NFL Teams : Free Weights vs. Machines

[Patjew]

What he told me was the body creates creatine on its own and adding large amounts of it can lead to brain cancer. To be honest, that was enough for me to throw the stuff out. I haven't used the stuff in over a year and I've added about 20 pounds of muscle just using muscle milk and protein shakes to supplement my workouts.

JR, in light of this please disregard every rude thing I have ever written to you in the past.

 

[big mike]

What he told me was the body creates creatine on its own and adding large amounts of it can lead to brain cancer. To be honest, that was enough for me to throw the stuff out. I haven't used the stuff in over a year and I've added about 20 pounds of muscle just using muscle milk and protein shakes to supplement my workouts.

I think you need to find a new doctor. You can do a medline search and you won't find much on creatine and cancer. Except for studies looking into using creatine to help patients with cancer who have lost weight (due to the cancer treatment) regain weight and muscle:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00081250

This is a nice thorough review about creatine:
http://www.planetpapers.com/Assets/4279.php

I'm not saying anyone NEEDS to take creatine to build muscle. I don't take it anymore (well, haven't in a year or so). It is effective though, and no study (as far as I've seen) has shown any hazards of using it.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I always thought that the Pats conditioning program was built on individual programs designed by Wiocik and it involved free weights, machine weights as well as non traditional programs.

I prefer free weights over machine weights. However I do understand that machine weights are very good at working specific muscle groups.

 

[Jacky Roberts]

I think you need to find a new doctor. You can do a medline search and you won't find much on creatine and cancer. Except for studies looking into using creatine to help patients with cancer who have lost weight (due to the cancer treatment) regain weight and muscle:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00081250

This is a nice thorough review about creatine:
http://www.planetpapers.com/Assets/4279.php

I'm not saying anyone NEEDS to take creatine to build muscle. I don't take it anymore (well, haven't in a year or so). It is effective though, and no study (as far as I've seen) has shown any hazards of using it.

There's probably cases to be made on both sides, but I dont think it's a risk I feel like taking. I dont need it, my results have been great without it, I'm just passing on what was told to me. Take it with a grain of salt.

 

[OntarioPatsFan]

Exactly. And the high weight/low reps works the ATP energy system (ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate) is the energy source for muscles that they use for exerting high force. As the ATP is depleted (loses a phosphorous, turning to ADP), the body turns the ADP back to ATP with the Creatine Phosphate reserves - which is how creatine supplementation helps out. It can let you get an extra rep or two, working the muscles harder, etc.). As the weight decreases and reps increase, you start shifting to the lactic acid system. Decrease resistance further and increase reps more, and you start moving into the aerobic energy system.

Sounds like you have some physiology background too.

Here's a nice little summary of recent research (or at least the abstract), for anyone who is interested. I've never really dabbed into creatine because the effects seem to be limited (and I tend to focus more on increasing rep count, not my 1 RM).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15707376&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_DocSum