Workout: Upper Body, shoulders and The Infamous Creatine

-          DB Shoulder Press 5x5

o   Superset w/ DB Posterior Raises x5

-          Pull Ups 3x8

-          Upright Row 3x8

-          Single Leg Balance w/ quarter squats 3x1 minute

-          Plyo Ball Roll Outs 4x20

-          Bicycles 3x30

Enjoy this workout guys! The difficulty for this one is intermediate and so is the level of movements. I'm still working on making those instructional videos. I'll have them up as soon as possible. Until then these movements can all be found on youtube. For the plyo ball roll outs, get into the front plank position, with your feet on the ground and your elbows on a plyo ball. Then extend elbows out towards your head, and then pull them back towards your waist. Maintain stability and control through this movement while still in the plank position. Enjoy the workout!

The Infamous Creatine

For some reason, and I don't know why, creatine gets more flak than any lifting supplement I know of. Say the word creatine and everybody freaks out on you, either talking about how it's a steroid, it dehydrates you, it only adds water weight, or it's bad for the liver. All of these accusations are from a point of ignorance or misconception. I think the biggest reason why people are so scared of creatine is because it really works. I don't have any supplements that are as effective in giving me strength and energy in the gym quite like creatine. Essentially what creatine does, to paraphrase some scientific stuff that I've been reading, is it increases the production of ATP in the muscles, creating a fast source of energy for the muscles. This is why it is so beneficial in strength training, power training, and sprinting. I don't like to get too into the chemistry of it, but it is helpful to understand the basics. The reason I don't like to get too into the science is because I could spend all day reading "studies" on creatine, but without any personal experimentation, I wouldn't acquire any knowledge. I have done personal experimentation with creatine however, and this is what I've found.

1. Large gain of strength in the weightroom. Along these same lines, I have also noticed that there is little or no drop in strength when I stop taking creatine for any period of time.

2. Yes, it can be dehydrating. This is due to cratine needing water to activate itself so it takes water from the rest of the body and brings it into the muscles. So yes, creatine can dehydrate but that does not mean that it shouldn't be taken. It simply means that precautions must be taken while using it. In other words, just know that you will need to drink more water than normal, but I think that everybody should be drinking more water anyways. A gallon and a half a day should work. Two gallons is better. Just try drinking this much in a day. Yes, you'll be peeing a lot, but you'll also feel the best you have in a very long time.

3. When I begin taking creatine, I gain around four or five pounds of water weight within the first day or so. This will only occur if you're drinking enough water, so it should be a goal. People freak out on this one for some reason. I've heard that creatine just adds water weight or "fake weight." For one, your body is 70% water, so it's mostly water weight. More importantly however, the gain in water weight only lasts a day or two, and then anymore gained weight will be muscle (or fat if your training and diet sucks).

4. I feel dumb for addressing this point but I've heard it too many times to leave it unmentioned. Certain people believe that if you take creatine, you don't have to work as hard in the gym for gains. This in entirely false. Creatine is a supplement. The key word is "supplement." It will not work if it has nothing so supplement. There is no "supplement" in existence that makes it so you don't have to work hard. Someone can take all the supplements in the world and if they don't work hard, NOTHING will happen. Creatine is great because when you're already working your hardest, it gives the extra strength and energy your muscles need to work even harder. I felt dumb for mentioning this because it is absurd to think that there is any substitute for old fashioned hard work.

All things taken into account, creatine is an excellent supplement. I think people freak out about it so badly because it is so effective. There are certain precautions that need to be taken when taking creatine. Most important is to be hydrated when taking it. A gallon and a half a day worked very well for me. If you are looking for a supplement to help up your game in the gym and help you to put on muscle, I would strongly suggest the use of creatine.