From dohne@u.washington.edu Tue Mar 16 09:58:29 2004 Received: from mxu9.u.washington.edu (mxu9.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.174]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.12.11+UW04.02/8.12.11+UW04.02) with ESMTP id i2GHwSEv075560 for ; Tue, 16 Mar 2004 09:58:28 -0800 Received: from mxout5.cac.washington.edu (mxout5.cac.washington.edu [140.142.32.135]) by mxu9.u.washington.edu (8.12.11+UW04.02/8.12.11+UW04.02) with ESMTP id i2GHwRUM007712 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA bits=168 verify=NO) for ; Tue, 16 Mar 2004 09:58:27 -0800 Received: from hymn17.u.washington.edu (hymn17.u.washington.edu [140.142.15.131]) by mxout5.cac.washington.edu (8.12.11+UW04.02/8.12.11+UW04.02) with ESMTP id i2GHwQiF001814; Tue, 16 Mar 2004 09:58:26 -0800 Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by hymn17.u.washington.edu (8.12.11+UW04.02/8.12.11+UW04.02) with ESMTP id i2GHwQqu013523; Tue, 16 Mar 2004 09:58:26 -0800 Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 09:58:26 -0800 (PST) From: dohne@u.washington.edu To: Craig cc: uwracing@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Creatine In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Received: from [140.142.17.231] by hymn17.u.washington.edu via HTTP; Tue, 16 Mar 2004 09:58:26 PST MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII X-Uwash-Spam: Gauge=XIIIIIII, Probability=17%, Report='OPPORTUNITY_2 1.839, SUPERLONG_LINE 0.003, US_DOLLARS_2 0.001, LINES_OF_YELLING 0.001, __HAS_MSGID 0, __SANE_MSGID 0, __MIME_VERSION 0, __CT_TEXT_PLAIN 0, __CT 0, FORGED_RCVD_FOUND 0.000, __MSGID_BEFORE_RECEIVED 0, NO_REAL_NAME 0.000, __NIGERIAN_BODY_7 0, __TO_MALFORMED_2 0, __IN_REP_TO 0, EMAIL_ATTRIBUTION 0, QUOTED_EMAIL_TEXT 0, __MIME_TEXT_ONLY 0, IN_REP_TO 0, MSGID_FROM_MTA_HEADER 0.000' Craig and Huskies, I have some personal experience using creatine, and here are my 2 cents (and if anyone else has used creatine, I'd like to know how it worked for you). For a while I was a competitive climber (of the rock and ice type) and professional alpine mountain guide (guiding trips up Rainier and the like). The demands of these two pursuits could not be more different. Rock climbing is a power intensive, upper body pursuit while alpine climbing is 100% endurance activity that taxes your aerobic system and legs (the calves were always the first to go on me!). When I was training for bouldering competitions (which I was horrible at...something to do with the fact that I have more muscle endurance than power), I tried creatine as a supplement in order to increase strength and power. The goods: Creatine works. I noticed a consistent incrrease in strength, power, and recovery rate. Simply put, it felt like I wasn't working as hard. The bads: I have never been as thirsty as when I was taking this stuff. I'm not sure what the actual biologic response is that would cause me to be so thirsty, but I felt really dehydrated. Conclusion: I do not recommend using creatine for cycling workouts due to the dehydrating effects that I encountered...except one possible exception. This hypothesis remains untested, but I would bet that using creatine as a supplement would be good for a rider that alternates days between lifting weights and riding. The dehydrative affects of ceatine always wore off in 6 to 8 hours (in my case), so one could take creatine on lifting days and leave it alone on riding days. So, there you have it, cheers and let's kick some coogar butt! One more thought: My understanding is that creatine doesn't stay in your system for very long...i.e. you take the supplement about 15 minutes before the workout...so it doesn't build up in your system. Derik Andreoli Graduate Student Department of Geography University of Washington dohne@u.washington.edu On Mon, 15 Mar 2004, Craig wrote: > E-mail Newsletter > > > > Coach Craig's Newsletter > > March 15, 2004 > In this edition: > > 1. Craig is now "Bike Teacher" > > 2. See something cool > > 3. You could ride with Lance! > > 4. Creatine is not advisable > > > > > > > > It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. > > J. K. Rowling > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Craig Undem > > 3917 SW Webster St > > Seattle WA 98136 > > > > Phone: > > (206) 938-1091 > > > > E-mail: > > grundem@msn.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > "When I was a Beatle, I thought we were the best fucking group in the goddamn world, and believing that is what made us what we were." > > > > John Lennon. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > What is Coach Craig's Doing? new focus -" Bicycle Teacher" > > > > First, thank you to all of you for the nice mail and encouragement as I make the transition back to self employment. It is nice to know I have helped you improve your cycling and been able to share some of my passion for this sport. So, to answer your questions on what I plan to do besides play with my son and work on building my garage, please read below. > > > > Before I started working for CTS, I had my own coaching business for 3 years and the part of it I enjoyed the most was getting to ride with my students. It could be learning to corner, learning to draft or it could be working through a problem they were having. Sometimes it was a fear of descending after a crash, other times it was frustration with learning how to hop barriers in cyclocross. Sometimes it was whole teams wanting to get their goals set and work on getting a game plan for the season. I enjoy this kind of work.> > > > As I have worked primarily as an online coach the last 3 years, I have missed working with people one-on-one. I love the energy and excitement of working with beginners like my 3 years with the Leukemia Society, and most recently the Tour of Hope. I spent yesterday afternoon giving 14 University of Washington Husky cycling team students a free criterium cornering clinic, and it was fantastic to see the excitement in their eyes and the progress they could make in just 2 hours. > > > > This is my primary focus now. I plan to do more of these clinics, and other little classes to help people become better cyclists. I will return to doing hourly private lessons in the Seattle area, and I am now calling myself a "bicycle teacher" ( or "professor" for my advanced classes.) J > > > > I wish all of you a fantastic season with smooth roads, tailwinds and sunny sweet rides. And remember the most important thing...chamois creme'! (oh, and keep all of your weight on the outside pedal when cornering). > > > > > > > > Ya wanna see something cool? > > > > Check out Lance's new commercial for Nike, you can download it from their site at the link below. It shows top sports stars in new roles. What it says to me is that we all are actors and have our stages. It is not the stage that matters, what matters is what we bring to it. Choose to be your best. > > > > Cycling is a metaphor. > > > > Enjoy: > > > > http://niketown.nike.com/?ref=global_home > > > > > > > > > > You could be chosen to join Lance in a very cool ride, the Tour of Hope. If you have been affected by cancer, and love riding, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.From L.A. himself: > > > > Dear Friends: > > Last fall, 26 individuals from the cancer community joined me on an > inspiring journey across America from Los Angeles to Washington, DC. > This year, I'm looking for 20 cyclists who have been touched by cancer > to join the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope(tm) Team to help inspire > and invigorate interest in cancer research. > > I'm partnering with Bristol-Myers Squibb, the company who provided the > drugs with which I was treated, to lead the Tour of Hope. It will kick > off in Los Angeles on October 1, 2004 and reach Washington, DC on > October 9. The Tour of Hope riders will stop in cities along the way to > share their personal stories that bring to life the importance of cancer > research. I'll join the team at the start, finish and for selected > segments along the way. > > The cross-country ride is only one of many ways to become involved in > the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope. Consider joining us in > Washington for a fundraising recreational ride at the grand finale on > October 9, or as a volunteer at locations along the route. > > The 20-member Tour of Hope Team must have the cycling ability and > endurance to complete the 3,200 mile trip, which will involve cycling in > 100 mile relays each day for 8 days, riding day and night. Equally > important is a passion for furthering cancer research. The team will > include cancer survivors, caregivers, physicians, nurses, and > researchers, who will train for 16 weeks under the guidance of > Carmichael Training Systems. > > Please forward this message to your friends and help spread the word > about the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope. If you're interested in > being a part of the 20-person team, visit www.tourofhope.org to submit > your name in advance and be among the first to receive an application > when it becomes available online on March 15. > > Sincerely, > > Lance Armstrong > Cancer Survivor > Tour de France Champion > > _______________________________________________________________ > > > > Creatine is a waste of time and money from my experience. This latest research supports my position and unless you are Match Sprinter, do not consider it. This is the intro and summary of the article on http://www.gssiweb.com > Focus on a good diet of vegetables, whole grains and lean protein, and spend your money on good vitamins. - Craig > > SCIENTIFICALLY DEBATABLE: IS CREATINE WORTH ITS WEIGHT? > VOLUME 16 (2003) NUMBER 4 > Eric S. Rawson, Ph.D. Department of Exercise Science and Athletics Bloomsburg University Bloomsburg, PA > Priscilla M. Clarkson, Ph.D. Department of Exercise Science University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA > > > KEY POINTS > a.. Phosphocreatine is a critical fuel for sprinting and other brief activities requiring high power outputs. Creatine supplementation in the diet can increase creatine and phosphocreatine levels in the muscles, but there are large individual differences in this response. > b.. Creatine use is common. Surveys indicate that 17-74% of athletes of various ages in a variety of sports use creatine supplements. > c.. Creatine supplementation has been shown to improve performance of brief (<30 s) high-intensity exercise, but there is limited evidence that it can enhance performance during exercise lasting longer than about 90 s. > d.. Creatine supplementation during resistance training may allow athletes to complete more repetitions per set of a given exercise and may allow them to "recover" more rapidly between sets. > e.. There appears to be no association between creatine supplementation and adverse side-effects in apparently healthy individuals. > INTRODUCTION > In an age when success in sports is often associated with increased future earnings and when many athletes have a "win at all costs" attitude, the use of dietary supplements has increased markedly. Creatine monohydrate is a commonly used supplement, accounting for about US $400 million in annual sales in the United States alone (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001). Athletes in the former Soviet Union may have been ingesting creatine to enhance performance as early as the 1970s (Kalinski, 2003), but the popularity of creatine with athletes increased substantially in the early 1990s by the revelation that Olympic gold medal winners Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell used creatine (Hawes, 1998). Moreover, scientific publications reporting that dietary creatine supplementation could increase muscle creatine stores (Harris et al., 1992) and improve the performance of brief, high-power exercise (Greenhaff et al., 1993) lent credence to the anecdotal evidence of creatine ! benefits. Unlike many dietary supplements, much research has been conducted on creatine, but its efficacy as an ergogenic aid remains controversial. The purpose of this article is to summarize the available literature concerning the prevalence of, ergogenic effects of, and adverse events associated with creatine supplementation. > > SUMMARY AND COMMENT > > Although roughly 300 studies have been carried out to test the effects of creatine on exercise performance, a definitive answer to the question "Does creatine work'" still eludes scientists. Although many reports have been inconclusive, on balance, the data suggest that creatine loading can improve performance in high-intensity exercise lasting less than 30 s. Studies reporting creatine benefits for resistance training exercise are more consistent in demonstrating positive effects. It appears likely that creatine allows some athletes to train with higher work loads. Still, motivation could be a confounding factor in these studies because it is difficult to blind studies when there is an obvious increase in body weight and "swelling" of muscles.> > Although meta-analyses have been conducted in an attempt to compare results of many studies in an unbiased manner, there are several limitations with this statistical approach. The criteria for selection of studies are subjective and differ among investigators. Also, a problem of potentially biased sampling of studies exists because small sample sizes may have lead to erroneous positive results in many published studies and because many studies finding no effect are never published. Indeed, many abstracts of research on creatine supplementation have not been published. It is interesting to note that no studies reported negative effects of creatine supplementation on performance (unless it was secondary to an increase in body weight).> > The fact that ingested creatine does increase muscle creatine concentration in some individuals indicates a potential for enhanced performance of brief high-intensity exercise. However, there is a large inter-subject variability in muscle creatine changes in response to supplementation. It is not clear why certain individuals are more likely than others to increase muscle creatine levels in response to creatine supplementation. Because there are exceptions to the rule that a high initial level of creatine in muscle dictates a poor response to creatine supplementation, differences in initial levels of creatine cannot fully explain the variability in response to creatine ingestion. Certain individuals may possess a gene variant that allows them to store more creatine in their muscles. If this is so, then small sample sizes, characteristic of most of the studies of creatine effects on exercise performance, could either over- or under-represent subjects who are predispos! ed to increase their muscle creatine levels in response to creatine supplementation. > > Our overall conclusion is that the performance of some, but not all, individuals can benefit from creatine supplementation; there is no "magical" effect for everyone. If only some individuals experience a benefit, then do these individuals have an unfair advantage in sport performance' The ethical issues associated with creatine supplementation remain unclear. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > .