Creatine and HOT-ROX at 15?

Diet and Nutrition
1

Hey,
I’ve been working out, eating healthy, you know, all that good stuff, for probably 5 months now. I’ve put on a lot of muscle since I started, but I still have more body fat than I’d like, but hey, who doesn’t. I’, 15 right now and started working out when I just turned 15.

I eat clean, but I just don’t have that much time for cardio. I barely get in my workout while the gym is open after school and have to run when I get home. By the time I’m done, it’s 7 and I have work, homework, and whatever else I need to do.

During the winter, I couldn’t run outside because of the snow, so I’ve been jump roping and working with a heavy bag indoors.
I’m not whining in any way, I’m just trying to explain my situation.

Alright, long story short: I’m buying an elliptical on Craigslist and I can go and pick it up whenever my sister gets back from a business trip and can let me use her SUV to pick it up. This way, I can do a lot more carido at home and whenever it’s convenient for me.

Now, I’ve been progressing ever since I started about five months ago, but I want to really kick it up a notch. I’ve been reading up on nutrition mostly to learn how to maximize the gains from my efforts.

I read http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1852816
which was a series or articles on nutrition.

I would consider myself just a beginner and I realize that I could do just fine without any supplements. Out of everything that they talked about, two things did stand out though: Creatine and this HOT-ROX Extreme product.

I’ve heard of creatine, but I know nothing about this HOT-ROX product( http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1066793 ) that they claim speeds the metabolism, along with other benefits, and is not harmful. The thing is, the site that claims that this is a great product also happens to sell it.

So, long story short: What do you think of Creatine and this HOT-ROX supplement? I’m not going to put anything into my body before I know everything that I can about it and I trust IOL to deliver truthful information, so please.

Sorry for the bit of a rant/back story and thanks for any advice.

2

Pretty sure your supposed to be 18 for HOT-ROX.

You said your a beginner and you do without supplements. You are right!!!

Focus on good nutrition and training, get big n strong, do cardio if your concerned about your weight. Your body will start to sculpt itself.

BTW how much did your elliptical cost, Im looking at buying one from craigslist as well.

3

Dude, at 15, supplements shouldn’t be too high on your priority list right now.

If anyone uses the phrase “I just don’t have that much time for cardio”, then a fat burner like HOT-ROX should be the last thing on their mind.

Exactly what is “eating clean?” What, specifically, did you eat yesterday?

I’m glad you’re considering an elliptical, but honestly, you can do just fine with the jumping rope and heavy bag. I’d rather see you keep an eye out for free weights from Craigslist.

For a solid routine that can incorporate your heavy bag, look into High Octane Cardio:
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460021

Long story short? Too late. (Movie reference, anyone?)

What do I think of these supplements? They’re both effective and can be a helpful addition to an already solid training and nutrition plan. I’m not entirely convinced you have either in place yet (no offense intended. You just haven’t spelled out your exact training and eating plan). Not to mention the fact that you’re absolutely too young to start using fat burners.

As for the creatine, we had a recent thread talking about creatine and a 15 year old, coincidently:
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1920802

The moral of that thread - It’s not bad for you, it’s just unnecessary right now.

4

chris is right, your 15 u dont need creatine…ure also too young for HOT-ROX. just eat right do cardio like playing basketball or hockey or whatever ure into (beats going on an elliptical anyday)

and no offense, just imho, how are you 15 and have no time for cardio? there are tons of college students (myself included, im in engineering too, basically a fulltime job 40hrs/week of classes) that also have part-time jobs that find the time to workout and do cardio. just scrap half the time ure on facebook or myspace or whatever ure into and im sure u can fit a 20min run into your schedule.

that being said, i hope u do well with your training… its tuogh to be so motivated when your young. good luck with your goals

5

I’m another one who agrees with everyone else on here.

Please don’t start an extreme supplement like HRX at such a young age…

Read alot more on this site too.

6

B rock your avatar kicks ass hahah

7

im going to say no, but i have the feeling you already made your mind up as to whether or not purchasing them items. You just posted this because you wanted to see if you would get support in your decision. Thats my opinion however.

8

[quote]Artem wrote:
I would consider myself just a beginner and I realize that I could do just fine without any supplements.[/quote]

You’re absolutely right. You don’t need them. Save your money on other fitness equipment.

9

Bombard yourself with info on the site man. I can relate to you, I started getting my info on this site when I was 14, 5 years ago, and still don’t know much. I experimented with stuff like TestroGel and some of that shit when I was your age, I understand the desire to take supplements and get your desired physique by tommorow! Truth is, it didn’t help much. Also, at 15, you have plenty of time to develop into your body. Train, eat, and read. You will develop with time.

10

Thanks for the replies guys,

No, I have not purchased them yet, I am asking for genuine advice. On the HOT-ROX: Why should I be older to take it? I’m just interested, does it stunt growth or something?

The elliptical is $120. The stride is a bit shorter than I’d like, but the ones with a longer stride cost no less than a grand - I can deal.

My friend that’s training for UFC basically taught me everything I know about lifting and he says that Creatine just bulks up the muscles with water, can give you kidney stones, and that you lose all of the mass when you stop taking it. Is this true, because I am not going to take anything that can damage my health and that only adds to appearance and not functionality. I want to be strong and not just a cut-looking water bag.

On to my nutrition and training:
I eat mostly meat/fish, veggies, fruit, etc.
For example, here would be a typical day:
Breakfast: 2-3 hard boiled eggs, various vegetables, water.

Lunch: Chicken salad, water
I want to start taking a protein/nutrition bar before I go to work out after school because I get hungry since it’s been around 3 hours since I last ate when school is over.

Dinner: fish/meat, whatever my mom makes, but she usually cooks pretty healthy for me. I try to eat some vegetables with that too.

If I’m hungry, I’ll have some vegetables a while before bed.

Training:
I only have 1.5 hours to work with after school in the gym, but here’s what I do:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
Full upper body workout. I try to do sets of 3 and reps from 6 to 14, 14 being when it’s time to move up a bit in weight in whichever exercise I’m doing and 6 being the least amount of reps that I will be before moving down in weight.

I try to do a lot of different lifts and just do as many movements as I can, but here would be my usual routine, mostly in sets of 3x6-14
Flat Dumbell Bench
Inclined Dumbell Bench
Declined Dumbell Bench

Shoulder Press
Dips
Row
Back Hyperextensions

Curls, rotating one set Full Arm, one set Hammer. I tend to do more like 7-9 sets.
Tricep Extensions(Skull Crushers)
Behind the Back Barbell Palms-Up Wrist Curls
Palms-Down Wrist Curls over a Bench
I don’t know what these are called, but when you hold dumbbells straight out and lift your arms up and down with only the shoulder moving. I do those with my arms facing forward and then at the sides.

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday:
Legs - One-Legged Standing Calf Raises holding Dumbells
I used to squat, but I already have mild Scoliosis and the doctor told me to stop, so I’m not sure what do do here, just kind of hoping that running/elliptical/kicking will keep the legs decent.
Abs: Sit Ups, Weighted Leg Raises, Elbow-Knee Sit Ups, Crunches
Heavy Bag Sessions, Jump Roping, Soon - Elliptical

Supplements:
-1 Teaspoon of Colostrum Gold before eating breakfast
-1 Teaspoon of liquid Cod Liver Oil after eating breakfast
-3 Tablespoons of Protein Powder with water -as soon as I get home from working out
-Vitamin C tablets in between meals; I usually don’t take it to school though

I would appreciate any advice that you have to offer. I have learned everything about nutrition pretty much on my own and only know one person that I can really trust with lifting advice, and he’s only 15, so not all that experienced either.
I’m always trying to improve myself, so I would appreciate any advice.

11

[quote]Artem wrote:
Thanks for the replies guys,

No, I have not purchased them yet, I am asking for genuine advice. On the HOT-ROX: Why should I be older to take it? I’m just interested, does it stunt growth or something?
[/quote]
I think it might have something to do with there really not being a NEED for younger people to ‘cut’.

Have some carbs in the morning if you want to gain some weight; but none too late if you wanna stay lean

Great Idea. Eating something every 2-3hrs will help you make gains physically and at the gym

Sounds good

Switch out the veggies for some protien and fat (cottage cheese is great, almonds too)

I’ll leave this up to someone else to comment/critique…

If you can, try to bring a shaker with the protein in it and slam it right after you work out; that 30-45min after is when you need it most.

[quote]
I would appreciate any advice that you have to offer. I have learned everything about nutrition pretty much on my own and only know one person that I can really trust with lifting advice, and he’s only 15, so not all that experienced either.
I’m always trying to improve myself, so I would appreciate any advice.[/quote]

1.) Read the forum posts that pertain to being new; they honestly are very helpful; I’m 24 and have been reading this site since '01 and still read them and find new info

2.) The search button will answer 90% of your questions

3.) Train hard and EAT ALOT!

12

[quote]Artem wrote:
On the HOT-ROX: Why should I be older to take it? I’m just interested, does it stunt growth or something?[/quote]
It doesn’t stunt growth or anything like that. It’s that any fat burner is going to be most effective when your training and nutrition are already 100% in place and producing results.

At 15, we can get more “bang for the buck” by just fine-tuning those. Plus, it’s likely that whatever bodyfat you have is just “baby fat” that’s going to disappear almost on its own.

The stride length is a huge problem on cheaper ellipticals. Like I said before, I’d rather you take the $120 and buy free weights, but whatever. It’s definitely not a “bad thing” to get.

Sorry man, but this made me giggle.

Yeah, um… your friends a knucklehead. You can tell him I said so. :wink: Creatine does pull water into the muscles, but it’s not for “bulking up,” it’s just a not-very-negative side effect.

The whole kidney stone thing is a myth encouraged by the media. As long as you have healthy kidneys to begin with, and you try to drink a gallon of water a day, you’ll be fine.

And the only way you’d lose your gains is if you stop training as intensely and stop eating enough. Progress is progress.

I don’t want to sound like a douche, but I asked for specifically what you ate yesterday. This is a great template you have, but often, people will say this is how they usually eat “but yesterday I was totally craving a sausage McGriddle so I got one, and I was running late for dinner, so I got a chili cheese hot dog from 7-11.”

[quote]Training:
I only have 1.5 hours to work with after school in the gym, but here’s what I do…[/quote]
I’d suggest a total revamp of what you’re doing. It looks like something straight out of a Fiction Fitness magazine (this is what I call pretty much all mainstream bodybuilding mags, because half the training programs and advice is made-up and completely unhelpful.)

It’s unbalanced overall, with too much focus on chest and arms. You’re doing more work for forearms than you are for your back, and that makes my heart sad.

I’m not certain about that exercise you were describing, but it sounds like you’re talking about a front raise and a side raise. http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidAnterior/DBFrontRaise.html
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidLateral/DBLateralRaise.html

The doctor told you not to squat, not to put load on your spine, or not to lift weights? I can understand the not squatting, but lunges and step-ups are great for loading the legs without loading the spine directly. But have your parents ask the doctor to clarify.

Running and kicking will definitely not give you the same results as lifting.

Again, four ab exercises and just one or two back exercises. That’s only going to hurt you (literally) in the long run.

I suggest following that High Octane Cardio program I linked to earlier, with one or two full body workouts on other days.

[quote]Supplements:
-1 Teaspoon of Colostrum Gold before eating breakfast
-1 Teaspoon of liquid Cod Liver Oil after eating breakfast
-3 Tablespoons of Protein Powder with water -as soon as I get home from working out
-Vitamin C tablets in between meals; I usually don’t take it to school though
[/quote]
Colostrum is a joke and a waste of cash. Kudos on taking cod liver oil, and you’re on the right track taking protein after your workout. Just make sure it’s some kind of whey protein. It would be best if you could order some stuff from the site here, but I’d imagine that could be tricky in your situation.

The dude training for the UFC? :wink:

13

Thanks for the advice everyone. About my workouts:
If I’m doing too few exercises for my back, what should I add? I do Rows and I sometimes run and do pull ups and chin ups at the playground, but what should I add to my workout to work the back better. Right now, all I really do is Rows.

About the legs:
They have that hammer strength machine where you can squat and hold the weight in your hands. Would that not hurt my spine since the weight isn’t really on my shoulders, or is that bad too?

OK, so, so far I gather that Creatine is fine and I can take it, I need to do more back work, which I will hopefully get more info on, and that I need to start doing some sort of leg work again. Am I missing anything that I need to change?

14

Alright, so I got a bottle of BodyTech Creatine and BodyTech BCAAs.
I decided to skip the HOT-ROX for the reasons that you guys gave me. I’m just going to up my cardio.

I heard that these BCAAs are great and it was only $12. for a bottle, so I thought I’d try it out, good buy?

For the Creatine, I’m going to skip the loading phase and just take a scoop mixed with water after workouts.
Is it alright to take this stuff at the same time as I take my protein powder? So I’d drink my protein powder and then the Creatine?

16

Thanks, I’ll do that. Also, can I pop my BCAAs right after that too? It says to take them after a workout. I pop that and my Vitamin C capsules.

The BCAAs bottle says "As a dietary supplement, take three (3) capsules, three times daily between meals and after workouts.
Does this means 3 a pop or 1 a pop? So, am I taking 3 in a day or 9?

17

If they were that cheap you probably call all the amino acids.

The aminos you want are Luecine, Valine, and Isceoline (sp?), check your ingredients. The products people around here refer to as BCAAs only will have those 3 amino acids or mainly those 3 amino acids.

18

Yea, those are the three, it says it right on the front of the bottle. So, how many a pop should I take?

19

How much do I really need to drink for Creatine to work properly? I keep refilling this 8fl oz (240ml) bottle of water. I’ve gone through like 4-5 refills so far today and it’s really annoying to have to get up and go to the bathroom like once every twenty minutes.

20

Well thats a bad attitude to have if you plan on being serious about weightlifting.

I often kill 2 gallons of water a day.-1 gallon is like 128oz.

21

[quote]Artem wrote:
How much do I really need to drink for Creatine to work properly? I keep refilling this 8fl oz (240ml) bottle of water. I’ve gone through like 4-5 refills so far today and it’s really annoying to have to get up and go to the bathroom like once every twenty minutes.

[/quote]

Do yourself a favor and buy a gallon of water and drink it over the course of the day. Use that water for your supplement mixes, too. At the end of the night, fill up that gallon with tap water (I heat my water to a slight boil, tap sucks where I live) and let it cool over night in the fridge. Wake up and recommence the cycle.