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Hello All,
Been out for a while do to an injury, but getting better and starting to lift again.

The reason for this thread is this. I have a 15 year old son and have begun to teach him how to workout. He wants to put on some weight for football. The problem is that he wants to start taking creatine. I have tried to tell him that at 15, it is not a good idea and that he can put on weight with proper diet. I agreed to let him get some protien powder and would also be ok with a multi vitamin.

I told him that I would post a thread and let him read what others are saying about it.

Hi lchams38,
I'd like to post a little information about creatine and other supplements, and respond to your question, "Is Creatine okay for a teenager". Take what you like and scrap the rest. (The information is free), so you'll get your money's worth.

I own this forum and got my first personal training certificate in 2001 so do have some experience in training, diet and supplementation.

Creatine is normally present in human muscles and comes from 1 of 2 potential sources: dietary (animal flesh), and /or creatine is internally manufactured.

When there is a dietary creatine deficiency, the human body easily produces creatine in the liver and kidneys from a few amino acids (glycine, arginine, and methionine).

A 150 pound adult has about 120 grams of creatine stored in the muscles, and the daily turnover is roughly 2g. Approx. 1g is replaced by the diet and the other 1 gram of creatine is synthesized endogenously.

The more creatine present in the diet means less production by the body, so it is actually a self regulating substance. Too much creatine intake from the diet can result in overproduction in creatinine kinase, which is formed from the metabolism of creatine and ends up being passed in the urine.

Too much of anything can be bad, but for an active teen (who is burning extra creatine with resistance training, sprints or other exercise), it could be beneficial.

I absolutely do not recommend creatine loading, but rather a maintenance dose of no higher than 5 grams per day of creatine monohydrate if you do decide to let your teen use creatine.

Safer forms of creatine include:

• Kre-Alkaline: Kre-Alkaline is "buffered creatine" that does not convert into creatinine prior to reaching skeletal muscle tissue.
• Creatine ethyl ester: Absorbed Better Than Regular Creatine Monohydrate!

Creatine is NOT a steroid, and IS a naturally occurring substance. It can be found mostly in red meats.

Creatine is made up of three amino acids - Arginine, Glycine and Methionine.

Just like anything else that can be healthy in normal dosages, it should not be abused.

So in response to the question, "Is Creatine okay for a teenager?" The answer is: Absolutely, but only in healthy doses. If your teen eats a lot of red meat, they're probably getting plenty already. If you're a vegetarian or more of a carbohydrate fan, they could probably benefit from the use of creatine supplementation.

You might remind him that creatine is not a magic potion that will put a lot of muscle on him, it's simply a naturally occurring substance that helps you recover faster. The guys in the magazines who are promoting it are professional athletes who are typically also using "other" supplementation to look the way they do.

Make your own decision, but my vote on: Is Creatine okay for a teenager? For the average teen, yes. Use your own best judgment.

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Curtis,
Thanks for the info. It was very helpful!!