I am a 34yr old female and just started weight training about 2 months ago. I was on another program befor I found your site and it had me taking a form of creatine called 'Betagen'. I believe this made me stronger in the long run,but it left me bloated and I felt like I was gaining weight along my abdominal area instead of losing anything. I have stopped taking this and do feel a little bit weaker. Would the bloating eventually have gone away? What is your take on females taking creatine?

Thanks for your great site.

I know exactly what you mean. Many of the people I train, both males and females, have mentioned having a bloated feeling when taking creatine. When creatine is absorbed into your muscle cells it simultaneously draws water in at the same time. To some this intramuscular water retention actually feels good but to others, such as you, it’s a little uncomfortable. You can read more about creatine by clicking on this address.

http://www.fitrex.com/newsletter/newsletter_3.html

This article will tell you how to take creatine and minimize the increased weight gain while still achieving the strength and power benefits that it is famous for. Creatine is fine for any healthy person, male or female, to take. As long as they are wanting to maximize their strength and power capabilities that is!

One other thing, the product you mentioned taking was Betagen. This supplement also has something in it called HMB. HMB is a popular strength and anti-catabolic supplement. The combination of HMB and creatine can definitely enhance your strength gains. You can purchase HMB separately from the companies EAS, Met-RX and now Twin Labs. HMB has not been shown to create any additional water retention but you may still gain a little weight because of its ability to increase your lean body mass. Oops, one more additional thing. Something that has been gaining a lot of popularity in the past year is Glutamine. Glutamine also has been proven to be a very effective strength and power supplement. It will not create the water retention that creatine will and it has additional benefits of being extremely helpful to your immune system.