Building muscles, but for a price

Pete Sampras uses it. So do Barry Bonds, Mark Maguire and 60 percent of the MLB. Seventy-five percent of the Denver Broncos use it. Every year, Americans spend more than $200 million on it.

It's creatine, and its proven effectiveness since the 1992 Olympics has led to a dramatic increase in its use. The supplement is still legal in the NCAA and all U.S. professional leagues. As creatine increases in popularity among professional and college athletes, the supplement has trickled down into the training regime of high school athletes.

Creatine control

Creatine (creatine monohydrate) is a combination of three amino acids found in skeletal muscle and is naturally supplemented by animal proteins. Taking creatine as a supplement does not directly add weight or muscle mass. Instead, it increases the body's ability to lift larger amounts of weight for longer time periods.

Creatine is classified as a food supplement, not a drug, and is therefore legal in MCPS. However, County Athletic Director William Beattie disapproves of its use. Beattie believes that there is a thin line between supplements like creatine and illegal steroids, and therefore "strongly encourages" high school athletes to avoid any type of dietary supplement.

Varsity football coach James Short counsels his players to gain wanted muscle and weight naturally. To Short's knowledge, none of the football team uses creatine, although he has no way to check on his athletes. "We found a kid who was using creatine several years ago and we told him to stop. I haven't heard anything about creatine since," he explains.

Building brawn

Despite the county's reservations, many Blair athletes look to creatine to aid their training. Senior baseball player Sam Boone started using creatine in mid-August to gain weight and muscle for college ball. After 35 days of working out with weights, Boone gained 11 pounds. According to the NCAA sports health committee, the average athlete gains six pounds during the first week or "loading stage" of creatine use.

Boone explains that he noticed an increase in his stamina within his first three days of use. "I could lift five to 20 more pounds for every exercise I did, and I could do more [reps]," he says.

Senior Albert Fall also lifts weights at the gym on a regular basis. After he increased the intensity of his workouts six months ago, his brother suggested creatine as a way to improve his endurance. According to Fall, the creatine significantly heightened his energy during workouts and caused his muscles to recuperate faster after lifting.

According to Bally Total Fitness personal trainer Dennis Sweetser, creatine is an excellent supplement for all body builders or athletes looking to improve their strength and endurance. Sweetser has no reservations recommending creatine to younger athletes, despite Bally's policy against selling creatine to minors. "Anyone over the age of 12 could take [creatine] with no negative side effects," he says.

Sweetser explains that the only disadvantage to creatine is that, when taken in excess, it can cause diarrhea and excessive urination. Creatine is also known to cause minor dehydration as it deposits large amounts of water in the muscle. Sweetser recommends that athletes increase water intake by 25 percent to compensate.

Altering one's diet is key to obtaining creatine's optimum results. Boone consumes four eggs a day, a main course of meat at every meal and additional protein supplements. He believes that this diet, along with his daily two-hour workout, maximizes the effectiveness of the creatine.

Questioning creatine

Nan Martino, Principles of Fitness and Energy instructor, believes that with the right diet, high school athletes do not need supplements like creatine. She explains that a healthy appetite and the correct vitamins and amino acids can produce the same effects as creatine.

According to Martino, creatine might not work for every athlete. Although some athletes' bodies cannot absorb the amino acids in creatine as well as others, she also blames improper use. Martino explains that if an athlete doesn't work out enough to balance the creatine, the athlete's body will produce excess fat rather than muscle. "It's not like you can just take a pill, and you'll have muscle. You still have to go in and workout," she says.

Senior Jordan Townsend, a member of the varsity football and basketball teams, used creatine for six months but decided to quit in March. He explains that although he got the results he wanted, he believes he could have benefited equally from alternative sources.

YMCA Fitness Director Mary Pelz agrees with Townsend and believes high schoolers should avoid creatine altogether, for both health and ethical reasons. "High school athletes should be well-rounded. They should eat right and work hard, not supplement their natural ability," she says.