Creatine and skiing

Skwirl

Skwirl

Member
So, I have read some studies recently such as:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1531-8249(200011)48:5%3C723::AID-ANA5%3E3.0.CO;2-W/abstract
(There is a more recent Duke study that looked at the same thing in humans but you need a subcription to view so I will not bother to post a link.)
These studies are about creatine protecting athletes (they looked at sports like football) from concussions and the perhaps even scarier long term effects of multiple traumatic brain injuries. As somebody who has had both one very serious concussion, and I am quite sure, many other smaller concussions, this is an important subject to me.
One side effect of creatine supplementation is gaining water weight, which is undoubtedly a negative for skiers as it is important to have a somewhat wirey frame so that falls to not take as much of a toll on your body. However, I am not sure weather this water weight is permanent or only a short term effect and also it seems to be accepted that creatine does help you get stronger which would seem to help counteract the weight gain.
Now, here is my question. Do you think that the weight gain which I think is overall a definite negative for skiers overshadows the neurological benefits or do you think that creatine would be a good idea for freeskiers who are in the park a lot to take?
Obviously the answer is just to not hit your head but this does not seem realistic for me.
 
1. creatine's not really worth it, it's water weight just use protein.

2. your reading too many stupid studies that prob. dont' mean shit anyways
 
1. Did you read any of what I just wrote? How would protein solve this at all? And also, Creatine is not just "water weight". Creatine supplementation raises the levels of phosphocreatine in your body which react with ADP to form new ATP which gives you more energy. Its neurological effects are a little harder to explain. And yes, as I said above, a side effect is extra water weight.
2. Good way to look at the world. I'll assume this isn't correct because it doesn't make sense to me.
 
The amount of water weight gained would make no difference in the danger of the fall. Also to maintain the water weight you must continuously take creatine, as soon as you take a week off you loss it all.

The only upside I see to creatine is that your cells stay more hydrated and therefor recover faster.
 
Okay, just to be clear, I am not trying to get jacked. Also, in order for the neurological effects to work you would at least have to take it on ski days (probably what I'd do) if you didn't just cycle it.
 
One more idea too. You could probably just take it on days where you are trying new tricks or something and it would still work for that day (though perhaps not as well, I'm not sure)
 
its not so much water weight as water retention in your muscles if you cycle off creatine the retention goes down so you will lose some definiton but keep the muscle
 
First off, added water weight isn't going to ha e any effect on u during a fall, that notion is pure non-sense. Staying injury free while akiing is all about core strength and flexability. Secondly, if u are looking to boost certian horomone levels, u need prolonged usage of any substance, unless it is a horomone itself. The other thing that u over looked is because of the increased transprtation and storage of water in certain muscles, its is far easier to become dehydrated, which is definately a negative effect when participating in a sport such as skiing with such proplonged activity. Not only will this increase the probability of cramping, it will dilute the amount of salts in your body at an increased rate, meaning that one would have to eat salty snacks throughout the day, such as; peanuts, nature valley peanut butter bars, etc. When making a decision on supplementation it is extremely important to read more than one study to become informed; and while u may get a few quality answers from a fourm like this (if ur lucky), u should really consult ur family physician, then make an informed decision.
 
creatine will increase you max power output. thats the biggest benefit. the second biggest benefit is that it decreases recovery time. by stressing your muscles more than what you could normally do you tear them up more, and by increasing recovery rate, you can effectivly grow bigger quicker, regardless of the small water retention.

but muscle gain is beside the point cause 98% of the KIDS on this site don't have proper nutrition let alone proper workouts.

Creatine, however will help in skiing because it increases max power output(less knee to face more stomps) and increases recovery rate(bye bye sore legs).

Dehydration is a very small risk, throw a water bottle next to some tree and drink it throughout the day if you're so worried. and hey if it does help even a little bit with concussions, why not use it??

creatine is not a hormone, it is a supplement like glutamine(recovery), and also thought id mention that some people do not react at all to elevated creatine intake, so not everyone will get the benefits
 
interesting study - but just taking it on the day of skiing is unlikely to have any significant effect. the study used chronic administration (i presume daily, i just read the abstract though). As for the 'negative' effect of weight gain, it isn't something i'd worry about too much, but i have trouble gaining weight so it isn't really a negative for me.
 
Only creatine monohydrate causes you to put on water weight. You can buy micronized creatine which is designed to give your muscles similar muscle recovery without the puffyness that creatine monohydrate causes. Even so, taking creatine monohydrate isn't going to make you put on any significant weight, your muscles just look a little more swollen. That being said, if you're not serious about lifting weights creatine is just a waste of your money.
 
My personal opinion is that weight makes a huge difference. I keep my weight at 150 during the winter to reduce stress on my knees and shins. It's just like any other sport, nutrition will help you recover faster, and IMO will obviously make you a better athlete, which is what the goal is. I've taken creatine for a long time, and would recommend it. Just watch your calories, but the increase in strength and recovery that creatine can help provide can do nothing but help.
 
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