Hey Im a 14 year old male who's into strength/body building. I have only been training on and off since this summer, but am looking to get really serious right about now. All I am currently taking is a 1-a-day vitamin, and supreme greens(pills that are equivalent to eating 5 pounds of raw vegetables a day). I have heard a lot about creatine... good and bad and I am unsure wether or not to try it out. I want to add lots of mass but tons of strength as well. I am a pretty fast gainer, and eating isn't a big problem for me (x-cept on school days). What I want to know is should I try creatine? I have heard about small stomach problems but I am concerned about serious liver damage etc. ANY advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

All About Creatine

The second post in this thread has some good information on Creatine for you.

At 14.. my recommendation along with a similar thread was forget it. Skip it until you are around 18. With you being young and in a growth phase, I would skip it at this moment.

Im about to check out that site right now... you seem VERY intelligent in weight lifting... what might you suggest for me to increase STRENGTH as well as SIZE as fast as possible (I've read LOTS of stuff including Arnold's Encyclopedia to Bodybuilding, and tons of websites that all seem to contradict eachother :-/) Right now I'm trying to eat around 6 meals on weekends (counting protein shakes) and I usually work 2 muscle groups a day (Chest, Back Mon. Biceps, Triceps Tues. and Shoulders, Legs Wed. then I repeat and take Sunday off) I only do 2 different excersises per body group (supersetting) and 3 sets of around 10 reps. What do you suggest for maximum weight gain and strength gain.. any type of food or something that is a MUST HAVE to gain weight? thx 4 everything

What do you suggest for maximum weight gain and strength gain.. any type of food or something that is a MUST HAVE to gain weight? thx 4 everything

Bulking plan

It's free. You can find the necessary ingredients at Safeway. I made a similar mistake in my teens looking for the magic pill. Try eating first.. eating good and eating plenty. Then training hard. When you have those 2 things solid, then supplements will make a difference.

If youre dedicated I think you should take it. Im a little bit older than you and I take it . Cell-tech and nitro-tech stacked and it works great. I say give it a loading phase and a off cycle and see what it does for you. If your determined to be big and buff and have strict plan I say go ahead. But You know Im not as intelligent when it comes to this stuff like mda when it comes to this stuff. Just do what u think is right and what will help you mkae bigger gains. And im sure I will get some disagrees on this post.

I'm 31 and I take it.. but if I was 14 I wouldn't.

Not so sure on the "damage" part but more like.. it's not going to do a lot for you considering the other factors in a young person's life

1) are you really able to eat 5-6 times a day
2) you are growing still and older guys have passed that muscular development stage

I'd wait on it. 97% of your gains will come from training and diet.. 3% from supplements. Do supplements work? Yes. When you need that 3% to be the best. But if you are only at 20% of the above (diet and training) creatine won't do much for you as the other parts will drag you down.

Post your diet. Then post your training. We'll go from there.

Gotta back up MDA (Great Post) on this one.

1. You said that it was fairly easy to put on muscle mass and strength I believe the direct quote was, "I'm a fast gainer"

2. You admit that your diet leads something to be desired... I eat well on the weekends. That takes care of about 30% of the time.

3. Your routine ain't bad especially for a 14 year old but before you add supps, get everything else right.

Here's the point... You need to eliminate all variables prior to taking a supplement, otherwise how would you know if it works. How many people have hit the local GNC the 2nd week after they start lifting and buy a bottle of xenadrine, jug of protein, a pound of creatine, and a 4-ad/1-ad stack. At the same time they head down to the local Safeway that MDA speaks so highly of and they stack up on all the right stuff, because by God it's time to change their lives. They just dumped $200 on Supps and that can't go to waste on pizza and beer. So they do everything right for 2 months, amazing results, lost 5lbs of fat, gained 10lbs of muscle, man all that in 2 months.

Now, riddle me this Batman... what led to those gains? I'll let you in on a little secret, NO ONE KNOWS. However I would venture to say that most of those gains came from the dietary changes, that's right! Not saying that supps ain't good, but I am saying that we are lazy and the supp companies know it. Why else would my BB rag be filled with 40% crap advertisements? Because they know that I'm looking for the easy way out and I want to stay legal. Truth of the matter is in the 15 years that I've been lifting the one thing that has made the biggest difference in whether or not I see gains... drum roll please... DIET. It's no secret man, and I've blown a lot of money on supps, all kinds, all legal and all overpriced. The one thing that does equate (especially if your still living at home and mom's ok with giving you a $400/mo chow budget) is diet. Give it a shot for 2 months, not just on weekends, and don't tell me it can't be done, take 2 shakes with you to school and drink them in class or in between if you have to.

There you have it, the secret to success. At 14 you definitely don't need any more test running through your veins, so don't even think about prohormones. Take maximum advantage of your youth test levels; I wish I had done better with my time. I was too busy drinking beer and chasing tail... damn those were interesting times... thanks for that little trip down memory lane.

Good luck,
D

MDA and DJ are right on here.

Diet is a HUGE factor in gaining. Get that right and see the results. THEN start adding supplements as needed.

This is coming from someone who, while getting stronger, is not bulking like I want to and I know the reason......DIET, I still eat only 3 times a day and, while I have improved what I eat, it's still a long way from what I need.

Bodybuilding is for life, give it some time and pay her the dues she wants, then she shall reward you.

Paul

id say leave the supplements ALONE until u reach the point in which u cannot GAIN(mass and strength) at a descent rate NATURALLY...its what i did

i did use protein the whole time but after about 3 months i added creating(no side effects yet) and amino acids and im waitin on other stuff as well....

Wow this site is great... where else can someone post up their problems and have them answered by different people within a day! Well after reading all your posts thoroughly I guess I'm going to stick with just dieting right and working out hard. Heres the problem though. I read the bulking plan but it seems as though I wouldn't be able to get that same kinds of food at those times. I only can eat what my mom buys or cooks, and she gets straight up tired of cooking me chicken! I've used fitday.com (if any of you are familiar with it) and I found out on average I am taking in around 200g of protein a day, but not enough carbs. It's not possible for me to have a baked potato everyday but what else is a GREAT carb I could be eating? Also my school is a VERY strict private school that does not allow ANY type of food or drink in ur locker... (I do try to sneak a protein bar in my bag or some peanuts but rarely get to finish them in fear I'll get caught!). Here's my usual diet, although it changes pretty much every day...

Breakfast: A chicken breast or turkey sandwich with a glass of milk

Lunch: Whatever there is to eat at lunch.... if I feel theres not enough protein in that meal I'll skip it and head to the deli bar where i make a turkey sandwich or put 5 or 6 slices of turkey on a tray and poor ranch dressing all over and eat them :-) I also drink about 3 milks... 1 skim and two 1%

After School: Turkey Sandwich or a chicken sub, or something high in protein

Dinner: Wahtevr mom's cooked (usually high in protein since she knows I love meat)

Workout

2 scoops of protein shake (Approx 25 grams of protein and 3 carbs per scoop)

Then I usually have another meal after that like microwavable quesadillas or something (lots of protein-but i dont know how good they are for me)

Anything Im doing wrong?

Thanks
Brian

and she gets straight up tired of cooking me chicken!

You are 14 right? You'd make your mom faint if you said.. don't worry about me mom.. I'll cook my own dinner tonight and clean up my mess. Or hey mom I'll take the beans, rice and stuff but let me just do this chicken breast myself. If she gets tired of cooking it for you.. nut up. Do it yourself. As long as you clean up as well. You can buy a good bag full of chicken at Costco and it's not expensive. Outta last a good 2-3 weeks.. And you don't need it daily. Just maybe a 3x a week thing.

Sweet potatos are a great complex carb. So is brown rice.

Plus you say you can only eat what your mom buys or cooks. But I'm sure you can ask her to add items to a grocery list. Give up the Captain Crunch cereal (which is expensive anyway) and sub it for some stuff on your list. The only other issues are maybe processed meats. Sliced turkey from the bird is good but not the processed turkey meats in the packages. Processed meat is of much lower quality. I don't think you specified.. you said deli bar.. so maybe it's straight off the bird?

This diet thing.. is all you bro. If you mom isn't into bodybuilding, you can't expect her to cook brown rice and chicken every night or make you 6 meals a day. Like slayerboy.. who lives at home as well, if you are serious about this sport as a lifestyle, nobody is going to care more then you. So work with what you got and take some responsibility to make meals or add things in while CLEANING UP completely. I've got a 11 year old. I don't mind when he wants whatever but what I mind is cleaning up later because it wasn't my choice to make the mess (off soapbox and not making comments AT you personally.. just saying in general).

Thanks for the compliments on DB. There's a ton of great members here who knew a little before and really learned a lot and then gave back to the community. I can't tell you how cool that is. They keep this place the bomb!

me an my bud used to do this:

have a MASS dinner cooking, for example....cook up 6-10 chicken breasts and your sides for that week..then all u have to do is warm them up...if you are eating 2 or so breasts a day, no problem with them going bad....as far as carbohydrates go, breads and pastas are good for that....like a chicken breast(sliced) on top of some "noodles"....ud be surprised of how much carbs some foods have....for being 14 you sure do have a disciplined diet, i rarely get 200grams of protein a day....but i eat at a chow hall and i have no stove or microwave or anything for that matter.....lol

Your diet looks pretty good within the means that you are working. Are you into athletics? I went to a Catholic school that had similar policies, but if I would have presented it to my football coach he gladly would have gone to bat for me to have me 20lbs heavier come football season. Dude, your years ahead of where I was at your age, I couldn't figure out why my scrawny ass couldn't put on weight. Like so many others I contributed it to being a "hard-gainer". BS, I shoulda been eating more. Man I wish I could trade spots with you right now, with the knowledge you possess your physique should be through the roof by the time you hit 21. Not saying you'll turn pro anytime, but taking advantage of your high hormonal levels should put you leaps and bounds ahead of where I was even at 30. Good luck, man. Eat what you can when you can... oh yea; pasta is a great complex carb.

D

Thanks for all the compliments and great advice guys. Well I don't really play football although a lot of people have been pushing me to... I'm more of a basketball guy . I plan to go to the grocery store today to pick out some rice, noodles, and potatoes to help me mass up.

Again, thanks for all the advice... (except for djduhon who told me I'll never turn pro anytime soon haha)

i dont think he was being mean or put you down, i dont think 95% of us in here would ever think of going pro..thats just my 2cents though!!!! people have told me i will never bench press 275 but everytime my max goes up, their jaw drops a little bit more...hehe later man