I'll have bigger muscles with a side of bloating, please
Donald Funkhouser
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Lifestyles
Thirty bucks at GNC can buy 1,000 grams of powder that gives you bigger muscles, a stronger core, and a figure that looks like Michelangelo's David. It can also buy you bloating, muscle strain and your very own knee brace. Many bodybuilders, baseball players and other athletes say it acts like a steroid to help boost energy and muscle, but some athletes have had their own private wake-up calls and permanently capped the lids on their bottles.
Twenty-five percent of Major League baseball players and 50 percent of NFL players use the supplement creatine to enhance muscle and weight gain, according to a study funded by the National Athletic Trainers Association Research and Education Foundation. Michael Powers, a University of Florida professor, explains in his study that as someone works out, they are losing water from their body. Creatine may cause an imbalance of water that leads to dehydration, causing heat illness and cramping.
Creatine is a non-steroidal, non-prescription muscle-enhancer taken by mouth before a workout session. Users believe it gives them a training edge by helping to build body weight and increase energy. A common form called creatine monohydrate has been used more often as a substitute for steroids, and many people who would never use steroids have said they use creatine as a performance enhancer.
Casey Purcell, a female figure builder who is competing in the 2009 Metrolina Competitive Figure Building Contest, switched to an all-natural training system after using creatine supplements for six months. Purcell, 19, is 5-foot-6-inches tall with skin the color of copper, black hair and abs that look as though they're chiseled from marble. "If you're trying to make it in the long run, all-natural works better," says Purcell.
Purcell started using creatine when she signed up for the Metrolina, which hosts bodybuilding and figure divisions for all contestants in North Carolina. She dissolved five grams into a sugar drink, usually a juice, and drank it daily before her three-hour workout. "It really helped with my muscle development," says Purcell. "It allows your body to be put into high-intensity short periods." These short periods can be exercises like sprints or two repetitions of a heavy weight, which translates into 40 pounds for Purcell. Purcell says that everyone's body has two sources of energy, short term and long term. Creatine is similar to energy drinks in that it gives you the surge of energy needed to complete a quick task. Creatine allows muscles to swell with water which allows for the extra lift of a weight or the extra few seconds in a sprint.
Twenty-five percent of Major League baseball players and 50 percent of NFL players use the supplement creatine to enhance muscle and weight gain, according to a study funded by the National Athletic Trainers Association Research and Education Foundation. Michael Powers, a University of Florida professor, explains in his study that as someone works out, they are losing water from their body. Creatine may cause an imbalance of water that leads to dehydration, causing heat illness and cramping.
Creatine is a non-steroidal, non-prescription muscle-enhancer taken by mouth before a workout session. Users believe it gives them a training edge by helping to build body weight and increase energy. A common form called creatine monohydrate has been used more often as a substitute for steroids, and many people who would never use steroids have said they use creatine as a performance enhancer.
Casey Purcell, a female figure builder who is competing in the 2009 Metrolina Competitive Figure Building Contest, switched to an all-natural training system after using creatine supplements for six months. Purcell, 19, is 5-foot-6-inches tall with skin the color of copper, black hair and abs that look as though they're chiseled from marble. "If you're trying to make it in the long run, all-natural works better," says Purcell.
Purcell started using creatine when she signed up for the Metrolina, which hosts bodybuilding and figure divisions for all contestants in North Carolina. She dissolved five grams into a sugar drink, usually a juice, and drank it daily before her three-hour workout. "It really helped with my muscle development," says Purcell. "It allows your body to be put into high-intensity short periods." These short periods can be exercises like sprints or two repetitions of a heavy weight, which translates into 40 pounds for Purcell. Purcell says that everyone's body has two sources of energy, short term and long term. Creatine is similar to energy drinks in that it gives you the surge of energy needed to complete a quick task. Creatine allows muscles to swell with water which allows for the extra lift of a weight or the extra few seconds in a sprint.
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