I'm a guy of a smaller build looking to lose a little bit of weight and put on a little bit of muscle and was considering adding creatine into my supplemental regimen. I've heard good things about creatine, but have also heard that it has some side effects, such as retained water weight and possible cramps. Could you share the pros and cons of this supplement that you have personally experienced?
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Article Summary: Studies have indicated that creatine is most-likely safe. Creatine is extremely cost effective with noticeable increases in performance. Make sure to drink lots of water and eat carbohydrates for optimal performance and health while on creatine. Do not take creatine if you have a pre-existing condition or are taking medication that may interact with creatine in a negative way.
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This is a very good question! I'm glad that I get the chance to talk about creatine, as it's a very hot topic for those who workout seriously or even casually. There are a lot of preconceived notions about creatine, and depending on whether or not the first person you talk to about it is a serious gym rat or someone who doesn't work out at all you'll get mixed opinions. I hope that I can help give you a better understanding of creatine, and that my opinions on its usage help you make a decision on whether or not you want to use it.
Source: sicrx.com
I've discussed how creatine works on my "recommended supplements" page found here . Please take a look so you can see what the thought process is as to why you'd want to be supplementing it for your workouts.
Source: store.bbcomcdn.com
Creatine is regarded as one of the most heavily researched supplements in the fitness world (when compared to other supplements), and yet a frustration about whether it is good or bad to supplement with it is evoked from the lack of research on its effects on the body when medical experts outside of the fitness world try to come to a definitive conclusion on whether or not it should be ingested. That just goes to show you how much of a crapshoot using supplements are. This is why I suggest getting most of your macro and micronutrients from whole foods instead of supplements, and only suggest using a handful of them. However, like I also stated in my "recommended supplements" section, you do not need supplements if you don't want them.
But your question was about the pros and cons of creatine usage, and what my recommendations on using it is based on what the goals you stated are.
I'm not sure I'd call them "pros" per-say, but I will go over the benefits of creatine usage, as well as what my experience with supplementing with it and my opinions on it are.
My View on Creatine:
I've personally supplemented with creatine for a couple years now. Creatine is great in that it's a supplement that you can drastically feel a difference in as soon as you start using it (i.e., it's a supplement that actually works). Unlike most supplements currently on the market, you can feel it work, and indeed there are individual studies and systematic reviews that can back this up (available upon request. Email me at jtrainfitness@gmail.com if you want a copy of such studies). I've cycled creatine before, as well as used it every day for a very prolonged amount of time. When not drinking adequate amounts of water (which you should do on creatine), and not taking it on a regular basis, I do see and feel a significant loss in my power and energy in the gym. By energy, I mean the feeling of being able to lift a significant amount of weight for a prolonged amount of time.
Source: i-want-abs.com
I can tell you after using creatine on a daily basis (within the recommended usage...aside from the "creating loading" suggestion on the back of the bottle), that I haven't experienced any negatively significant changes in my health that I wouldn't have otherwise felt off of creatine.....even from when I wasn't involved with bodybuilding. The only changes that I've felt while on creatine are increased energy which leads to increased intensity in the gym, and fuller more imposing looking muscles from the water being held within the cells by the creatine.
The truth is, your body naturally produces creatine. It's not something foreign like say synthetic drugs like anabolic steroids. You also ingest creatine from the foods that you eat. Examples of foods high in creatine include fish and meats (source: medline plus).
There are things that one should keep in mind when supplementing with creatine however. To get the maximum benefit, it's important to drink lots of water and eat carbohydrates for maximum effect. A lot of the negative opinions and alledged side effects of creatine (like cramping and kidney issues) are not so much from solely the use of the supplement as it is that people are not drinking enough water for the body to adequately filter it. So if you want to supplement creatine and are concerned with it being hard on certain organs, make sure to drink lots of water to make it easier for the body. If you do that, you shouldn't have an issue with the alledged negative side affects of creatine. This is of course assuming that you do not have a pre-existing condition that would make the introduction of creatine a detriment to your body. Please consult your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to supplement with creatine.
The benefits of creatine on gym performance include (source: medline plus):
*Improving athletic performance for short high-intensity exercise
*Increasing strength and endurance
*Increasing strength in those with muscular diseases
Other benefits of creatine include:
*Slowing the progression of Parkinson's Disease
*Slowing loss of eye-sight in patients with gyrate atrophy
*Improving symptoms in patients with various muscle diseases
Creatine is also EXTREMELY cost effective. Not only do you get a supplement that you know will work, but you can find a bottle that will last you weeks and maybe even months (at 5 grams a serving) for under $20. Sometimes they are even on sale for under $10. Just make sure that the creatine you choose is creatine monohydrate, and that the brand is "creapure". Creapure will not be the name of the supplement, but it is the name of the special brand of creatine used within the creatine supplement you choose (for example: Optimum Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate is the supplement name, but the creatine used is creapure creatine monohydrate). You will see some kind of labeling on the bottle that indicates that creapure was used if the product does in fact contain it.
When Not to use Creatine:
You also stated that you were interested in losing weight and were concerned with putting on water weight. Creatine WILL do both of these things to you. Your weight will go up from all of the excess water that the creatine you ingest will hold on to. However, most of the water will be intracellular (stored inside the cells) as opposed to extracellular (stored outside of the cells). So you won't look like you're gaining fat per-say, since it's the muscle cells that are storing the water and not fat cells / cells located outside the body. But you will gain in size and weight. If you want your weight to drop and have a more slender tight look, supplementing with creatine may not be the best idea.
Studies that were performed on creatine usage have indicated that creatine supplementation is most likely safe. When taken in higher than recommended doses however, or with a pre-existing condition, creatine may be unsafe to use. Also, consult your doctor with any medication you might be taking and ask him or her if creatine may interact negatively with it.
How / When to use Creatine
Take the recommended 5 grams and mix it in liquid. You can even go up to 10 grams a day. You do not have to "load" creatine as some bottles recommended (taking an extremely high dosage for a couple of days to "load" the creatine in your muscle cells). That's more or less an outdated theory on creatine usage and a play by the supplement companies for you to go through the creatine faster and therefore by more of it more often. You can take creatine whenever you want at whatever time of the day, pre or post workout. Take it every day for prolonged amounts of time to feel an increase in the effect.
Source: thehappyathlete.net
And those are my thoughts. Creatine is a very cost-effective supplement that works very well. Studies that were performed on creatine usage have indicated that creatine is most-likely safe to use. Creatine gets a bad reputation from myths generated back when such research was not conducted or scarce. It is also important to keep in mind that one thing in particular, such as a supplement, is usually not the sole cause of detrimental outcomes or conditions but rather an interaction of many different factors. So long as you use the recommended dosage, are fairly healthy, and keep in mind what pre-existing conditions you have / medications you are taking, you should be fine supplementing with creatine.
I hope that helps!
-Jtrain
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