Quote Originally Posted by pbmax
My sources (well, actually one guy) says that the somewhat informed speculation on Sosa was that he was originally a creatine guy. I am not trying to suggest that makes him different that anyone else, nor am I making the case that he has never done anything else.

But this source, who knows creatine use through a certain NCAA Div 1 football program says that this is the accepted guess about what Sammy was using as he got bigger initially. Something about his physical appearance made them think this. Although, now that he has gone pale, that guess may have changed.

Track guys used to guess who was using by looking for physical symptoms. Ben Johnson's yellowed eyes made other sprinters suspicious in Seoul.
creatine may have wet sosa's appetitie for something more to keep his strength and weight gains rising. but there's no way creatine by itself took him to where he ended up. everyone's body makes and uses creatine. it comes most often from your meat protein sources if not ingested in powder or pill form. your highest energy output system, ATP-PC, the explosive, short burst energy that will only last for a handful of seconds before crapping out, uses that creatine to reharge this cycle. ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is broken down for this explosive energy. what is left over is ADP (adenosine diphosphate). ADP during your immediate rest period after the work combines with PC (phosphocreatine) to reform ATP and get you ready for that next burst. full recharge cycle time for this is about 6 minutes of rest. this is everyone's body and how it operates everyday, no matter if you are an athlete or a mathlete.

additional levels of creatine added to what you already have will allow for extra energy during these bouts of high intensity. you will not necessarily be able to last longer but your power output will increase in this same time. however, and anyone that has used creatine knows this, this output will translate into no more than a few extra reps with that same weight you were already doing. these extra reps may mean a ten pound gain on top of your current strength numbers almost immediately. but that is where it ends. this extra boost in the first 2-3 weeks of use is the only one you'll get and you are right back to square one (now that you are cycling extra creatine) with this little strength increase being back to normal as you plod along looking for a little more each day. you do NOT get any more instant jumps like this. worse yet, reducing these additional doses of creatine LOWERS your power output backwards to your normal levels. becuase of this creatine is actually considered fairly ineffective for those outside of competitive powerlifting (where total weight lifted matters) for someone to actually get a big help from it. prolonged use of too much creatine can strain the kidneys, also makes you retain a lot of water. creatine is the gift that does not keep on giving.

physical signs that you are taking extra creatine? pretty hard to see any, other than some potential water weight gain that can make you look a little bit bulkier, but this is as instantaneous as those strength gains and does not continue to elevate. and in the end, if you start eating a lot more meat sources you will get this additonal creatine anyway. only other noticeable signs are that your wallet is smaller than it used to be while you aren't actually much bigger.

HMB on the other hand (hydroxymethylbutyrate) is the legal gift that keeps on giving. gives a creatine type boost in the first couple weeks and continues to push you a little ahead of the pace as week go by. getting off HMB does NOT have you losing anything by way of gains. i wouldn't be surprised of some jackass puts it on a banned list one day, it certainly enhances strength and size performance beyond normal levels, but without any dangerous side effects.