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Thread: Creatine - Safe for Teen?

  1. #1
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    Question Creatine - Safe for Teen?

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    My 15 year old is finally getting serious about weight training. His is a restless personality that must seek out all the non-core tangentials of whatever he's into at the time. And he's relentless about it. (Maybe just enjoys driving his father crazy.) He's convinced he can't get stronger without adding creatine to the lifting routine. I would think protein shakes and a disciplined approach to lifting would be enough for any healthy teen-ager. I'm concerned about possible negative health consequences. What can you experts tell me?

  2. #2
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    A young boy should be able to tolerate it fine but he'll need to be very diligent about his fluid, electrolyte, and carbohydrate intake. That said, if the foundation (diet and other recovery variables) is not strong then the creatine won't help his cause.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by jimbronsdon View Post
    … His is a restless personality that must seek out all the non-core tangentials of whatever he's into at the time. And he's relentless about it. …
    This is great.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    A young boy should be able to tolerate it fine but he'll need to be very diligent about his fluid, electrolyte, and carbohydrate intake. That said, if the foundation (diet and other recovery variables) is not strong then the creatine won't help his cause.
    OK, thanks, but i have to confess i know nothing about proper fluid, electrolyte and carbohydrate intake. Any resources on that so we can school ourselves?

  5. #5
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    He's going to need to take in close to a gallon of water per day. Electrolytes = sodium and potassium. Sodium is easy to accidentally get. If he's sweating a lot during training it could help to throw a salt or reduced sodium salt tab in his water. Reduced sodium salt will typically have more potassium hence why I am recommending that over straight salt (which is sodium chloride). If you mix sugar, water, and salt you'll hydrate quickly that's why sports drinks are composed that way. What specific question do you have on this topic?

  6. #6
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    If he is drinking a gallon of milk, how much of that gallon of water will he still need (I know there aren't one size fits all answers here)?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Roy Thomas View Post
    If he is drinking a gallon of milk, how much of that gallon of water will he still need (I know there aren't one size fits all answers here)?
    Is he drinking a gallon of milk?

  8. #8
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    Creatine is just a molecule found in meat. It is food. It is fine for everyone to take, especially if you are eating less than 2lbs of meat per day.
    It does help strength and muscle size. It goes into the muscle and draws water with it, providing energy (possibly aiding more reps), and more mass (due to the water).
    As long as the urine is not dark (preferably very light), the fluid management is likely fine.

  9. #9
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    "He's convinced he can't get stronger without adding creatine to the lifting routine."

    Creatine or no creatine, he's going to have to learn that 99.9% of the effect comes from hard work. Once you get to a serious level of athletic performance, then things like creatine make help you with the other 0.01% of performance. There is no magic bullet!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    Is he drinking a gallon of milk?
    He's definitely not drinking a gallon of milk per day. (That sure sounds uncomfortable.) I know Rip and others have regularly recommended it. I don't think he's got quite that level of motivation - yet.

    Regarding electrolytes, I don't think there's a lot of sweating going on during lifting.

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