The scoop on creatine

In the gym, where conversation tends to involve some aspect of health, fitness or sport, the most talked about items are typically things that guarantee optimal results. It’s no surprise then, that creatine is often at the center of many conversations in the gym, which usually occurs between guys who actually know little about it.
Creatine monohydrate hit shelves as a nutritional supplement in 1993. Its popularity swelled because of its claims to increase muscular size and strength, as well as reducing the time it takes to recover from intense exercise. Today, over 10 years later, most research and many exercise scientists agree that creatine supplementation has the greatest benefit for individuals looking to enhance intense, short-duration performance.
The irony is that the average GCSU student does not fall into this category. Other than for a competitive athlete, creatine isn’t necessary for most people, according to Richard Dobson, an exercise science major.
“Creatine has become a trend,” Dobson said. “Ask the average person why they take it, and they will not be able to tell you what it does for the body. They just want it because they heard someone else talk about it.”
Though most studies report that creatine does increase muscle size and strength, this does not occur magically. Without the right training, it will not make a significant difference.
GCSU seniors Matthew Dobbs and Mitchell Bell are both students who have experimented with creatine supplements.
“It (creatine) didn’t make much of a difference,” Dobbs said. “The only reason I tried it was to impress the girls.”
Bell tried creatine during high school. As a player on the football team, he felt pressure to keep up with his teammates in the weight room. Unlike Dobbs, he felt that taking creatine supplements made him physically stronger.
“Almost every guy wants to get stronger and bigger, and do it faster,” added Dobbs.
The average person ingests roughly one gram of creatine per day and produces nearly a gram naturally. Meat and fish are two of the best sources of creatine.
Kidney damage is thought of as a potential long-term risk with creatine use, based on several reports of isolated cases.
Could creatine be too good to be true? Most scientists, as well as athletes are still waiting for time to tell.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 9 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry