Creatine: legal or not?

[DiamondJ2]

Is creatine legal or not according to UIL? How many HS athletes are taking the supplement? Is it safe? Does it have immediate benefits and what about side effects? I'm really a novice about this and would like others input.

[SeguinMatadors]

Is creatine legal or not according to UIL? How many HS athletes are taking the supplement? Is it safe? Does it have immediate benefits and what about side effects? I'm really a novice about this and would like others input.


Creatine really doesn't enhance physical performance from what I understand form taking it and what has been told to me. I know a lot of people who take it.

[LeanderLions3033]

IMO Creatine is fine. But anything beyond that should be considered cheating.

[wide-e-wide]

It's only illegal if you smoke it in rock form.

[SLC DRAGON]

it is legal and accepted by UIL.
it is not a wonder powder. if your bustin your ball in the weight room you will put on mass. creatine just allows your body to recover a little faster and gives it some building blocks. you got to drink a lot of water otherwise it can be a little hard on your kidneys if your using a ton of it. it is fine as long as your taking care of your body to begin with.
again not a wunder anything, just a supplement that helps you only if you work out, it wond do it for you or anything like that.

[big red & cujo]

Is creatine legal or not according to UIL? How many HS athletes are taking the supplement? Is it safe? Does it have immediate benefits and what about side effects? I'm really a novice about this and would like others input.

yes ,creatine is perfectly legal. ha ha nothing illegal aboput that. it is not a steroid.

[markp912]

creatine is naturally occuring in your body.

[rams55]

its legal, safe, helps if you really work out its not a miracle powder and generally speaking i would say 50-65% of student athletes use it or have used it.

same goes for no2 and all other nitric oxide products, protien powders, glutamine and general supplements.

anysupplement however that acts like a steriod but "ISNT" a steriod are generally frowned apon in society and illegal with uil. such things like test boosters, horomone enhancers and such

if you have anyother questions ill be free to answer them

[Sakatha]

creatine is naturally occuring in your body.

So is testosterone... You can't be shootin' that up... ;)

~DnM

[HUM398]

So is testosterone... You can't be shootin' that up... ;)

~DnM

It doesn't occur naturally in the body. It is a substance found in Meats. It is just as legal as taking protein...if the UIL would ban the use, they couldn't test for it..What are they gonna say, "DID YOU HAVE BEEF LAST NIGHT, YOUR SUSPENDED". The UIL would have to ban a slew of other supplements...such as Weight gainers, protein powders and so on.



Plus the affects of Creatine are pretty non-rewarding. They add mass by Hydrating your muscles...Whoppy! The worst thing that could happen is you get really bad constipation from not drinking enough water..and maybe some chapped lips.

[dragonsdaddy]

it can worsen the propensity to have muscle cramps if taken during the season at the higher doses.

[toddg]

troy aikman used it, so its got to be legal!:D

[J-Rock Mom]

Yes, it is legal, my son uses it.

[Sakatha]

It doesn't occur naturally in the body. It is a substance found in Meats. It is just as legal as taking protein...if the UIL would ban the use, they couldn't test for it..What are they gonna say, "DID YOU HAVE BEEF LAST NIGHT, YOUR SUSPENDED". The UIL would have to ban a slew of other supplements...such as Weight gainers, protein powders and so on.



Plus the affects of Creatine are pretty non-rewarding. They add mass by Hydrating your muscles...Whoppy! The worst thing that could happen is you get really bad constipation from not drinking enough water..and maybe some chapped lips.

If it doesn't in yours, and you are a male then you've got serious probs, my friend...

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females although small amounts are secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid.

~DnM

p.s. Or did you mean Creatine? I was just refering to testosterone.

[Sakatha]

Re: the previous posts... I think the earlier poster might be confused w/Creatinine...

Creatinine is a breakdown product of creatine phosphate in muscle, and is usually produced at a fairly constant rate by the body (depending on muscle mass).

~DnM

[dragonsdaddy]

it has lots of potential benefits for the general population as well as the athlete. this site has quite a bit of data on the subject.

http://search.lef.org/cgi-src-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&page_id=677&query=creatine&hiword=CREATINEA%20CREATINES%20CREATININ%20creatin e%20

[Dog Will Hunt]

Another good site with some interesting info






http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,81753,00.html

[HUM398]

If it doesn't in yours, and you are a male then you've got serious probs, my friend...

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females although small amounts are secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid.

~DnM

p.s. Or did you mean Creatine? I was just refering to testosterone.

i was talking about Creatine.

[Gazelle]

i was talking about Creatine.

Creatine is synthesized in the liver of vertibrates (which includes (most) humans) from 2 essential amino acids, arginine and glycine.

In short, it helps muscles store the energy they need in a readily availible form for anaerobic activity - ie., strength type activity.

[HUM398]

Creatine is synthesized in the liver of vertibrates (which includes (most) humans) from 2 essential amino acids, arginine and glycine.

In short, it helps muscles store the energy they need in a readily availible form for anaerobic activity - ie., strength type activity.

yeah i know.

what are you the Medical Dictionary. :D

[Maxthedog]

I'm an old fart. I lift fairly heavy. It helps alot with muscle recovery. At my age it's the difference in real sore and rigormortis :)

I take Creatine with Glutamine.

You must take massive amounts of water or as DD stated, or you will experience muscle cramps. Especially the legs.

Like anything else you should cycle the usage and do not over do the doseage.

I closely supervised my son's usage of it. He did not use it during the season.

[chpanther]

I'm an old fart. I lift fairly heavy. It helps alot with muscle recovery. At my age it's the difference in real sore and rigormortis :)

I take Creatine with Glutamine.

You must take massive amounts of water or as DD stated, or you will experience muscle cramps. Especially the legs.

Like anything else you should cycle the usage and do not over do the doseage.

I closely supervised my son's usage of it. He did not use it during the season.


that is true as creatine basically sucks all the water and moves it to your muscles. in lamons term creatine= water weight
its not illegal by anymeans
but if you wamt to really gain wait use ethyl ester in pill form( it tastes like butt) and do a high whey protein shake 4 times a day for both

[toughcasey]

I'm an old fart. I lift fairly heavy. It helps alot with muscle recovery. At my age it's the difference in real sore and rigormortis :)

I take Creatine with Glutamine.

You must take massive amounts of water or as DD stated, or you will experience muscle cramps. Especially the legs.

Like anything else you should cycle the usage and do not over do the doseage.

I closely supervised my son's usage of it. He did not use it during the season.



it scares me to read some of the blanket statements that are being made on here and shows a pretty general lack of information in the area of sports supplements, so i will try and shed some light as i have a pretty good background in dealing with them.

As someone said earlier, creatine is found in things like red meat and is completely natural. it is responsible for the synthesis of ATP within the muscles. ATP can be used as fuel in the muscles giving your muscles higher endurance and lactic threshold when working out etc. Now obviously the muscles can only use so much fuel (creatine --> ATP) and some could possibly go unused. This unused creatine is converted into what is called creatinine.

creatinine is what is responsible for water retention. creatinine is broken down by the kidneys and can only be broken down so fast, which can lead to an excess, ie water retention and over active kidneys. an excess of creatinine can lead to a false positive blood test regarding kidney function so your doctor should always know that you are supplementing creatine so that they do not think your kidneys/muscles are failing. this is how creatine has gotten a bad name regarding kidney function when in reality safe and moderate use is fine.

once we understand all of this, the main issue comes down to how much to take and when to take it. there are many debates about when to take it, but the issue of how much is pretty easy to address. the body only needs 5grams per day to increase athletic performance and cut down on over conversion of creatine to creatinine. there is no need to load the product, any supplement company or bottle that tells you to do so is completely bogus. 5 grams a day every day is all you need. there is also no real need to cycle it. it would be like saying there is a need to cycle steak. however, the supplemented dosage may need to be tapered or increased depending on existing dietary intake of creatine.

something to think about also is when to take creatine and how to take it. most research is showing some positive things happening when taken after a workout. while it is really a minor point because all you are really trying to do is increase the presence of it in your body. also, a good thing to mix creatine with is apple juice or something that is very sugary. creatine bonds with sugar molecules and is better absorbed this way. this will also help with creatinine conversion. the more that is used and absorbed, helps keep creatinine conversion low.

sorry for the long post and i hope the message you get from this is to let your high school kids take creatine and help them understand what it is doing and how to manage it safely, it will help them become better athletes using safe and natural ways! good luck!

[wide-e-wide]

For some reason biscuits and gravy,pork chops,black-eyed peas and cornbread....a bunch of sit-ups and push-ups seem a lot easier than all of this. Worked for Hershel....

[toughcasey]

For some reason biscuits and gravy,pork chops,black-eyed peas and cornbread....a bunch of sit-ups and push-ups seem a lot easier than all of this. Worked for Hershel....

haha, there is a lot to be said for good old fashioned "squats and milk" approaches to fitness, however dont forget that herschel was a genetic freak! one in a million, literally. great point though!

[Dog Will Hunt]

AMEN Well said!!!!! IMHO

[Dog Will Hunt]

I think I will make some bisquits and gravy you made me HUNGRY

[CFlb38 08]

creatine is naturally occuring in your body.

oh yea!!!!!!

[dragons08]

i use creatine

[HUM398]

For some reason biscuits and gravy,pork chops,black-eyed peas and cornbread....a bunch of sit-ups and push-ups seem a lot easier than all of this. Worked for Hershel....

works for me...

and it tastes good.