Creatine Supplements

[SP33Demon]

First off, does anybody use Creatine in their workouts? I'd like to try it out, and am looking for the best value (price/quality) if anyone has suggestions. Has anyone experienced any long term side effects? Any large gains that you know were directly correlated to creatine?

 

[slikmunks]

i used to for a long time... it's good stuff, i haven't lately, because i've been training to play basketball better and to get in overall better shape, rather than lifting more and getting bigger... while on creatine, my muscles were swolen with water, and it seemed like i had extra energy in my workout, extra strength to push my body further... long term side effects come when you don't cycle on and off (that's what the consensus in the industry USED to be, don't know if it is any more...) and it's stuff like kidney damage, i think...

 

[mrchan]

why do you want to try it? stick with just eating. then maybe try protein powders.

 

[SP33Demon]

MrChan, I want to a)get bigger and b)increase times in sprints (200m, 400m)

I am going to combine this with whey protein and a good diet and see if I can achieve any performance gains. I can bench 285 (max) but can't seem to get enough energy to crack the 300 mark and want to be able to do it before Spring Break (I want quick results).

I also heard some rumors about creatine, but I don't know if they're true. Maybe u guys can clarify or give me some feedback:
1) Caffeine negates the effects of creatine
2) It is unnecessary to load creatine, it's just a marketing ploy.

Slikmunks, I also heard the same about using it on and off every month. If this is the case, then loading for a week, taking it for another 3, taking a month off, then repeating sounds ridiculous. Out of a full year, 6 months you use it, and 6 weeks of those 6 months are spent loading. Sounds like a waste to me.