I'm looking for some opinions about Creatine. My youngest son is 13yr old and has been lifting and running for 2 years now. He currently has the best bench and squat lifts in his grade. He just won 1st place in Longjump in the District Track meet and he has the quickest 100M time in his grade. Track season is now over and he wants to start heavier into the weights again. He wants to be ready for football season when it starts again in the fall.
Currently, he only takes one multivitamin in the morning.
Do you think it will be ok to start creatine supplements at this age?
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04-04-2008, 01:07 PM #1
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Creatine - What's a good age to start?
47yr male, 5'11", 235lbs, BF who knows? (Oct 05)
48yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 15.2% BF (Nov 06)
48yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 15.2% BF (May 07)
49yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 14.5% BF (Aug 07)
49yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 13.5% BF (Jan 08)
50yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 13.5% BF (Jul 08)
....and the height chart says I'm fat...ugh!
Oh well, I gotta one pack ab.
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04-04-2008, 01:20 PM #2
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You know I don't know the scientific reasoning behind any of this but I did not allow any of my boys to start taking creatine till they were 18. Don't know if giving it to them at a younger age would have been bad or good, I just went with my instinct and my instinct said, wait till they are 18,
On the list for Bannukah
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04-04-2008, 01:30 PM #3
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04-04-2008, 01:39 PM #4
Maybe the thing to do is email a couple of the manufacturers and ask them. Aran wouldn't eat any meat until a while ago I did that and the company I contacted actually recommended one of their products along with one of their competitors products, neither had any sugar or added colorants etc. the stuff tasted nasty too BTW. They know exactly what's in it and although it may say 100% creatine it may have other ingredients that are not suitable for younger people.
My thinking is they don't need supplementation at that age and in fact you may be setting the seed that tells them in the future that they can't compete without help.
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04-04-2008, 01:41 PM #5
I can see bodyhards point of view, and mine would be the same. While your interest is trying to help, IMO these decisions should be left up to the individual, and hopefully they'll make a well informed decision...
Now, from the point of view of a trainer!!
I would be cautious....Reasons!
We all know the benefits of creatine, ( muscle growth-strength-etc ). Although very little research has been done on young and pre-pubescent children, some of the early signs of supplemention have been OVER training. This has been the primary side affect of creatine in young kids. Essentially because the kids themselves do not really know when to stop, nor can the on looking parent tell when the muscle has reached failure, or if the child is not resting or recoverying properly...
Another is a disruption of epiphyseal fusion, ( bone fusion ). An additional side effect here is irreversibly stunted growth.
It is also believed that even at the age of 13, children may still lack the androgens which assist in muscular growth.
However,
According to the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), and NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), prepubescent children and early teens can safely engage in resistance training, with certain limitations. These bodies have issued guidelines on childhood strength training.
At the moment there is still not a lot of information that is supported by science that says yes or no...
IMO, using smart judgements, and a common sense approach to resistance training would be fine.
However, when it comes to the supplementation of young people, there are still more questions than answers...
just my 2cents..
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04-04-2008, 02:10 PM #6
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You know when I started taking creatine? About 4 yrs ago, when I found out our high school coach was giving it to all his football payers (ages 15-18). I knew nothing of creatine at the time and thought it was outrageous. Researched it...and started taking it myself within weeks . I let my oldest son, barely 17 at the time, take it...and he's been taking it since. But yeah, I must admit, even though I was convinced it was in no way harmful, you kinda do a double take when allowing your own kid to take it.
I wouldn't worry about it, but it's truly a personal call. At age 13? I don't think I would."If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."
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04-04-2008, 02:28 PM #7
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I'd have a serious problem if a coach was found to be giving any "supplements" to my kid
I'd also say 13 is young for supplementation, great time to get him started on eating very clean and eating big though. When I was just a little older than that six meals a day would have meant cutting out about three or four.[]---[] Equipment Crew Member No. 11
"As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another" Proverbs 27:17
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04-04-2008, 02:40 PM #8
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04-04-2008, 02:41 PM #9
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Just to clarify, my son wasn't one of the players (he did track/cross country), but he told me about his friends on the FB team. I would have been really, really, really pissed if any coach was giving it to my kid without permission. I even considered approaching the principle about it, but again, after researching it...and my kid not involved...I just let it go.
"If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."
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04-07-2008, 06:55 PM #10
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Thanks for all the responses and opinions. My son eats very healthy for a kid his age. If I had to 'guess', I would say his bodyfat is 5%. You can see the veins in his arms and shoulders. He has very good muscle definition. His meat of choice is chicken, so he isn't eating a lot of red meat. He doesn't drink soft drinks or sugary drinks. He reads the food labels of everything he eats. He enjoys weightlifting and running.
He currently is the strongest in his grade for bench press and squats. He now has the school record for the 100M dash for his grade and won 1st place in the long jump at the District Track meet.
He wants to take it to the next level and asked me if he could take creatine.
Right now, I have told him we have to wait. Now he is asking me, 'how long do I have to wait?' I don't have an answer for him yet.
He is taking a multi-vitamin once per day. I do plan on having him drink a protein shake after is workout. I want to be careful but it's hard to slow this kid down, if you what I mean.47yr male, 5'11", 235lbs, BF who knows? (Oct 05)
48yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 15.2% BF (Nov 06)
48yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 15.2% BF (May 07)
49yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 14.5% BF (Aug 07)
49yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 13.5% BF (Jan 08)
50yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 13.5% BF (Jul 08)
....and the height chart says I'm fat...ugh!
Oh well, I gotta one pack ab.
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04-08-2008, 10:00 AM #11
My son is 15 and I coach him on the high school JV basketball team. He works out with the team and last year seemed to be falling for the idea of hitting it hard enough to put on some size. He needs it as he is probably 5 foot 7 and 120 lb.
I have refrained from allowing any supplements, however he recently has been asking to use protien. I plan on allowing this. My thinking with any supplement for a young athlete is it takes away the lesson that "there are no shortcuts-you get out of something what you put into it.''
After he has maximized what he can get out of it on his own and shows the understanding of the dedication and effort required to gain muscle, and he has reached the age to decide for himself will I be o.k with anything other than protien.
How much time a week does your son dedicate to the weight room?
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04-08-2008, 10:16 AM #12
i definitely wont let my kids take creatine, to my knowledge, at age 13. however, this post has got me thinking about when I would have taken it based on what i know now.
and id choose my freshmen year, age 15, when i was definitely in the midst of puberty and the positive benefits of creatine would have been greatly appreciated.
what i wonder most is: would i have gone way above recommended dosages?
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04-08-2008, 10:20 AM #13
I wouldn't let him take it either for many of the same reasons listed above. His next level will come as he gets into puberty. Once the hormones start ranging and he's a growing, he'll get the muscle he longs for. He just needs to be patient. Most boys don't hit their muscular stride until 15 or 16.
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04-08-2008, 11:11 AM #14
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04-08-2008, 11:18 AM #15
for our young daughter, i know we feel that by us eating and having only healthy meals ourselves, we r setting a great example and not giving her a bad choice. lol.
plus, (tho its different with us cuz our daughter is younger than your boy) you could just talk with him and you can both try and come up with and make tasty healthy foods. stuff that normally would be unhealthy but both of you make it healthy.
when my daughter (and future's) hit your boys age thats what we'll b doing as a family.
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04-08-2008, 11:20 AM #16
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04-08-2008, 11:40 AM #17
I'm not sure giving kids supplements like creatine is a good idea. They already growing and really dont need something like creatine. The question really is what benefit would creatine provide to a kid; in imo, very little as they are already in a growth state.
Then there is the risk factor, why experiment with your kids. I am also unsure of asking a manufactururer on whether it is ok or not is an objective way to get an opinion as to if something is safe for your kid. Im sure that 30 or 40 years ago the cigartette comanies would of said all kids should smoke...
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04-08-2008, 05:56 PM #18
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During the school year, its 3 days a week with running every other day. But during the summer, he does weights for 4 days a week and is on a summer track team and trains at Baylor University 3-4 times a week. He says he likes the track workouts better than the track meets.
I am lucky there. My oldest son used to be big, slow, and clumsy. He was on B-team Basketball in 7th grade. He decided, on his own, to lift weights. During 8th grade he became an A-team Basketball player and later that same season was a starter. My oldest son was on a mission to become stronger, leaner, meaner, and....more cordinated. It paid off for him in Football too!! Since my wife was already eating healthy, and now my oldest son eating healthy, I decided to make a change in my life and eat healther and work out. The youngest son, seeing all of this, jumped right on board.
Since your son like running, you might point out how important it is to eat right for his sport. It will help his endurance and recovery. I have personally seen the pay offs with my two sons.
My oldest is now in college and says he can always spot the healthy food in the cafeteria because there is no line. It seems the out of shape college kids go for the pizzas, sodas, etc. and the lines are long.47yr male, 5'11", 235lbs, BF who knows? (Oct 05)
48yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 15.2% BF (Nov 06)
48yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 15.2% BF (May 07)
49yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 14.5% BF (Aug 07)
49yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 13.5% BF (Jan 08)
50yr male, 5'11", 200lbs, 13.5% BF (Jul 08)
....and the height chart says I'm fat...ugh!
Oh well, I gotta one pack ab.
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04-08-2008, 10:22 PM #19
16
That's great that he has influenced you to eat a healthy diet!
I would:
1. Allow/support him in eating well on an athletes' diet, along with all of his activities.
2. Allow him to have protein shakes
3. Not allow creatine until 16 or when he gets his drivers' license.
I think 13 and 14 is too early for creatine.Last edited by partsRheavy; 04-08-2008 at 10:28 PM.
investigating mechanics of pulleys, levers, and mass.
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10-27-2008, 08:53 PM #20
Don't Let Him Take It!!!
An excess of creatine in the body is not a good thing. If you take creatine your body will stop creating it naturally and then you are dependent on an external substance in order for your body to function properly. The little but your body produces is enough for you. I would not recommend this for a full size adult never mind a 13 year old.
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10-27-2008, 10:51 PM #21
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10-27-2008, 11:21 PM #22
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10-28-2008, 03:00 AM #23
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10-28-2008, 06:15 PM #24
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10-28-2008, 06:49 PM #25
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10-28-2008, 07:13 PM #26
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10-28-2008, 07:14 PM #27
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10-28-2008, 11:14 PM #28
I spend a good part of every single day dispelling the myth that creatine will DIRECTLY facilitate gains in muscle size. Like you drink it, you get bigger.
Other times I get the pleasure of telling parents that if they don't want their kids having any creatine then they better kill them as they stand, because their bodies are producing it right then and there.
It's fun mostly, if not redundant, but I have never recommend it and have had a load of successful clients that never touch it.
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10-29-2008, 03:57 AM #29
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10-29-2008, 02:47 PM #30
Its true that your body produces creatine but the reason why parents don't let their kids take it is because it is horrible for you. The amount that your body produces is a good amount but an overly excess amount will cause your body to stop producing creatine on its own, so that means that you will be dependent on artificial creatine for the rest of your life.
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