I want to take creatine but i hear it dehydrates you. That’s my only problem because we run a lot during our workouts and I don’t want to get dehydrated. Should I drink like 5 extra glasses of water after the workout? What should i do. Also, is creatine even safe?
I’m 16 6’0" 145lbs. and I want to add some weight and strength, is creatine what I need? This is mostly directed towards Kc but any other input is appreciated.
CF is more educated on the subject than I am, so I’ll leave the first part of the question (dehydration and safety issues) to him.
The second part, is creatine a necessity, is going to be relative to you personally. If you are on a strength training program and eating extremely well, then creatine would be a valid supplement. But most people take creatine and expect it to magically add size and strength without any work. That’s why I tell most people to worry about the hard stuff first, then worry about supplementing.
Also, any weight you gain from creatine is going to be water retention weight, not muscle.
Well i’ll add on to that, because it’s true to an extent. Creatine (depending on which product - My favorite being creadrive and cytogainer) will give you that quick 10 pounds you may be looking for, but you will quickly piss 5-8 of those pounds away.
Creatine will not magically make you stronger just by taking it, what it does however is “supplements you” during your workout.
The best way to explain it is to say that creatine helps your muscles build muscle.
Creatine helps retain water, and your muscles, they are in an optimal state for building new muscle. As a result, when you take creatine and water is retained in your muscles then when you weight train you will get more of an effect because your muscles are better capable of building muscle.
So you become more efficient as a lifter.
As for dehydration - the creatine is retaining your water so its something you need to watch, and make sure you drink plenty of water before during and after.
OK so it does help add weight but it’s water, and it is safe to take eventhough we do a lot of running at practice as well as lifting. Should I keep taking the protein I’m on right now along with the creatine?
Yes, keep taking the protein.
I suggest getting a protein product which has the daily ammount of creatine in it.
Cytogainer has 56 gs of protein and 5 grams of creatine which is a daily serving
i took [i]cell tech [/i ] creatine over the summer and it was great…i gained 10 lbs and it really helped me with my strength…i finished the tub of it and haven’t taken it since. i’ve continued my workouts and have retained all the weight, so from my personal experience i think it is a bit of a myth that the weight gained is all water weight…i was always very skeptical of creatine but since taking it i’m a believer. thats my two cents for what its worth to you.