Swimming using creatine??

Question

I am a competitive swimmer.

I want to make my muscles bigger and more defined.

If I take creatine before practices, will it help??

Answer 1

well i'm a competitive swimmer as well and have been for nearly ..13 years? yes i've been doing it since i was around 5 and i've never, used any substance, i do take multi of course but i've never used creatine before, i just swim at least 1.5 to 2 hrs a day and i've never lifted a weight either so i'd just suggest you do the same using supplements like that [which btw i think are considered performance enhancers] CHECK HERE:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatine_su...

but yeah i wouldn't reccommend it just try to get stronger, for get muscle, mass wise it will actually just slow you down to be honest. me i'm not even that big im just long and lean [ the avatar size stretched me out, im not complaining though]and that's a good swimmers body to have you don't want to much muscle just strength.

Answer 2

It might help, but I think it is a bad idea.  Creatine helps build muscle mass but does not help build swimming strength.  To be effective you must adhere to a strict regime of diet and hydration which is often unrealistic and counterproductive in terms of swimming.  

For developing athletes (14-18), I feel supplements like Creatine have more risks than can be justified by the benefits.  If you want to bulk up, the best advice is to talk to your coach about your training/weightlifting program, eat right, work smart and work hard.  Creatine will not help you swim faster.