection, sprint and endurance performance in humans.

Van Loon LJ, Oosterlaar AM, Hartgens F, Hesselink MK, Snow RJ, Wagenmakers AJ.

Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht (NUTRIM), Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Most research on creatine has focused on short-term creatine loading and its effect on high-intensity performance capacity. Some studies have investigated the effect of prolonged creatine use during strength training. However, studies on the effects of prolonged creatine supplementation are lacking. In the present study, we have assessed the effects of both creatine loading and prolonged supplementation on muscle creatine content, body composition, muscle and whole-body oxidative capacity, substrate utilization during submaximal exercise, and on repeated supramaximal sprint, as well as endurance-type time-trial performance on a cycle ergometer. Twenty subjects ingested creatine or a placebo during a 5-day loading period (20 g.day(-1)) after which supplementation was continued for up to 6 weeks (2 g.day(-1)). Creatine loading increased muscle free creatine, creatine phosphate (CrP) and total creatine content ( P <0.05). The subsequent use of a 2 g.day(-1) maintenance dose, as suggested by an American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable, resulted in a decline in both the elevated CrP and total creatine content and maintenance of the free creatine concentration. Both short- and long-term creatine supplementation improved performance during repeated supramaximal sprints on a cycle ergometer. However, whole-body and muscle oxidative capacity, substrate utilization and time-trial performance were not affected. The increase in body mass following creatine loading was maintained after 6 weeks of continued supplementation and accounted for by a corresponding increase in fat-free mass. This study provides definite evidence that prolonged creatine supplementation in humans does not increase muscle or whole-body oxidative capacity and, as such, does not influence substrate utilization or performance during endurance cycling exercise. In addition, our findings suggest that prolonged creatine ingestion induces an increase in fat-free mass.

Zylo · 09-19-2004, 02:06 PM

I love Creatine.

Seems to work for some people, and not for others.
It makes my muscles big and gives me tons of energy.

I suggest everyone tries it to see if they like it. I find the best use for it is when you are lifting heavy HEAVY weights and training really hard. I get crazy gains/benefits from using creatine. I always have most energy when I'm on creatine. I usually use a tub of it. Then go off it for the same amount of time before using another.

You have to make sure to drink LOTS and LOTS of water (More than you usually do) while using it.

I use it mostly during the winter when I'm putting on muscle and adding more weight lifting days and lifting heavier weights to my training.