I recently received this question via email:
"Can/should athletes above the age of 16 safely use
Creatine supplements to enhance their workouts?"
Creatine supplements to enhance their workouts?"
They don't need to. Their body is naturally creating enough Creatine to serve them very well. I don't recommend the use of Creatine for anyone under the age of 25 or so. It is at approximately this age that endogenous Creatine levels begin to decline.
It's the same with testosterone and growth hormone. Teenagers have plenty of both hormones. Appropriate training, rest and nutrition will enable most any player to make excellent progress in their strength and conditioning without the use of any of these substances.
Creatine directly fuels the energy system used by ball players, so from a "scientific" standpoint, it can help. But younger players already have sufficient natural stores of this compound in their body, and cramming more in won't help. It could hurt.
For the record, I am not opposed to the judicious use of Creatine for older ball players and people in general. Our natural production of this nutrient declines with age, so reasonable supplementation can be a great benefit to this population. I'm 51, and take 5 gms/day. It makes a noticeable difference in my energy level in general, and weight workouts in particular.
Regards,
Steve
(C) 2007 Baseball Fit, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Short quotations with attribution permitted. Cite source as Steve Zawrotny's BASEBALL FIT Hitting & Pitching Conditioning - http://www.BaseballFit.com
Creatine directly fuels the energy system used by ball players, so from a "scientific" standpoint, it can help. But younger players already have sufficient natural stores of this compound in their body, and cramming more in won't help. It could hurt.
For the record, I am not opposed to the judicious use of Creatine for older ball players and people in general. Our natural production of this nutrient declines with age, so reasonable supplementation can be a great benefit to this population. I'm 51, and take 5 gms/day. It makes a noticeable difference in my energy level in general, and weight workouts in particular.
Regards,
Steve
(C) 2007 Baseball Fit, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Short quotations with attribution permitted. Cite source as Steve Zawrotny's BASEBALL FIT Hitting & Pitching Conditioning - http://www.BaseballFit.com
