Cre eatine - Wh hat is i it?

Lear rn all about Creatine, how h it works s, where it comes c from m, how to use it and much more e!
By: Robert DiM MaggioApr 20, 2004

EMAI ILMORE

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Wha at Is Creat tine?

Crea atine is a nutr rient naturally found in al ll our bodies. . It is a comb bination of 3 am mino acids; ar rginine, glyci ine and meth hionine. Crea atine helps provide p the ener rgy our musc cles need to m move, particularly quick and a explosiv ve movement ts. Musc cle contractio on is initially fuelled by A ATP (adenosine-triphosph hate). Ther re is only eno ough ATP to provide ene ergy for appro oximately 10 seconds. Fo or this energy e syste em to continu ue, more ATP P is required. Creatine ph hosphate giv ves up its s phosphate molecule to ADP (adeno osine-diphos sphate), thus recreating ATP. A Incre easing the muscle's supp ply of creatine e phosphate helps increa ase the rate in i whic ch the body can c supply AT TP.

A breakdown n of creatine. This increases th he muscles capacity c to do o work and im mproves the energy effici iency of the muscle. m Research shows s creatine to be effective in improving g training intensity and recover ry. It is able t to pass throu ugh the gut wall w (stomach h) and into the bloo odstream inta act and upon entering the e muscle cells, is converted into C Creatine Pho osphate (CP).

Wha at Is Creat tine Phosphate?

Crea atine Phosph hate is an org ganic compound in muscle fibres that t is fractured enzy ymatically for r the production of ATP.

Wha at Is Aden nosine TriP Phosphate (ATP)?

ATP is the organ nic compound d found in muscle which, upon being broken down enzy ymatically, yie elds energy for muscle c contraction. Creatine C enha ances your body y's ability to make m protein n within the m muscle fibres s, which also increases yo our musc cle mass (Cr reatine increa ases cellular r hydration. The hydrated mu uscle has inc creased perm meability, whi ich allows mo ore amino ac cids the muscle cell). c Building g up a supply y of these contractile prot teins (actin and a into t myos sin) increase es your musc cles ability to o perform phy ysical work. T The bottom line here, is that crea atine will allow w you to to p perform more e repetitions with w a given ght. weig This will increase e the time un nder tension, thus increas sing the recru uitment of

musc cle fibres, wh hich will in tu urn increase t the number of o fibres stim mulated. It als so prevents your bo ody from relying on anoth her energy sy ystem called glycolysis, ch has lactic acid a as a byp product. Lac ctic acid creat tes the burni ing sensation n whic you f feel duringintense exercise.

Doe es This Me ean I Will B Be Able T To Lift Mor re Or Run Faster?

Indirectly, YES! Directly, D POS SSIBLY! Creatine does not n make YOU stronger or o er, YOU mak ke YOU faste er or stronger r. Creatine allows you to train at a hig gher faste inten nsity level and to recover faster. If you ur recovery is better then n you are in a fresh her more rested state bef fore you comm mence your next session n and as a result you will derive more be enefit from th his sess sion than wou uld otherwise e have been poss sible. Let's us se the Bench h Press as an n exam mple: Prior to o Creatine ou ur subject, let's call him h "Maximu us" (mac-zim-us) was doing 4 set ts on the Ben nch Press. His goal g was to do d 4 sets of 8 repetitions with 225lbs, he usually got g 8,8,6 and d 4. By se ets 3 and 4 he h was fatigu ued and as a result he co ould not reac ch his goal. Whe en Maximus takes t Creatin ne he is likely y to see an im mprovement t in recovery signi ificant enoug gh to enable him to achieve his goal of o 4 sets of 8 repetitions. Now w if Maximus continues to use Creatine, eat sensib bly, train with h intensity an nd pass sion over a 12-16 week period p it would be possible for him to i increase his Benc ch Press to @ 250lbs for r 4 sets of 8 r repetitions. Finally F - reme ember you ha ave to do o the work! Use U Creatine to progress not to standstill.

Whe ere Is Creatine Found Natura ally?

You may be asking, "Why do o I need it if it t is found nat turally in my body". Well, the ost people on nly ingest ab bout one gram m of creatine e from food reason is that mo sources per day. t, coupled wit th average endogenous e production of o That another gram, tot tals a relative ely paltry 2 g grams of tine per day. . If you are a heavy consumer of red creat meat t, don't expect dramatic results r from c creatine supp plementation (1 pound of beef equals approximate ely 2 gra ams of creati ine, and 4.6 grams in eve ery pound of f herring. Over 2 grams g per po ound in most fish). Thos se likely to ex xperience the e best result ts are vegeta arians. Veget tarians synth hesize the su upplement ju ust as their ca arnivorous brethren do; they t seldom top

off th heir muscle stores s of crea atine since th hey avoid the e rich food so ources such as beef f. As a consequenc ce, they reac ct well to crea atine. Creatin ne suppleme ents are suita able re vegans, since the prod duct is synthetic and not derived from m for even hard-cor mal sources. anim

Can n Creatine e Become Toxic With Long Te erm Use?

In tru uth, nobody knows. k Altho ough the bod dy makes only 1-2 grams per day, the e odds s are good th hat your body y can handle e an intake of f 5 or more grams g per da ay. Anyb body over 20 00 pounds ca an take 10 gr rams quite sa afely provide ed that they drink d suffic cient fluids (t to avoid cram mping). Some e people hav ve been takin ng as much as a 20-30 grams a da ay since it was first availa able in 1990.

Is Creatine C Sa afe?
Yes, Creatine is a natural am mino acid pres sent in the body of huma ans and anim mals. y has 100-115 grams of c creatine in the form of cre eatine The human body sphate. No negative side effects have e been noted d in the resea arch with the phos recommended le evels of supp plementation. .

Are There An ny Noted Side S Effect ts?

Crea atine is so eff ficient at shu uttling water into i the intramuscular compartment, that t an emergent side e effect asso ociated with it t is that of muscle cramp ping. This mo ost n occurs whe en too little flu uid is consum med often whils st supplemen nting with cre eatine. Musc cle cramping g, strains and d tears are all anec cdotal eviden nce that are not n supported by scien ntific fact. Creatine draws s water away y from the in nternal working organs and a therefore e if you take a lot with no o water then a mild stoma ach mp will occur. . cram How w to avoid this s? Simple: dr rink 1 pint of f waterwith ev very dose! W Water makes sens se for an athlete and mos st of us are g guilty of consuming way to oo little. In an ideal l world we sh hould drink 4-5 4 pints of water w a day. It will benefit us and also bene efit the CM we w are taking. The extra w water will help maximise the effects of o the CM.

Whe en Is The Best Time e To Take Creatine? ?

For best b results, on training d days, take cre eatine after your y workout t. It will not make m you n nauseous an nd is best tak ken at this tim me in order to o replenish lo ost stores. If f you wish to take more e on a trainin ng day (i.e 10 0 grams),the en take half p pre-workout and a aining half po ost-workout. rema

How w Much Sh hould I Ta ake?

Reco ommended dosages ar re as follows s: Less than or equal to o 140lbs = 5-6grams per day is maint tenance 141lbs to o 168lbs = 6-7.5 grams p per day is ma aintenance 169lbs to o 199lbs = 8 grams per d day is mainte enance 200lbs to o 242lbs = 8-10 grams pe er day is mai intenance 242lb+ = 10-12 gram ms per day

Creatine Intake Auto-C Calculator

Ent ter Your Bodyweight In n Pounds: Pre ess Calculate To View Results R Below w Res sults - Creat tine Intake Per P Day: grams of o creatine.

Pounds

NB - please note e a level teas spoon is roug ghly 3 grams. Always divi ide the dose

Way ys To Take Creatine e.

You will find man ny different re ecommendat tions on how w to take crea atine. Studies s have e shown that you get a 60 0% greater c cell uptake of f creatine if you y combine it with a simple sug gar base, suc ch as grape j juice (natura ally rich in glu ucose). A big g insulin spik ke will push the creatine into the musc cle. Do not ever e take crea atine with orange juice e! Very simply it negates the positive effects due to t it's acidity. . e, but possib bly the best way w to take CM C is This is presently a matter for open debate ; you can add d simple carbohydrates if required. C Cranberry juic ce is with warm water; ne to upset stomachs, s it can c help alle eviate the ups set. recommended if you are pron Creatine e shuttles

Theory is s that in orde er to maximis se the effects s of Creatine e consumptio on it is necess sary to take it with a simp ple carbohyd drate The ide ea is that this s will promote an insulin sp pike which will w "shuttle" CM C into your muscles. Th he gredient in all shuttles is Creatine C and d Dextrose. In n a 1000 gra am basic ing container most will ha ave 200 gram ms of creatin ne and 800 grams g of e. Some will throw t in extra as like glutam mine etc. but t in all hones sty dextrose not enou ugh to make a difference. . Why use e a shuttle? In today's fast paced world it is re eally only for convenience e. They are more m expensiv ve but every convenience e food/drink always a is! How mu uch are they y? 1kg cont tainers are on sale in stor res for betwe een $28 - $40. $40.00 is really tak king the piss. You will get t at best 1 month m from a 1kg containe er.

Advis sory note: Bu uy it if you want w but only use it on you ur training da ays. On nontraining days only y take regula ar CM (Creat tine Monohyd drate). If the idea is to sh huttle i your sys stem then possibly the on nly time this should s be tak ken is either CM into before or during a workout.

Do I Need To Initially Go G Throug gh The Loa ading Pha ase?

No, this t is not ne ecessary. A m mere 3 grams s of creatine per day for 28 days resu ults in the e same muscle content of o creatine as s that of a six x day load pr rogram. Thus s, if you w wanted to ge et off creatine e, it would ta ake about a month m to reac ch normal musc cle stores. Takin ng even large amounts of o creatine as s in the load phase doesn n't appear to inhib bit the body's s creatine syn nthesis after you cease using u it.

Will l I Lose Weight W Or Muscle M Ma ass If I Sto op Using It t?

Ther re is no reaso on to expect muscle loss s. You will, ho owever, drop p a few pounds, since e creatine ca auses water v volumisation n in the intrac cellular tissue es as oppose ed to bloat ting caused by b sodium in ngestion.

Doe es Creatine Make Yo ou Retain Water?

No. Creatine C draw ws water from the body to t do its work k. There is a difference betw ween cell volu umization and water retention. Cell vo olumization leads to more e wate er inside the cells, c making g the muscle e bigger and firmer. f Wate er retention, the process that mak kes the musc cles look smo ooth, happen ns outside th he muscle ce ells.

How w Does Cr reatine He elp Muscle e Grow?

Inten nsity is neces ssary to achieve natural s strength gain ns and musc cle grow wth or increas sed athletic performance p . Muscle gro owth takes place e when the muscle m has been b overloaded. Without t heavy sets, your muscle will remain small. Crea atine promote es intense lif fting by recyc cling the necessary energ gy mole ecule ATP. Creatine C also buffers the development d t of lactic acid allow wing for a mo ore enduring workout. As you know, la actic acid build dup is one of the main causes of exer rcise-related muscle fatigu ue.

Want to o get bigger r and strong gerand get t that way fa aster?

Want to t get bigge er and stro ongerand d get that way w faster? (Pick up a copy of f the Men's M Heal lth Power r Food Nu Nutrition Plan P for m more ways to get big fast!) f Creatin ne works. Lifters L know this, pro ofessors kn now this, th he markete ers who sel ll the stuff know this. t But nob body shou uld put anyt thing in th heir body without w wei ighing the benefits an nd risks first. Th hat goes fo or everything from be eer to mars shmallows s to the amazing amin no acid called creatine. c It's not t anything scary. It's not a Barry y Bonds starter kit. Creatin netypical lly bought in flavored d powders and mixed d with liqui idincreas ses the body's ability to produce p en nergy rapid dly. With more m energy y, you can train hard der and more often, o producing faste er results. It's as simple s as this: t "If you u can lift one or two more m reps or 5 more pounds, yo our muscle es will get bigger b and stronger," " says Chad d Kerksick, , Ph.D., ass sistant pro ofessor of exercis se physiolo ogy at the University U o of Oklahom ma. Resear rch shows that t creatin ne is most effective in n high-inte ensity train ning and ex xplosive activiti ies. This in ncludes wei ight trainin ng and spo orts that req quire short bursts of f effort, such as s sprinting g, football, and baseba all. There is i less supp port to indicate that creatine c im mproves en ndurance performanc p ce and aerobic c-type exer rcise.

One thing is almost certain: If you take creatine, you'll gain weight. It'll happen quickly, says Paul Greenhaff, Ph.D., professor of muscle metabolism at the University of Nottingham in England. While the initial gain is water (about 2 to 4 pounds in the first week of supplementation), subsequent gains are muscle due to the increase in the workload you can handle. Because creatine is an "osmotically active substance," it pulls water into your muscle cells, which increases protein synthesis, Kerksick says. Studies in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercisefound that muscle fibers grow when a person takes creatine. The catch: This only happens if you take advantage of the boost in energy and hit the gym. Otherwise, it is just water weight. Nobody argues with any of this. But there are some questions about creatine that lots of guys have.

What Is Creatinine?
People who have chronic kidney disease (CKD) may have heard their nephrologist or nurse talk about creatinine. So what is creatinine exactly? Creatinine is a chemical waste product in the blood that passes through the kidneys to be filtered and eliminated in urine. The chemical waste is a by-product of normal muscle contractions. Creatinine is made from creatine, a supplier of energy to the muscle. Women usually have lower creatinine levels compared to men, because women have less muscle tissue. Among adults without kidney disease, men have approximately 0.6 to 1.2 milligrams/deciliters (mg/dL) of creatinine, whereas women have between 0.5 to 1.1 mg/dL of creatinine. Generally creatinine levels in the blood remain unchanged from day to day because muscle mass usually stays the same. Taking certain medicines, eating a lot of meat or building muscles through weight training or other exercisemay show higher amounts of creatinine, even in those who do not have chronic kidney disease. Creatinine levels can be lower than normal for people who are elderly, malnourished or are vegetarians.

Creatinine tests
Creatinine in the bloodstream is usually checked with regular tests. There are a few tests which are specifically for creatinine measurement to help determine kidney function. Serum creatinine is a blood test that is commonly performed as part of a physical examination if have blood work done. Blood is drawn and sent to a lab to be analyzed to find out how much creatinine is in the bloodstream. Serum creatinine helps evaluate kidney function. Knowing your serum creatinine allows your doctor to calculate your creatinine level along with your age, gender and race, to determine your GFR (glomerular filtration rate). GFR is considered by medical professionals to be the best measure of kidney function. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) ranges from stage 1 CKD (normal to high GFR) to stage 5 CKD (end stage renal disease). If you know a serum creatinine level you can determine the stage of chronic kidney disease using the DaVita GFR Calculator. Creatinine clearance (Ccr or CrCl) measures how much creatinine is cleared out of the body, or how well kidneys filter waste. Creatinine clearance is a combination of a urine and a blood test. A creatinine clearance test is usually ordered if the serum creatinine level is higher than normal or when a person is starting dialysis. Normal creatinine clearance for men is between 97 to 137 milliliters per minute, and women have a normal clearance of 88 to 128 milliliters per minute. BUN/creatinine is the ratio between blood urea nitrogen (BUN), a waste product in the blood from protein metabolism, and creatinine. This ratio is used to help determine if kidney function is impaired due to a damaged or diseased kidneys or another factor outside of the kidneys. If both BUN and creatinine are high, the ratio usually indicates damage to the kidneys. If BUN is high but creatinine is normal, then the kidney is generally not damaged but is not getting adequate blood supply due to another problem such as dehydration or heart failure.

Creatinine and chronic kidney disease

When there is kidney damage or kidney disease, and the kidneys are not able to filter waste efficiently, there will likely be a rise in creatinine levels in the blood. For adults with chronic kidney disease, dialysis is recommended when creatinine levels reach 10.0 mg/dL. Forbabies with chronic kidney disease, dialysis is recommended when their creatinine level is 2.0 mg/dL.

Symptoms of too much creatinine

Symptoms of high levels of creatinine in the blood are the same as kidney failure symptoms. Some people find out they have kidney failure when extreme creatinine amounts show up in routine blood tests, without feeling any symptoms at all. Yet some people may experience the following:

Weakness, or feeling tired Dehydration Confusion Shortness of breath

When will your creatinine level be tested?

Serum creatinine and BUN/creatinine tests are usually performed during regular blood work. Your doctor may order a creatinine test if he or she suspects your kidneys are impaired. During some drug treatments, your doctor may order frequent creatinine tests to ensure the drug is not harming your kidneys. If you have signs of kidney trouble, your doctor may order a creatinine clearance test. Nephrologists use these tests to monitor the kidney function of their patients and track the progression of their kidney disease. Doctors also use these tests after a patient reaches end stage renal disease and is on dialysis to check how well dialysis is cleaning the blood.

Summary
Creatinine tests, such as the serum creatinine, creatinine clearance and BUN/creatinine help doctors determine if kidneys are not functioning properly. People diagnosed with chronic kidney disease will likely be tested regularly. Knowing your creatinine level will help your health care team determine your treatment for kidney disease, including the amount of dialysis you should receive.

Can Creatine be termed as a Steroid? Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid occurring naturally in all vertebrates. Creatine helps to supply energy to muscle and nerve cells. The body manufactures, stores and uses creatine for pursuits which require bursts of energy like running at a high speed. Unfortunately creatine reserves within the body can only supply energy from creatine for a very short period of time. Creatine has quite often been likened to anabolic steroids, because it provides the user with higher amounts of energy and increases lean muscle mass. But nothing could be further from the truth. Though both anabolic steroids and creatine enhance performance, and both are ingested as sports supplements, the basic difference lies in the chemical structure of the two. Anabolic steroids like testosterone are hormones, while creatine is a protein available in the body. Chemical Structure of Creatine Monohydrate

When this t is comp pared to tes stosterone one of th he most popular anabo olic steroids, distinct differen nces can be e found.

From th he structure es it is apparent that the linear bonded b creatine is diff ferent from m the helical testosteron ne. Steroids are of tw wo varieties anabolic steroids promote gen neration of new cells and a promot te growth. Androgyno A us steroids are respon nsible for ex xerting masculine features in the bod dy, like grow wth of facia al hair and deepening of the voic ce. Most ste eroids howe ever have both an nabolic and androgyno ous capabilities. For ex xample tes stosterone promotes p g growth and masculine features in males. . This is vas stly differen nt from the e effects of creatine, which w in essence e, increases s ones energy to perfo orm. Thus, a bodybuilder on creatine becom mes capable e of running g an extra mile, or lift ting extra weight w due to the exce ess energy within his body. This T in turn, helps him m develop his body qui icker. Creat tine also ha as an effect t of absorbi ing water, which w incre eases the water w mass of muscles s. Creatine can be cl lassified as a dietary h health supp plement, as s one can consume, theoret tically, enou ugh creatin ne rich food like red meat, to su ubstitute su upplementa ation. This cannot be done in n the case o of steroids, which are released within w the hu uman body y by specific c glands, at t specific ag ges and in specific s qua antities. To o amplify the effects of f steroids, they ha ave to be in ngested thr rough suppl lements. Creatine can be sa aid to be closer to vita amins than steroids or r hormones s. Since cre eatine is an n amino a acid(as can n be unders stood from its structur re) it is sim milar to glutamine, and d arginine both used to enhance perfo ormance. Creatine C supporters ha ave even cl laimed that t taking creatine e is not any y more unn natural than n taking a multivitami m in. Creatine may not be as harm mful for the body as st teroids are, , but studie es on the ef ffect of creatine e on the bo ody are limited. Accord ding to inde ependent reports, r org ganizations like the WTA, IT TF, NBA an nd FIFA are seeking to o ban the us se of creati ine among their athlet tes. The Interna ational Olym mpic Comm mittee does not specific cally ban cr reatine but it does ban n the use of ergogenic acids s. Creatine falls under r this group p due to its performance enhancing capacities. Thus, a consultation with a p physician is s imperative e before taking creatin ne, to verif fy dosage and len ngth of time e one shoul ld use

Why do (some) bodybuilders take steroid instead of creatine to build muscle?

When people say steroid in the context of body building they usually refer to steroid hormone testosterone that is responsible for the secondary sex characteristic of males. Secondary characteristic we are talking about here is muscle development and growth, so in a sense testosterone is a growth hormone. It accelerates growth rate and repair of muscles after work outs. As a result you get muscle build up remarkably faster, yes much much faster! In fact when a person needs a year to get six pack with good work out a person taking steroid on the other hand will only need 2-3 months sometimes even one month! Also you can get abnormally bigger muscles, look at those pictures of crazy body builders all over the internet especially those that even colaterally alter ones use of their limbs, some can;t even bend their arms due to their ludicrously massive biceps!!! Although steroid does proven to be effective for growth, the substance is not without drawbacks and it is absolutely important for people to realize this. A person taking steroids for extended period of time will most of the time suffer from infertility due to testicular atrophy (wasting of the testicles), lost of libido and development of female secondary characteristics including breast tissues as well as dramatically increasing the risk of carcinogenesis. Other consequences are much more severe since you are basically mucking around with the body delicate physiological system. STEROID IS A STUPID LAZY CHEAP WAY TO GET BIG MUSCLES WITH ABSOLUTE LACK OF RESPECT FOR ONES OWN WELL-BEING!! Creatine on the other hand is nitrogenous organic acid that occurs naturally in vertebrates and helps to supply energy to muscle and nerve cells. As you exercise this substance depletes and by taking extra supplements that you usually see in shops you help to increase performance of your work out. As a result you can exercise longer and relatively more frequent. As such creatine helps you to build those muscles by allowing you to work harder with relatively low to zero risk to ones health if done correctly. Unlike steroids the effect can not be easily seen and most of the time, rate of muscle of development and growth is significantly altered although more research needs to be done to confirm this. CREATINE IS A SUPPLEMENT UNLIKE STEROIDS AND IS RELATIVELY SAFE.

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There is a difference between creatine and steroids. CREATINE Creatine does not build muscle, it is a molecule that is manufactured from your body naturally to manufacture the spark plug to make your muscles move called (ATP) Adenosine Triphosphate.

When you experience muscle fatigue, your ATP becomes ADP, Adenosine Diphosphate instead of Triphospate. Tri means three and di means two. After you rest, your creatine is replenished by your own body if given time to recover to rejuvenate your ATP once again. PURPOSE OF CREATINE SUPPLEMENT The purpose of a creatine supplement is to help your Adenosine Diphosphate borrow the molecule to create Adenosine Triphosphate once again, so that you have your spark plug to start lifting again, thus you can push the envelope for a few more reps that you would otherwise not be able to do in one session. There are different sources to obtain a creatine supplement, so make sure you get a high quality creatine or you are wasting your money. Quality not quantity is key to getting a source of creatine that works. GNC is junk. Find it through high quality sources. STEROIDS Steroids are a completely different metabolic reaction. They mess with your hormones. Steroids are a synthetic version of testosterone. The purpose of steroids is to trick the body into manufacturing more of what it doesn't naturally do. The desired affect, is an unnatural bulking up of muscle in a shorter amount of time. So, you have to be very careful with steroid use and it must be under the supervision of a professional or the side affects are not worth the effort. The bottom line is that steroids are man made hormones. They tweak the body to elicit a reaction. They are toxic, have side affects, and must be considered with serious care. NATURAL HORMONES Natural hormones are manufactured by the body on its own. Men and women have 87 hormones and only 2% responsible for sexual reproduction. Hormones start out as DHEA, your youth hormone and go through 2 metabolic pathways. One for your testosterones and estrogens (yes, men have estrogen, too) and another pathway for your anti inflammatory hormones etc. DHEA can only be manufactured by your body through food sources. You can build muscle naturally from well balanced nutrition. DHEA comes form phytosterols, which are plant hormones. Leafy greens, yams, cherries etc, all contain a plant hormone called Phytosterols. If you eat a lot of raw leafy greens and raw vegetables and raw fruits, you are getting more of these phytosterols in order to produce DHEA and it helps to maintain lean healthy muscle.

This is why its so important for body builders to eat healthy and to avoid junk food. Some people choose to supplement with DHEA and swear by it ,but it comes with consequences. Your body gets the message that it doesn't have to produce its own DHEA and once off of the unnatural supplement of DHEA, you age faster. Eat healthy; you are what you eat.

How is Creatine Different from Steroids?

ON APR 3, 2002 AT 10:49AM

My 16-year-old son is really into sports. He's on the football team and baseball team, and he spends a lot of time working out and lifting weights with his friends. Recently, he started taking creatine to build muscle and improve his performance. I was alarmed when I found out, but he assures me that creatine is natural and safe. Is this true? What's the difference between creatine and steroids? Jennifer Trachtenberg Dr. Jennifer Trachtenberg is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Performance-enhancing supplements like creatine, which is sold over-the-counter, are gaining fast popularity among middle school and high school students, even though they are not recommended for children under 18. In a recently study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 44 percent of high school seniors admitted using creatine. Creatine is a naturally occurring substance that is found in low doses in foods. Proponents say it can safely add muscle and improve strength and endurance, but there is serious concern among doctors about the possible long-term effects of taking it in high doses. Furthermore, because creatine is marketed as a supplement, it isn't held to the strict standards of the Food and Drug Administration. It is also, like steroids, banned from athletic organizations like the NFL, NCAA, and the International Olympic Committee. Anabolic steroids are also used by athletes to enhance performance, but these are extremely powerful and dangerous drugs that help to build muscle tissue by acting like the male hormone testosterone. Relying on anabolic steroids to improve athletic ability is not only illegal, it can be extremely harmful, especially for teenagers. Steroids can have an extreme effect on stunting growth. Other side effects include: Severe acne Baldness Sleep problems Headaches Nausea and vomiting Diarrhea High blood pressure, heart disease and strokes Liver damage Aggressive, violent behavior Severe mood swings (also depression and anxiety attacks) Hallucinations and paranoia Additionally, steroids cause males to produce less of their own testosterone, which can result in impotence, gynecomastia (increased breast size) and reduced sperm count. In females, steroids can lead to reduced breast size, deeper voice, increased facial and body hair, and menstrual problems. Remember, athletic ability depends on more than just muscle mass. Genetics, age, diet, training, dedication, and perserverance all play a part in how a young adult plays sports. Using steroids or supplements is not only cheating, it can cause numerous health problems. Until safety can be established, I would discourage your son from taking creatine.

Crea atine: The T Su upplem ment Ev veryone Shou uld Be Taking

Natural supplement ts! Can they y be used to achieve the e same level l of muscula arity as anab bolic steroids s? Even the most delude ed individua al will agree, no natural supplements s s can even compare c to Anabolic c Steroids, however h the ey always do o have a place. Some will w argue supplements only o have their place for r the natural individual, however, h tha at is untrue. It is just as importan nt, if not mor re important t for you, the e enhanced d individual to use certa ain natural supplem ments along with your an nabolic stero oid cycle. Why is this? t Because most ana abolics, if no ot all, allow for f a better uptake u of pro otein and nu utrients. One of t the best natural supplem ments you c can take while either nat tural or the assisted a athlete using anabolic cs isCreatin ne!

T Teaspoon of Cr reatine

Creatine e (purchase here) Im su ure youre taking it, and if you arent you certainl ly should be e. Creatine e has with stood the tes st of time. Gu uys like Arno old and now w Ronnie Co olemon have e used Creatine e. What doe es that tell yo ou? While on a basic ste eroid or even an advanc ced one, you u can see noticeab ble results fr rom using Creatine. C Below Im going to outline some basic information on Creatine e. I will also tell you how w you can ta ake it to get better b result ts than you imagined po ossible. First, let ts list the be enefits of us sing Creatine e while on a steroid cycl le. During a steroid cyc cle you can force more Creatine into your musc cle cells. This serves tw wo purposes. . It will en nlarge your muscles. m Yo ou will notice e your muscles will look much harde er and also find f you can n get muc ch more Cre eatine into yo our muscles s then when youre not on o a cycle. Not only y will your muscles m Look k bigger, the ey will also fe eel firmer an nd harder. Trust T me, fro om experien nce, if some eone feels yo our arms, th heyll be awe ed at the bou ulders they now n feel.

Im sure e many of yo ou will be us sing post workout shakes. (And if yo ou arent, you u certainly should be!) One of m my favorite post workou ut shakes, th hat really goes well with an anabolic c steroid cyc cle is the following g. Pre Workout 60Gra ams of a fas st acting ca arb drink. Lu ucozade, or a Gatorade e, and quick k acting Whey Protein P arou und 30gram ms is a must. I then add 10 Grams of o Creatine mono*. Anything else is throw wing your mo oney down th he drain. Fo or an explana ation of why y I promote Creatine C mo ono, please see text t at the botto om. Now for r arguments s sake, we are going to say s you are using 40mg g of Dianabo ol. (This is what w my athletes have used during this) t I would d then give my m athlete a 10mg pill of f Dianabo ol, and have e him wait 30 0 minutes be efore hitting the weights s. During this s time, hed do his stretche es and warm m ups. As so oon as the 30 0 minutes was w up, hed hit the Weig ghts properly y. 45-50 minutes s later, once his session was over, w wed get the exact same e drink down n him all ove er again. The only y difference this time is hed take 20 0mgS of Dia anabol, rathe er than 10m mg. His pum mp would las st longer, and we noticed better stre ength gains than t usual on o this. Ive since s tried it t on 15 ot ther athletes s, and every y time weve e had better results than without the Creatine. Obviously, O this isnt t the ONLY variable to making m this effective. Bu ut this is the e main key part to it. You sho ould also be getting 10g g of Creatine e mono as so oon as you wake w up and 5g with ev very meal. Heres a quick look at how Id recommend doing it. Morning g upon wak king up- 10G G of Creatin ne mono Meal 2 Creatine C mono 5G Pre wor rkout shake e 10G Of Cr reatine 10m mg dianabol l Post wo orkout shak ke 10G Of Creatine C 20m mg dianabo ol Meal 3 5mg 5 of Cre eatine Meal 4 5mg 5 Creatine Before bed 5mg Creatine C Now I know this is a HUGE amount of Crea atine, but let ts face it, Creatine is qu uite cheap, and a you will see fant tastic results s from this. We usually do this for f the full amount of tim me the cycle lasts Usua ally a 12 to 16 1 week cyc cle.

Im am not n kidding You will se ee some kick k ass results s from this. Far F better th han if you jus st used steroids s alone. We usually see an extra 4 t to 6lbs of mu uscle per cy ycle just by adding a this alone! a Creatine e is a strong g and power rful supplement on its ow wn (if used correctly). It t only makes s sense youd ge et even bette er results if you used it w with anabolic steroids. Below im going to give g you a cycle c that Ive used with my athletes s time and time again, and a seen fabulous s results from. Ive used d this on the Average Gy ym Rat all th he way to Pr ro Athletes and a Ive been ha appy with the e results, as s have my trainees. 12 week k cycle What yo ou will need: : Testoste erone Enant thate Dianabo ol Deca Durabolin And of course, c Crea atine, Purchase here , You can n purchase all a of these products p here: GP Test Enanth 250 Danabo ol (dianabol) Nandrol lone Decano oate (Deca D Durabolin) So here es how the cycle c will look: Week 1-16 Testost terone Enanthate 600m mg Weekly. . Dianabo ol 1-8 40mg g Daily. Deca Durabolin 40 00mg Week kly week 1-1 12 Creatine, which yo ou can purc chase here USN Creatine Monohy ydrate 500g g Size and Strength S Powder r at the described d dosages. If you fo ollow the instructions Ive e given you above, you will see a lo ot of great re esults. A few w things I might at t: The athlet tes on this w were at the m minimum training with weights, w five times t per we eek, and usually 6 times per week. I app preciate som me of you can nt do this, and a even if you y cant, yo ou will still see bett ter results th han if you we ere just usin ng the steroids alone. Creatine e really is a great supple ement if use ed correctly. The key is knowing how w to use it, when w to use e it, and how h to manip pulate it. But if you do it t right expec ct some kick ass results! !

Unfortun nately, we live in a time where tons s of bad and useless sup pplements get g thrown in n our face we tend d to ignore th he ones that t actually wo ork. Creatine e does work k! Discuss s further in our o forum, an nd view belo ow for all of the t products s you can pu urchase dire ectly from our VER RIFIED selle ers! * I prom mote Creatine e Mono over other types s of Creatine e like Creati ine Ethyl Ester, and the like, because e, while you may see many website es promoting g how it stop ps the bloat t it literally, in my experien nce, does no othing. Ther res now bee en numerous studies als so showing how creatine monohy ydrate is better, and muc ch better, at t that. A simple good search can fin nd you these e studies. With this s in mind, and my own experiences e s, Ive just se een it as a waste w of mon ney. Creatin ne mono is cheaper r. it works be etter. Real li ife pros use it. Athletes use it.

Build ding Muscle: M How Is It Re eally Do one?

Most pe eople believe e that in order to build n noticeable muscle m size, they t have to o devote ma any hours in the gym m, 5 or 6 day ys a week for many year rs. This is un ntrue, yes, hard h work is required, bu ut to devote that muc ch time is un nnecessary. .

Subst tantial musc cle growth ca an be achiev ved with 40-minute sess sions 3 days a week, w some etimes much less if done e correctly. Muscles M will only grow in n size when they have fully rec covered from m the gym workout, then n, and only th hen will mus scle growth happen. If your y goal is to achie eve maximum m muscle gr rowth in the shortest possible time then t there needs n to be more m rest days tha an actual wo orkout days. . Its diffic cult for some e people to b believe that substantial muscle grow wth can be induced i with h only 2 or 3 days a week at 40 minutes a session n, or less. It can be done and it is being done by b many, howeve er, there is a catch: These few and far between gy ym sessions s will have to o be short and extremel ly intensive. More intense than ever, you y have to justify your days off. Yo ou have to give your bod dy a very go ood reason

to grow bigger muscles. The sessions will be about what you thought you could not do, but somehow managed to do. Eg: if youre lifting a certain weight and you know you can only get 8 reps, you will push yourself further than ever before and squeeze out another 2 reps of that weight, with the help of your training partner or someone else of course. You will need help with the last 2 reps but the idea is to execute a greater effort than you are used to doing, this creates the environment for greater muscle growth (all other things being equal). Below is an example of an 8 Week every other day muscle building routine. Its an example of how short the training sessions should be. It can also be done taking 2 days rest in between training sessions. I am assuming that you have weight training experience behind you, and also that you are familiar with the jargon. If not, then I would not recommend that you push yourself too far until you have built up your strength and fitness level. You should always get the go-ahead from your GP or health professional before starting or changing any physical exercise program. Warm ups are not included in the below. Day 1: Chest 2 sets 10 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Biceps 2 sets 8 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Day 2: REST. Day 3: Thighs 2 sets 10 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Hamstrings 2 sets 8 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Calves 2 sets 12 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Day 4: REST. Day 5: Shoulders 2 sets 10 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Triceps 2 sets 8 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Day 6: REST. Day 7: Back 2 sets 10 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Abdominals 2 sets 10 reps 1 exercise. Use the same weight for your 2nd set. Day 8: REST.

Day 9: Start again. Notes: You will need someone to help you for the last 2 or 3 reps of every set. So if youre doing a set of 10 reps, the weight should be heavy enough to allow only 8 reps on your own, and you will need help to get the other 2 reps to make it 10. If youre doing a set of 8 reps, its really only 5 or 6 reps that you can get on your own; help will be needed to complete the 8 reps. Increase the weight every week, even if its only 5lbs in total. Safety takes priority over ego. On the 4th week reduce the rep range by 2 for all sets and continue. The idea is to put forth a much greater intensive effort than you imagine you can. The reward for these infrequent efforts is, shorter training sessions and more rest days away from it and of course much Greater Muscle Growth. Many people are now achieving greater results through smarter training methods, spending less time in the gym with more free time to enjoy other activities. Excessive hours and days in the gym is, at last! No longer the way to go.

6 pa ack abs s and their ro ole in th he med dia, the e Movie es and Today ys Gen neration n
Now, I know what you y are thinking: And th he answer is s: No! This is s not your ty ypical article on how real men just bulk. It I will focus on o 6 pack abs, how they are portray yed in the media, m and how h you, yourself f, with the rig ght supplem ments, can at ttain a 6pack. First off, what are your goals? Theres T a bit t of vanity in n everyone. Are A they to look better than t the general public? Is it t to get plent ty of action w when you go o out on a Friday F night? ? Is it to impr ress your girlfriend d or wife? Something S yo ou can show w off to your friends? Wh hatever your reason is; Theres no harm in wanting to look good. Like it or o not, 6 pack abs are no ow the focal point in todays society of a muscu ular man. To anot ther male, a huge chest and bulging g biceps, or thunderous thighs can send s out a message m of intimida ation and stre ength. Howeve er, to most women, w at th his moment i in time, due to the way the t media portrays, p it th he 6 pack really is the king of o muscular definition. d

So why y is the 6pac c so importa ant? What signals does it send out? ? Why do women find it so att tractive? And how can y you, yourself f, get a 6pac ck of your ow wn that will have your woman turning off the TV and turning t you on. o If you wa ant these qu uestions ans swered, and more keep reading. Lets sta art with why so many wo omen go ga aga over the 6pack. To o start with, we w will take a look at how the e 6pack is sh hown in the media today y.

Celebrities. Whenever you switch on the TV, whats the first thing you see? You see some guy in the movie you are watching who has 6 pack abs. How many of you have been watching the new Justin Timberlake film [for instance] with a female friend (or a male, in some cases we dont judge here) and your own girlfriend/wife has said look at him he is so muscular! or the worst of the worst? Why dont you have a body like that? You look at him? Ha! Your arms are bigger then his Chest and back too. Unfortunatly, though, so is your stomach And, this is where the problem begins. You have a shirt on and you look like you lift weights. He has a shirt on and doesnt look like he lifts weights. He takes his shirt off and the girls tongues drop out of their mouths and fall at to their feet. Taylor Lautner from Twilight? Brad Pitt, Fight Club, ring any bells? What do these 2 two actors have in common? They both have 6 pack abs and are both extremely low body fat. They also both have a lot of money, but this article does not promise you money. Though, your chance at getting a modelling contract could go up. Moving on What else do they have in common? without a shirt on youd never guess they lifted weights. So what is it that forces women to look at these guys over you? Its simple. Its thrown in their faces whereever you go. Magazines, TV, no matter where it is, the guy who has the sex appeal is the one with the best 6 pack. A few days, I went to see the new Twilight film with my girlfriend. After the film, half of her friend couldnt stop raving about Taylor Lautners 6pac, and the other half (the Edward fans) couldnt stop fanning themselves over Edwards 6pac. But lets talk about Taylor Lautner Hes constantly being used as a sex symbol. When he first started filming for Twilight he was around 110lbs and very skinny. In fact, he was originially going to be replaced for the second film, due to not being muscular enough for the lead.

He knew what he had to do o. To keep his h role in this franchise, he had to dramatic cally change e his body. He H set his mind m to making a comple ete body cha ange and he e did it within 9 months. So if he can do this, what is sto opping you? Girls lov ve to run the eir hands down a nice fir rm 6pack. Your gir rl will no long ger say why y dont you lo ook like that t? Instead, shell be sho owing you off o and telling you he does snt look as good g as you u! Below I ll outline a good g cycle that can be u used to get the t 6 pack in n ULTRA qu uick time. (th his is somethi ing I believe e individuals such as Taylor Lautner r or Brad Pit tt) would use e to get thes se results. A lot of my y own client ts have got these t results s in VERY quick q time. First we e need a rough idea of th he body fat levels you are. a 15% 20% %? 25%+ If you ar re at the level of 25% I w would recom mend just sta arting off wit th a simple CLEN C cycle, which Ill outline below. b Bare in mind, you should be e using this along a with a very good cardio c and diet d routine, plus, of course, resistance train ning. If you g get the other r 3 right, you u can lose around 4/5lbs s of fat per week with this. I can nnot stress enough, e you u need to be e doing EVE ERYTHING right. r But trust me, its a lot easie er to stay at a low body fat then it is s to get there e. Below is s a simple Clen C only cyc cle id recom mend for som meone at 20 0% body fat. You can n buy GP Clen (clenbute erol) from ou ur verified su upplier here: GP Clen (c clenbuterol) First we eek. (Remem mber to take e clen first thing in the morning. m with hin 30 minute es of getting g up) Day 1 60MG 6

Day 2 60MG Day 3 60MG Day 4 80MG Day 5 80MG Day 6 80MG Day 7 100mg Day 8 100mg day 9 100mg Day 10 120MG Day 11 120MG Day 12 120MG Day 13 140MG day 14 140MG Day 15 140mg Day 16 160MG Day 17 160mg Day 18 160MG Day 19 120MG Day 20 120MG Day 21 120MG Day 22 80MG Day 23 80MG Day 24 80MG Day 25 40MG And there you have it- a simple 25 day plan. Im going to say the best and worst results Ive seen with this. For the Average Joe, whose actually worked hard, Ive seen, at the best, a reduction of body fat from 20% down to 12%. At the other end of the scale, I saw someone drop to 16% from 20% (they were sick and missed 8 days worth of training) But as you can see, even then they still saw dramatic weight loss. A lot of people will question the high dose at the end, along with the low doses and drop down period. A lot of people argue, is it needed? Do you need to drop down? How could it still be effective? I wont go into the science behind this I will just give you real life results. And you can ask anyone who has taken clen and seen good results, any competitive bodybuilder, athlete. or most models for that matter. I know quite a few models who use this routine to get a 6pac in quick succession. Though, they never really go above 14% body fat.

But Ive always seen BETTER results dropping down in increments rather than just simply dropping down the dosage. Myself, and many others Ive coached. [100s of people] By tapering down this way, you will usually see an extra 2-3 pounds of fat loss, than if you just stop taking the clen. Ive also found it much easier to stop the fat from RETURNING this way. In the 15% Body fat levels? Well use the same one above with a twist. We are going to add some Winstrol to the mix, which will do a few things. 1. It will allow hardening of the muscles so we appear even larger than we are. 2.. No matter what anyone says it DOES aid in the fat loss process, and will be the difference in another 1% to 3% Of fat loss. Now, I know what you are thinking! 1-3% of body fat is not that huge of a drop. Well, combine this with the 5 to 7% youll get from the clen and youll see why. Started at 15%? The clen causes you to lose 5% and then the winstrol kicks in and adds another 3%. You are now at 7% body fat! Your 6pack will noticeably stand out to the public! Not only this, but your skin will tighten showing off all the curves on your chest and your biceps will be bulging out, add this with the 5/6lbs of LEAN body mass you will get from the Winstrol. Combine all this with the hardening of the muscles and guess what? You are going to look every bit as good (if not better!), than Taylor Lautner looked. If you already have a good base to build off of, you should look noticeably better in all the right areas. I will say, once again, this SECOND cycle is not something I would do unless I had 2/3 years of bodybuilding under my belt. This is more for the advanced trainee looking for an edge. It is VERY good for models and Ive used it with many models to great success in the past. I am going to end this with listing below the exact winstrol cycle Ive used with models to go with the clen for that extra edge, Remember to join our forums (Link button here) And add to the discussion and ask any questions you might have. The Clen cycle is exactly the same as the above. The twist is to add some winstrol. You can purchase Winstrol Tablets and Winstrol Injectable from our Verified supplier here: GP Stan 10 (Winstrol tabs) GP Stan 50 (Winstrol injectable) The dose will revolve around 100mgs being injected every OTHER day. So your cycle would look like: Day 1 Clen: 60MG Winstrol: 100MG Day 2 60MG Day 3 60MG Winstrol: 100MG

Day 4 80MG Day 5 80MG Winstrol: 100MG Day 6 80MG Day 7 100mg Winstrol: 100MG Day 8 100mg day 9 100mg Winstrol: 100MG Day 10 120MG Day 11 120MG Winstrol: 100MG Day 12 120MG Day 13 140MG Winstrol: 100MG day 14 140MG Day 15 140mg Winstrol: 100MG Day 16 160MG Day 17 160mg Winstrol: 100MG Day 18 160MG Day 19 120MG Winstrol: 100MG Day 20 120MG Day 21 120MG Winstrol: 100MG Day 22 80MG Day 23 80MG Winstrol: 100MG Day 24 80MG Day 25 40MG Winstrol: 100MG Day 26 Off day 27 Winstrol: 100MG Day 28 off Day 29 Winstrol: 100MG Day 30 off Day 31 Winstrol: 100MG Day 32 off Day 33 Winstrol: 100MG Day 34 off Day 35 Winstrol: 100MG Day 36 Day 37 Winstrol: 100MG Day 38 Day 39 Winstrol: 100MG Day 40 Day 41 Winstrol: 100MG Day 42 Day 43 Winstrol: 100MG Day 44

Day 45 Winstrol: 100MG Day 46 Day 47 Winstrol: 100MG Day 48 Day 49 Winstrol: 100MG Day 50 Day 51 Winstrol: 100MG Day 52 Day 53 Winstrol: 100MG Day 54 Day 55 Winstrol: 100MG Day 56 Day 57 Winstrol: 100MG Day 58 Day 59 Winstrol: 100MG Day 60 Day 61 Winstrol: 100MG Day 62 Day 63 Winstrol: 100MG Day 64 Day 65 Winstrol: 100MG Day 66 Day 67 Winstrol: 100MG Day 68 Day 69 Winstrol: 100MG Day 70 Day 71 Winstrol: 100MG Day 72 Day 73 Winstrol: 100MG Day 74 Day 75 Winstrol: 100MG dAY 76 dAY 77 Winstrol: 100MG dAY 78 Day 79 Winstrol: 100MG Day 80 Day 81 Winstrol: 100MG Day 82 Day 83 Winstrol: 100MG Day 84 Day 85 Winstrol: 100MG

Day 86 Day 87 Winstrol: 100MG Day 88 Day 89 Winstrol: 100MG Day 90 End. And thats it. a Good PCT should follow. (Click the forums for PCT Help and advice) And if you are doing an oral cycle rather than injectable. Just do the first 60 days. Im sure you dont need me to recopy the first 60 days. (if you do you shouldnt be doing steroids in the first place)