Creatine monohydrate for teenagers

Training
1

Ok.

My son won’t listen to a word I say, as usual, so can I get some of your opinions so that he can ignore those as well?

He likes boxing, unlike me he is slim, has a very strict diet for a few years now and keeps losing weight. 2 boiled eggs and black coffee for breakfast. Two pieces of fish and whole meal pasta for lunch, and dinner. Whole meal bread with nothing on it for snacks. Protein shakes after working out.

It’s hard to tell how much he works out because he doesn’t record it, but it’s safe to say he’s boxing or lifting every day at the club or in his bedroom. And when he’s not doing that he’s at school or in bed. That is it. There is nothing else happening at all.

My understanding is that creatine helps if you have a deficiency of creatine to get to the right amount of creatine.

However you get there, if you have the right level of creatine you still need the stimulus and nutrition to gain muscle.

Thoughts?

2

age?

Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree :wink:

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3

There are three supplements that have loads of research behind them when it comes to benefits.

Carbs
Caffeine
Creatine

Will it help? Yes.
Do you still need to lift? Yes

About 3-5mg a day for most people is all that needed.

There are protocols about loading/de loading, but can’t remember if they have substantial benefits.

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16

As long everyone listens to me, all is well. I, on the other hand…

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5

No scientific impact insight at all.

But I’ve been told that, especially at that age, it can be detrimental. May have made this up, but if you take too much your body stops producing it’s own and there you have long term effect.

Nevertheless, he can surely get the same impact through proper food sources?

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6

Found this: Yoofs & creatine

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“ When surveyed, ~5–20% of middle school and high school aged individuals reported taking creatine at some point.”

Wow

8

In my day it was a bit of cider or some thunderbird

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There is some risk to those with liver or kidney problems….

In someone young they may not know whether they have problems until after they’ve begun taking it

Some value in taking it - eg if you are serious about lifting - but it’s not good value if you are not following an appropriate lifestyle and training regime

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Article today about a young bloke what drank a lot of those caffeinated energy drinks ( not the same thing I know but possibly a lesson in there )

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11

There was that guy who recently died from getting his caffeine supplement measurement wrong. Creatine is fine though assuming following instructions and otherwise healthy.

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Friend of a friend had a luckier outcome in 2017 after uni dissertation went wrong.

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300 cups of coffee!! :rocket:

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Wow! What does 30g of caffeine look like? That’s a lot of ProPlus tablets :rofl:

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15

Okay, I’ve ordered the creatine monohydrate.

I’ll try it myself too. If it kills me, then it’s probably bad for him.

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16

Be prepared to put on weight :wink:

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17

I’ll need a sack to put it in. My skin is full!

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18

For the high-intensity explosive power gains you’re focusing on?

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19

Stronger body can’t be bad eh? Or at least, one that weakens less quickly over time. If it has any effect on me at all.

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My experience of teenagers is that many of the boys want to get bigger. (Many of the girls want to get smaller, which I guess is the other side of the coin). There are variations on the theme, but it seems to me like basic Jordan Peterson lobster theory. Some primal instinct says that the biggest lobster gets the best rock on the sea bed, and all the female lobsters. The smaller lobsters skulk off looking dejected.

Teenagers will do whatever they want, especially if you tell them not to, but distraction can be a good alternative.

I guess we were all teenagers once.

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