Does anyone use Runners Advantage Creatine Serum to help with endurance? If so, does it work? I’m currently training for my first marathon and my goal is to qualify for Boston. If this stuff is of any benefit in my efforts I may be interested in trying it. I’ve seen this stuff advertised every month for several years in Triathlete and Runners World.
I’m 46 and have only been running for just over 2 years. I’ve done about 15 sprint and Oly tris and if my marathon goes well I will move up to longer events. The run is my weakness and I’m currently training with a coach to help improve this.
First, creatine is basically wasted on endurance athletes. The side effects alone are detrimental to endurance performance. You might build some greater raw strength levels, but that again is not of direct benefit to endurance activities.
Creatine also has the very very unfortunate side effect (for endurance athletes) of promoting dehydration and cramping promotion… this is not a concern in the gym where you can constantly hydrate… not a good thing 10 miles into your 20 mile run
I have used the runners advantage creatine, and to tell you the truth, I noticed no difference in my performance, positive or negative. Not to mention, its like $45 for a little dropper bottle. I use accelerade as a sports drink. I know it is completely different from the serum, but it gives me more energy than the serum does, for a lot less. Save your money.
I cant see how this specific creatine supplement would help runners/endurance athletes. I’ve used creatine in the past, when i was doing another sport, and bulk was good, and the thing i noticed with creatine wasnt that i lifted the same amount and then got bigger faster or anything, i noticed that it allowed me to throw in more sets. You might call it muscular endurance—but thats endurance in a weight room type of endurance—i would not use creatine now as a triathlete. I’ve been trying to get my body to shed the large muscle mass i had back as a rower, and get less beefy. With creatine, rowing with a national development team and lifting daily i went from 170lbs to 190lbs in 3 months. And it wasnt fat. My body definetly responded to creatine—cause that wasnt the first summer i had been lifting. So i wouldnt say that creatine doesnt work—but as an endurance athlete it wont work to drop your swim, bike or run times–at least i cant see it how it could.
I’m a reformed gym rat, an avid article reader, and my sister-in-law is a powerlifter, and from my own experience and hers, yep, creatine is no good in suspension. in fact, it apparently turns to creatinine, which the waster product your body produces when it uses creatine. That’s how I understand it, anyway.
So, yeah, apparently its a waste, especially in liquid form. In general, as to whether o rnot creatine in general is helpful for the endurance athelete…not too sure in general on that, but I agree with the other poster that mentioned cramping. In my own experience it’s hard to go for a long run or ride when you can’t get more than 100 feet from the toilet.
I have used creatine in crystaline form and L Glutamine primarily in my strength gaining/ muscle building phases. I think it helps me add muscle but I tend to discontinue the creatine when I hit the road in the spring because I usually want to drop a little weight as it makes running seem alot easier.
If you do a search on “creatine” or “creatine monohydrate” you will find some fairly well documented studies that indicate it is useful for activities requiring explosive strength, like sprinting, football or power lifting. For instance “Runners world” has some articles on the subject.
Incidentally if you choose to use any of these supplements I found supplementdirect.com to be a good source.
I agree with some of the other postes but I think that if you’re competing in short events such as running a 5 or 10K, cycling TT or sprint races lasting no longer than an 70 minutes this MIGHT give you some benefits fro this. Especifically if you complete the last 3/4’s of the event at an anaerobic effort. All in all, the overall benefits are minimal. Don’t expect to go out like a gang buster at a 5:20 min mile pace if you’re averaging 6:10’s. This type of benefit won’t happen. Thus, short races may be ok. But no way for long stuff as you won’t find justifiable benefits.
according to their statements, runners advantage is a “different” kind of creatine. It is meant to allow someone to run longer, without bulking up. However, I found no difference in my performance. Some days i did better with it than what i normally do without it, and some days i did worse. In short, some days were good days, some days were bad days. This had nothing to do with creatine.
Thank you P2kman. I was looking for a person who had actually used this stuff and could therefore tell me if it really worked as per the claims. I’ve asked this question on other message boards and so far no has appeared to benefit. Considering the full page and 2 page advertisements they’ve run for several years, I wonder who they sell this stuff to. It’s too expensive to just try it on a whim.
The definition of “short” is relative. To an IM athlete, a 5K is short. But it isn’t a “power” type short. I think the real break point for run length would be on the order of 800 meters.
Yes, the defenition of “short” is relative. Hmm… even 800 meters might be a little long. (i’m thinking about my track intervals) BTW I’m pretty skeptical of creatine usage among endurance athletes in general. I’ve never seen any raw data in support. Until then I will agree, it’s more beneficial for shorter sprint/power events.
Scenerio:
Two athletes in a final 800 meter sprint to the finish. Athlete A takes creatine before race, Athlete B does not. Will athlete A out kick athlete B to the line?
Assume: Both Athlete A and Athlete B are otherwise of equal endurance conditioning.
My firm, and a couple of others, have a class action pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court against MMUSA and GNC for the deceptive advertising of their Creatine Serum products, of which Runners Advantage is one. Aside from the legal shenanigans the defendants have been pulling, the information we have developed on their product strongly suggests that it is a sham. They have already said, in papers filed with the court, that their product does not contain creatine monohydrate. Given that all of the research showing the ergogenic benefits of creatine has been done on creatine monohydrate, this should be reason enough to avoid their product.
no prob Don. I thought the same thing. The ad is huge, it seems to be supported by fact in the ad. There was no cheesy celeb on the page. It must be good. Well I think they are just selling it to people who don’t know what their performance is without supplements.