Worthwhile? How often do you take it? Just looking
for that little extra.
TIA,
Emil
creatine.
I did, but my Sifu recomended against it. I talked to the buff guy at GNC and he said that is actually a salt that keeps fluid in your muscles to make them look better and it’s used by body builders for “results” it doesn’t seem to actually give you added strength or endurance. It seemed to work when I was trying to look buff, but It might just be placebo power.
8Step Sifu
i recommend it 100%
no offense 8step,you are one of the few who post intelligently around here,but what does your sifu know about supplements?
you must not have taken it long enough to see results,which i don’t understand,i saw mine within a week and i workout everyday(before taking creatine).
as for the amount to take just follow the recommended dose.first 4 days 1 teaspoon every 4 hours(loading phase),after that 1 teaspoon a day.
it does increase water to your muscles strengthening muscle fibers and encouraging cell regrowth.
i started loading on a friday and by monday i was reping 5 more on my max.
i’m not working out for mass either,just good tone and strength.
[This message was edited by sct82abn on 09-24-00 at 03:41 PM.]
http://64.45.4.12/indexcreatine.html
there you can read all sides of the story..
actually I have been takeing creatine for a little while now, although I beleive I may have been somehow takeing it incorrectly I am finding it working… sorta. I would say give it a try for about two weeks u should see some results, nothing huge but then again its not like a freein steroid lol.
Creatine
Our Sifu knows a lot when it comes to supplement stuff. In fact we have an article hanging up about creatine. He does blood work and he knows a lot about herbs, in fact he and a fellow Sifu own an herbal store, so don't make assumptions about what Sifus know until you know them and their backgrounds.
No offense taken. My Sifu showed an article from the American Medical Journal on creatine showing no effects in controlled settings. Thats why he advised against it. This coupled with the GNC guy lead me to believe that it wasn't worth buying any more. I did feel like I got more out of my workout, but creatine is nothing compared to an herbal formula that I tried. I think its called "the athletes formula" anyway it increases circulation, helps you put on weight and puts chi in your muscles. Its got some ginseng, licorice root, orange peels, it tastes like ass, but gives you awesome endurace and strength gains
8Step Sifu
thanks for the reply 8stepSIFU,i’ll have to check that out.
8stepSTUDENT,i don’t know if you thought i was referring to you,but i wasn’t,i was asking what his sifu knew about supplements.
i might be crazy but i don’t associate most sifus with degrees in sports medicine.
ok guys,propaganda 101.
When it comes to sports supplements ,the AMA doesnt know jack.Flame all you want,they say that steroids dont enhance athletic ability(right!),and for years said that vitamin ,mineral and protein supplementation were also not useful.Of course,now they have reversed this stance,about 20 years after the athletic community did so.
If you want to see what works,look at pro sports.Creatine WORKS,and works well for whatit is intended for.It helps muscles retain fluids,enhances recovery,ups ATP production,and increases EXPLOSIVE strength.It will not increase endurance,and will mainly assist you in the 3-5 rep range.Thus,very short burst type movements will be enhanced by it.Thus,NFL and baseball players,whose careers are dependent on this type of strength,all use creatine
It may assist your martial arts technicques,or it may not.My advice,if you dont have technicque then a small amount of ehanced explosiveness really wont help you.If you are static now in your skill gains,creatine might help you a bit,but I really dont think it as valuable for martial artists as it is for weightlifters.I am an avid weightlifter,so I really dont think Im biased against it,just practical.
Just my experience…
I used Creatine a year and a half ago for awhile, because all my friends were using it and going on about how much it added to their strength. After three weeks I had added 35lbs to my bench press, but found myself having constant S-h-i-t attacks.
I decided that bowel normality was more important than the extra strength the Creatine gave me and ditched it.
Maybe it was a placebo type thing, maybe it really did add to my strength, but the constant poop attacks dehydrated my pretty bad and stained my underwear too much.
-jojitsu27
hmmm
i to am a creatine supporter… my training buddy dragon spirit also uses this supplement.
he gave me some of the powder crap… it really tastes nastey, and gets caught in your throught.
I recoment the serum, its more potent, and there is no loading required… Tastes like good childrens cough medicine!!!
8StepSifu and I study under the same Sifu although his training is complete as far as for becoming a Sifu, so when you said that to 8StepSifu, you kinda said it to me too.
“I used Creatine a year and a half ago for awhile, because all my friends were using it and going on about how much it added to their strength. After three weeks I had added 35lbs to my bench press, but found myself having constant S-h-i-t attacks.”
Don’t worry Jo, this happens to some. Try the liqiud form that comes with the little drip (can’t remeber the brand, but will look that up for ya). You can take it 10 mins before a work out and don’t have to worry about loading.
I find creatine to be very useful in enhancing you perfomance, not only in muscle strength, but mucle endurance as well.
I used to use it alot.
I noticed a differnce. I was stronger and had more endurance. 
All of a sudden, drinking it made me feel crappy and almost sick…like my body didn’t like it anymore. I quit using it.
I heard later that it’s really hard on your liver. I haven’t researched this so I don’t know for sure if this is true…could be, who knows.
Maybe that’s why my body started rejecting it…maybe not.
Bottom line: Not every suppliment is for everyone and not every suppliment is for you for a long time.
I was fine for awhile (several months), then, I my body just started NOT liking it anymore.
I wasn’t taking an enormous amount, either. Just one glass a day. I followed the directions on the jar. 
Oh well. 
“There is only ONE karate”
Knowledge?
Guys… It sounds like the majority of u really should go research the effects of this FOOD supplement. It is practically ATP that muscles require for short bursts of intense action; however u should be getting enough of this already in your diet through eating meat. but maybe some ppl aren’t so it may be beneficial. its likely that our bodies cannot store any more ATP than what we are made to, therefore we have to dispose of it somehow, this could lead to problems.. i’ve heard alot of bad side effects such as cramps, dehydration, headaches etc… please look into it b4 taking it, it’s important to know what u r putting into your body!
GOOD LUCK
…It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees…
the reason some docxters think it may cause liver damage is that the breakdown product of creatine is creatinease (I think guys ,sorry biochem isnt my strength),this is also a substance that occurs in liver damage situations.However,with creatine intake it should be obvious that this is the extra creatine taken “cycling out” of the body.Go to the Muscle Media site and you can find hundreds of links to universuty creatine studies.To date,all “evidence” of damage from creatine is conjectural(docters say it might cause it,but can offer no clear mechanisms or instances of damage from creatine use).However I agree to educate yourself about your body,thats part of martial arts anyway(or should ne).
Guys nobody knows what the long-term effects of the stuff is. Keep in mind that a person who has heart problems may be unable to do iron palm training. Just some food for thought. Peace.
8step sifu…
Hi -just reading through here.
I read that 8step sifu uses an herbal formula that uses licorice root.
It is known that licorice root decreases testosterone output dramatically, which in turn is a stifler to sexual activity as well as physical endurance and stamina in martial practice.
The rest of the stuff sounds to be a pretty good mix. t used to be thought that licorice root would raise “Yang” energy in the body but this was a superfluous effect of the root and not the reality.
Personally, I do not use any supplements whatsoever with the exception of medicinal liniments and herbs when I get injured and antioxidant teas during training and for cleaning the internals. I have always been of the view that I still haven’t gone far enough on my own steam and I’ll rethink it at the end of the track.
peace, and remember, there are no shortcuts in achieving Kung Fu you gotta work long and you gotta work hard to get it.
Kung Lek
Locrice and genseng were the only things I could recognize. The rest looked like a forest floor. My kung fu brothers and I swear by it. I don’t think its just a yang booster. I’m not an herbologist yet so all I can say is that it boosted by athletic potential and helped me put on weight.
8Step Sifu
TOTALLYFROZEN-I used creatine for a while and also saw results.I had an occasional h/a from it.someone said here it doesn’t raise endurance but it did mine ,that was the main reason I used it.
any way what I wanted to tell you was my brother and his friends are serious weight lifters,they warned me to use creatine for 6months or less @ a time,then spend an equal amount of time off of it,they said otherwise it may do what it did to you,plus it loses its effectiveness. 
“stop trying to hit me and HIT ME”