Creatine and martial arts?

[Aodhan]

Creatine basically makes more energy available to the muscles, and also helps retain fluid in the muscle for a bigger "pump" look. Proper usage of creatine is one of the few supplements that has been proven to work in many different studies.

The biggest thing is to stay hydrated, as has been said, and stick with the dosage recommendataions. Way overdoing creatine and/or being dehydrated puts a hell of a strain on the kidneys trying to filter it out.

I've added a monograph I wrote a little while ago about the basics of creatine.

Aodhan

First up is Creatine, or more properly, creatine

monohydrate.

In the muscles, there exists a compound called ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate). It is basically a molecule in the cells that has three phosphate bonds "trailing" along behind it. When instructed by an enzyme, the last phosphate bond "breaks" off, releasing energy that can be used by muscles to rebuild, contract, whatever. Then you have a molecule of ADP (Adenosine DiPhosphate) floating around that will need to have a phosphate reattached before it can be used again. This

is where creatine comes in.

Creatine is stored in the muscles in a form called creatine phosphate. When ATP is converted to ADP, creatine phosphate can donate a phosphate to convert it back quicker, thus providing more energy faster. It

is generally beneficial in short term, high intensity type workouts (Sparring, weightlifting, sprinting, etc.) It also helps by "bloating" the muscle with creatine rich fluid.

Creatine occurs naturally in food, at approximately the rate of 4 grams per kilogram of protein. (A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, a gram is about a paper clip in weight.), and the body makes another gram up on it's own. The IOC and other governing bodies classify creatine as a food, so it is not an illegal substance under any classification.

The basic usage of creatine is to "load" the muscles by consuming 10-20 grams a day for the first 4 days (Depending on bodyweight, do a google search and you can find a lot of charts), and then maintenance of

5-15 grams per day. The best way to take it is to mix the powder with water. Citrus juices will actually break the creatine down before you can drink it, so you'll be drinking waste product, not creatine.

Creatine has been shown in numerous studies to be effective, although trainers are split on their opinions. Many dismiss the effects and will not allow their athletes/clients to use it.

If you do decide to try it, make SURE that you drink extra water while you do. Creatine pulls water from elsewhere in the body to help "swell" the muscle. Also, creatine waste is broken down in the kidneys. Many of the early users of creatine that had problems massively overused it (If some is good, more is better, right?), and didn't drink enough fluids, leading to renal (kidney) overload and failure.

As with anything, consult a doctor before using, and use in moderation and accordance with the instructions. Anything can be abused.

I don't know how many of you use creatine, but it is immensely popular in junior and high school athletics, and I'd be willing to bet a year's salary that you have at least one or two people in your dojang that are using it currently.

[Goju_boi]

well even though you put on extra water weight ,you pretty much pee it out later on.I'm not sure about doing it while practicing martial arts unless your class has a lot of water breaks.One more thing,Fairfax_Uechi was right on target.When buying creatine,buy the powder from,the other forms are pretty useless,and don't go for the overpriced creatine.

[Kajukenbopr]

creatine can be damanging for you, it creates the opposite of antioxidants- making you age faster or possibly even create a cancer with time...

it is however great for bodybuilding if thats what you are after. I'd rather train without using any enhancers but its all up to you, really

[A. Orstrom]

Where did you get that info Kajukenbo?

I have used it previously, and that sounds unlike anything that I have heard so far. I hope you are mistaken.

[Goju_boi]

when I used to lift,I experimented with creatine a few times,and it was great!The only thing that I would recomend to take without worrying about anything is protein powder,unless you have kidney problems.

[Kajukenbopr]

its hard to come by- many bodybuilding webpages only show the nice side of it.they want you to keep buying it,see?

However, my brother is about to gradute as a chemical engineer(3.80 average whoo hoo!!) and he told me it was harmful in the LONG RUN as it produces some toxins in the body.at short term it doesnt seem to produce side effects.

I received an email from a sports magazine sayign all the bad side effects, but, since I'm not a body builder I didnt care until I saw this thread.

Anyway, took me long enough to spot on the internet, however, I did find this;

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"The problem with Creatine is we have only short-term knowledge of what it does," Wojtys says. "What something like Creatine will do to an athlete in the long term is completely unknown." One of the more recent studies on Creatine shows alarming results. When Creatine is processed by the body, it forms formaldehyde, a very toxic substance, often used as a preservative, that can damage everything from artery walls to muscle, Wojtys says.

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This info came from this link - http://athleticscholarships.net/performance-enhancing-drugs-health.htm

[Kajukenbopr]

like I said, its all up to you,really. I cant tell you what to use or not use.

[Kajukenbopr]

found this too:

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VII. Products

Cr products may be purchased from supermarkets, nutrition stores, and via the Internet. Because Cr falls under the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act of 1994, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the quality of dietary supplements but does regulate structure/function claims. Therefore, there is some concern of the quality of products available. A recent review by Benzi (2000) discusses some product quality issues, some of which are discussed briefly here. Commercial Cr is produced from the reaction of sarcosine and cyanamide. This process can yield several possible contaminants such as creatinine, dicyandamide, dihydrotrianzines, and ions such as arsenic. The ion contaminants as well as dicyandamide could be a potential health hazard. Therefore, good manufacturing practices need to be employed to protect the consumer. The ultimate goal for product quality research is to establish a monograph for the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP).

you can find all this info at: http://hdlighthouse.org/see/diet/supplements/creatine/creatine13.htm

[White Warlock]

Indeed, i have read nothing in regards to that either. Would like to know where you heard that as well.

[Goju_boi]

Well all supplements have their issues,so that's why I would only recomend protein powders or amino acids.Protein powder is pretty much the byproduct of making milk or cheese(I forget wich one) so it really doesn't do harm unless taken in excesively large quantities.As for amino acids I think theyre great too because your body already gets them ,but you can get more in supplement form.Just don't overdoit with amino acids as well.