by Drew Doolin » Fri Feb 05, 1999 8:15 am
Gents,
I have lifted free weights for 22 years and during that time have spend big bucks on just about everything Weider and companies like his have offered as "the hot suppliment". You name it, protien powders, "Hot Stuff", multi-vit "animal packs", the list goes on. Creatine has been the one that really works. (What do I mean "works"?) As was previously stated, creatine forces a retention of water in the muscles, thereby making you "bigger". More importantly, however, (maybe placebo effect, I don't know, Bill would have to answer this) but, it seems that I can perform more reps without the muscle burnout, thereby pushing a greater combined weight per workout. I have also found that this works great for about 3 weeks, then I hit a plateau. Others have mentioned this same "leveling Off". I cycle off the stuff, probably out of boredom of taking a daily suppliment, but also because I see a stagnation of progress. For me, and others who aren't pro bodybuilders, I see ups and downs in my training. Diet, family committments, deployments, etc interupt my workouts. Roller coaster to be sure. I take 5mg of creatine a day, and a good, natural multi-vit pack. That's it. No more dumping hundreds into "the hot ticket" in the suppliment wars. Probably most central to any success I have is diet. I am not a strict dieter, but I make sure I eat often (at least 4 times a day), run a couple times a week (required for us Marines) and I lift HEAVY (for me, that is). Factor in genetics, lifestyle, work activities, etc and you get what you get. Sorry for the long post. Love to talk PT (physical training)
Best Regards,
Drew Doolin