My 15yr. old son plays highschool football.He's got the heart,skills and speed for the game.For the past 4 months he's been weight training religiously and has made some nice gains.I was considering supplementing his diet with 3 gr. of creatine,per day,no loading phase.Is this safe?Is it advisable?

He's 15


I say just let him enjoy football and forget about creatine, sure most studies say that it's safe but I still don't think most kids that age are mature enough to mess with any kind of supps.

"Wow, my arms seem bigger from 3 grams a day, what will 50 do?"

Just spend the money on a good cut of steak, plenty of chicken, salmon etc. Save the supp's for adulthood.

Just spend the money on a good cut of steak, plenty of chicken, salmon etc. Save the supp's for adulthood.

I'd agree with both Hort and Andy. At the very least, wait till later in his football career. What is he? A sophomore?

I appreciate your replies but i have to ask another question.Are you suggesting I don't allow him any kind of supplementation?I see to it he gets a morning scoop of whey and also a good PWO shake.Due to the fact that he is only 15 i'm concerned about his eating habits in school.

I think protein powder is fine for him, but there's really no need for additional supplementation. At that age, his body is changing so much that I can't imagine that the benefits of creatine would be noticeable...he should be growing like crazy already!

I agree with everyone above...just focus on his nutrition, and also help him learn about training and diet principals.

I appreciate your replies but i have to ask another question.Are you suggesting I don't allow him any kind of supplementation?I see to it he gets a morning scoop of whey and also a good PWO shake.Due to the fact that he is only 15 i'm concerned about his eating habits in school.



rather than shoving whey are any food for that matter down his throat just spend some time teaching him why a good healthy breakfast and pwo shake will benefit him. I'm sure once he understands this he will go out of his way to eat right.

just be prepared for a big grocery bill, I know know how my parents could afford to feed me when i was in highschool.

ya know Andy,I've gotta laugh.Seriously.Believe me,the grocery bill is already huge!Man,kids can pound some food.I try to educate him in the area of nutrition but you know how kids are.Their logic is "I know more than dad,he's old." Honestly speaking,he eats pretty good at home but I do get concerned he's not getting enough of the essentials.
anyway guys,thanx for the replies.

ya know Andy,I've gotta laugh.Seriously.Believe me,the grocery bill is already huge!Man,kids can pound some food.I try to educate him in the area of nutrition but you know how kids are.Their logic is "I know more than dad,he's old." Honestly speaking,he eats pretty good at home but I do get concerned he's not getting enough of the essentials.
anyway guys,thanx for the replies.

why not invite him to join this forum? we have several teenagers here already... why not one more? this is a great place to learn that dad was right.. ya know ;) :tucool:

Ya know Chameleon, that's a great idea! I'm gonna hafta do that.Thanx.

Ya know Chameleon, that's a great idea! I'm gonna hafta do that.Thanx.

no problem mon* :tucool:



*damn I can't wait to get to Jamaica in July :p

im a junior and have played football since 5th grade. ive been using protien and cycling creatine at 20g a day for the past year and Im fine

I know i'm not your dad but here's a little advise.CUT YOUR DOSE DOWN!!!!!!! Creatine is supposed to be taken at a 5 g per day dosage after an initial loading stage of 20g per day taken in 4 seperate doses for no longer than 5 days.You're destroying your kidneys.
I guess this is what these guys were telling me.Seeing results,my kid may think more is better.This unfortunately in not the case.

People like hobowitharolex are the reason supplements get such a bad rep. When people like him start dying because of the abuse of good supplements, the media gets all over the death and forgets to mention the reason behind it. Maybe ephedra would still be around if people had educated themselves about it before taking it.

No creatine while he's that young. 17 maybe. 18 sure. But 15 is still 'development' level.

From my understanding, the trick is that if he's lifting and working out at his age, his muscles will develop more memory - so his internal creatine production will be up. The effects of throwing supplemented creatine in to his system at that age could be a reduction in internal production later on in life (ie his body adjusts to the supplements and as soon as their withdrawn he's shorted).

The difference between protein and creatine is simple. The body requires protein, it creates its own supply of creatine.

Dave (thinks just basic nutrition and workouts should be enough at that age)

While I think Creatine is safe and effective. He shouldn't need it, if diet and weight program are good. He is young and hormones are flowing. Feed him right and keep his spirts high.

Whey is a good quality protein source.

Well folks,it seems to be a unanimous nay.I value each and every opinion given that's why I asked.Believe me my son is my pride and joy and I would in no way do anything to harm him.Therefore, i'd better keep the check book handy. I'm gonna have a helluva lot of grocery bills!!!! Any donations would be greatly appreciated.(I'm only kidding)

Hey doordude42,

I am gonna go against the grain here. I say let him do 5g of creatine a day. It won't hurt him. I know plenty of guys who have used creatine, myself included, and it didn't hurt one bit. Just make sure he drinks a lot of water. You can get headaches or cramps if you don't get enough water.

I came from a really big High School in Arizona and a lot of my football buddies took creatine. I graduated high school in 1998, probably more recently than most people in this forum. My buddies and I took it, and we got a great edge when lifting. We are all fine to this day and I can confidently say that 5g of creatine will not hurt him. It is natural.

Better living through chemistry I have always said.

Cheers,
A D

American Dream,
Thanx for the feedback. I myself currently use 5 g. of creatine daily however I think i'm gonna go with the popular opinion here and let my son tough it out for a couple more years.Believe me, I want him to have an edge this season however, I think he'll get it through hard training and proper nutrition

By the way,the phrase "better living through modern chemistry" just opened a floodgate of memories.Some good,some bad.(I think you can figure out what i'm hinting at,Ha Ha )

I personally believe in Multi-Vitamins...

I watched a lot of guys in highschool use Creatine, and they got big, but i have to wonder if it wasnt just the increase in going from a sedentary, non lifting lifestyle to hitting the weight room 4-5 times a week that changed them rather than the influx of creatine supplement. Your son needs to focus more on being in the gym, and ascribing to a lifting routine as well as cardio work year round but especially during the off season. This is his best bet to see huge results. Also, dont necessarily focus on limiting his diet, if there is any expectation to achieve college or professional football he may need the extra size. Highly active kids will use up a lot of what they take in, focusing on cleaner foods is a good start but that giant cookie he had at lunch probably wont hurt him either...

I first started taking creatine less than a year ago when I was 16. I have had no negative effects from taking it. Did the normal cycle of 20g a day for a week then 5g a day after that.

well,that's the correct dosage.
Are you an athlete?
Has it improved your game?

Yes I am an athlete.
I waited until wrestling season was over because of the weight gain. I started a second cycle near the second half of track & field. My time in the mile and 2-mile definately improved near the end of the season. I do not attribute it totally to creatine of course.
I have gained about 9-10 pounds while taking creatine- I began supplementing in the first place hoping to add mass.
Sometimes I find that my endurance while strength training is much greater than it used to be. Again, this is not totally because of creatine, but Im sure that is has helped.

I say give him creatine! Some people react adversely with bloating and what not, but I think its completely safe.
If he is into sports, then he will always be looking for that extra edge. He is bound to try creatine with or without your approval.
A lot of people take creatine after their workouts...I have seen the most dramatic results in performance by taking it before workouts.
Let him use it for a while and ask him to honestly evaluate whether or not he thinks it is improving his perfomance.

5M17H,
you just hit on a point every parent should be aware of.That is to say if he wants to do it, he's gonna,plain and simple.I spoke to his doctor who expressed some overusage concerns(more is better) but assured me it was perfectly safe.He did recommend I oversee his dosage if he chose to use it.The jury's still out.

Its great you want to help your child really progress in his goals. 2 sides to this coin. With you giving it to him, you are showing him the proper way to use suppliments, and avoid the 'more is better' attitude that many people have. Many kids would do it even if their parents said 'no'.
On the other side, even though you would be in control of the creatine distriubtion, it might open the door for other suppliments or other performance enhancing drugs that you wont know about. Granted creatine is safe (and I take it myself) does it give the ok for other things? Steroid useage in high schools is pretty high as there's a lot of pressure in sports to have the edge. It sounds as though that you have been very responsible in this erea.
I agree with those people who said use that to buy foods so he can eat clean, and healthy. Getting him in a healthy eating habit (sounds like you guys already are) will be much more effective than a little creatine. Like Hort mentioned get lots of chicken breasts and steaks :)

5M17H,
you just hit on a point every parent should be aware of.That is to say if he wants to do it, he's gonna,plain and simple.I spoke to his doctor who expressed some overusage concerns(more is better) but assured me it was perfectly safe.He did recommend I oversee his dosage if he chose to use it.The jury's still out.

Another new type of supplement that he might want to use is nitric oxide boosters such as arginine or arginine akg (alpha keto glutarate) or citrulline which are commercially known as NO2 or NOx2 or Nitrix (or similar products). Definitely don't let him use these because there was a study which showed that it causes your diaphragm to fatigue faster than normal which can really reduce your performance in any cardiovascular endurance exercise (i.e. basketball).

I've already posted a thread on NO2.I've used it myself with minimal if any results.The so called perpetual pump (for me anyway) was non-existant.Overpriced garbage.(my opinion)
As for opening the door to other performance enhancing drugs? C'mon man,it's 2005.These kids know everything.I consider it my job as a responsible parent to make my kids aware of the dangers involved but guess what.Kids are ultimately gonna make up their own mind regardless.I hope and pray they make the right choices.