BASEBALL AND CREATINE

by Professor Jack Squat

MAY, 1998 -- The first thing I noticed about spring training this year was the fact that baseball players just don’t look like baseball players anymore. Most of them used to look like the average guy on the street but now many look like linebackers. Long gone are the days of the 6 foot and 180 pound power hitter. In today’s game at 6 foot and 180 pounds you would be an undersized shortstop. Power hitters are now 230 pounds or more. Just look at guys like McGwire, Vaughn and Piazza, they’re huge.

Baseball players are beefing up in the off season through training and the use of creatine supplementation. They have caught the “creatine bug”. Dozens of major leaguers are using creatine on an ongoing basis. Baltimore outfielder, Brady Anderson, has taken the supplement for 5 years and Mark McGwire, Ryan Klesko and Gary Sheffield are ardent creatine supporters. Dante Bichette raves about the supplement and the results to his body. He reported to spring training in the best shape of his life while weighing 250+ pounds. Mike Piazza added 20 pounds to his already muscular frame by using creatine. Even lifetime utility players such as Jeff Reed are testaments to the benefits of creatine. Reed’s numbers clearly indicate he is improving with age. Reed hit a career high 8 home runs last year including 2 upper deck shots (est. at 455 & 431 feet). He credits creatine with his recent success. Creatine is such a part of baseball and the players diet now that some teams (i.e. Yankees for one) have creatine shakes available for their players after practice.

The use of creatine burst onto the sports scene and into all athletes consciousness during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Creatine supplements were credited with powering several British athletes to Gold Medals. Linford Christie, the 100 meter Gold Medalist, and Sally Gunnell, the 400 meter Gold Medalist trained with creatine before the games. Since then, numerous scientific studies have shown that creatine ingestion can improve athletic performance. Studies have shown creatine supplementation improves performance for short term and intense physical activity, and increases lean body mass and muscular performance by 20 to 30 percent.

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance (not a drug) in the body produced by the kidneys and liver and is stored in the muscle cells as creatine phosphate (CP). Adenosine Triphoshate (ATP) is used as the primary fuel to drive muscle contraction. As the amount of ATP diminishes, CP donates its phosphate for the regeneration of ATP. Creatine is part of the energy storage system used by our bodies for bursts of activity. Therefore, the more CP you have in your muscles, the better you will be at prolonging the onset of fatigue. Increased creatine levels also aid in muscle recovery and reduce lactic acid buildup. If you get more concentrated creatine to the muscles then strength and endurance will be improved.

In studies, creatine has been shown to benefit weight lifters and sprinters but common sense says it will also benefit baseball players as well. A stronger, faster and leaner baseball player with more energy and less fatigue has to be better. That runner won’t take that extra base on outfielders because of stronger arms. Pitchers will increase the speed of their fastball and won’t tire as easy. Fly balls that used to be outs will now land in the seats due to stronger players and greater bat speed. Catchers will be able to handle the long season grind easier. Just look at some of the pros on creatine. Creatine can also help in the rehabbing of an injury. Dante Bichette used creatine in his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery last winter. When Brett Butler returned from throat cancer, he used creatine to gain strength and increase his weight from 143 to 160 pounds.

Creatine, a white powder that looks like table sugar, is odorless and virtually tasteless when pure. It can be taken in powder, tablet or capsule form. Most players/athletes creatine load similar to carbohydrate loading and then take maintenance dosages. The amount of creatine depends on your current body weight and your workout levels (see table). Many athletes believe if some is good, then more is better, which is not true. Taking anymore than necessary will wind up in your urine as waste. Your body can only assimilate and store so much creatine. Most athletes believe the best way to take creatine is to cycle it. Cycling means the athlete will be on a creatine supplement regimen for only 6 to 8 weeks at a time. After 6 to 8 weeks, the athlete will stop taking creatine for a couple of weeks and then restart the process all over again at the loading phase. There is no scientific evidence, so far, that cycling will have any effect.

Level 1: One hour of training, 2 to 3 times per week, at a low level of intensity.

Level 2: One and a half hours of training, 3 to 4 times per week, at a medium level of intensity.

Level 3: Two hours of training, 5 to 6 times per week, at a high level of intensity.

Even though most athletes consider it safe, not all reports about creatine has been positive. There are some side effects associated with creatine. Muscle cramping and gastrointestinal disturbances have been attributed with early creatine users. Experts feel this is not really an issue anymore. The side effects are believed to be caused by improper hydration and that if the users just drank more liquids they would have experienced no side effects. Other points that athletes must consider about creatine are; there have yet to be any long term studies associated with the use of creatine and current studies and opinion could be biased. There is much money to be made selling creatine. It is not in the vitamin companies best interest to talk about side effects and any other negative aspects. Could creatine taken in high amounts detrimentally affect another body process? Could creatine supplementation allow athletes to train “too hard” causing injuries? These will only be answered over time.

In the meantime, the single season home run record of 61 will fall this season. Sportscasters and all the experts will sight the usual reasons; expansion, small hitter friendly parks, dilution of pitching talent, pitchers afraid to pitch inside because of pitching to aluminum bat hitters while growing up etc. . . All these reasons are valid, up to a point, but the real reason will be training and the use of the players supplement, creatine.

 

For More Information On Creatine:

Amazon.com has the following inexpensive books/reports on creatine:
Creatine For Muscle & Strength by Dr. Colgan $4
Creatine by Dr. Passwater $4
Creatine Nature’s Muscle Builder by Dr. Sahelian $10

 

Prof. Jack Squat and Sports Clothing on the Web are not recommending taking creatine. The choice to take creatine is solely up to each individual. Prof. Jack Squat is only providing information on the subject and is not liable for how individuals choose to use the information. If you choose to supplement your diet with creatine you are solely responsible for any outcome either good or bad.