creatine timing....

[cozmokramer]

two scenarios...

if I work out first thing in the morning... when should I take creatine?

if I work out in the evening... then what would be the best time to take my creatine?

 

[diamonddiceclay]

the creatine I use says to take it 3 times a day with food

 

[cozmokramer]

how much should be taken each time...?

someone suggested 5 grams a day... so that should be broken up into 2.5 grams twice a day

 

[enrage]

you could either take before or after your workouts depending what you wanted.

 

[SJMustangGT]

I'd read the recommended dosage requirement on the bottle.. Usually when you 1st start taking it you have to load up for 5 days to saturate your muscles (5x) a day and then take a maintenance dosages after the loading phase.

 

[HarmsWayBC]

Creatine: the real truth

Ideally, one should consume 3-6 g of creatine with 40-50 g of protein and 50-100 g of simple sugars in the form of a post workout drink.

Taking creatine before a workout does little or nothing for the lifter.....this is because onece creatine stores are topped off in the body, and excess creatine will either be excreted or cause bloating and water retention....thus, take your creatine after you work out, when your creatine stores are low (depleted ATP levels) and saturate them for the next workout....


Loading is not neccessary with creatine, regardless of whatever people say. Products like Cell-Tech which say that a whopping 10 g of creatine can be delivered into the muscle cells after workouts are ridiculous.....with creatine more is NOT better.......

Take 3 g with 50 g whey and 50 g dextrose (or another simple sugar) if you weigh under 200....if you are larger than that, take 4-6 g creatine instead......load if you wish, but you will get bloated and fat from all the sugar in order to top off creatine stores, as well as waste a great deal of your creatine.....instead, just wait an extra 7-10 days for your muscles to get saturated.....

FYI-If anyone disagrees with me on this, why don't you ask 318 lb. Ronnie Coleman why he takes a total of 6 g of creatine a day (divided into two 3 g servings....) with no loading phase........also, don't waste yuor money on Cell-Tech or other 10 g creatine serving products........buy Pure SKW German Grade Creatine from someone like Prolab or SportsOne.....if money is no concern, buy MHP TRAC Creatine/Arginine Time Released brand....it is by far the best creatine I have ever used.

 

[N-10-CITY]

FYI,

"Pure" creatine phosphate is a totally misleading. The stuff available to athletes/bodybuilders at health food stores is FULL of fillers. We were designing a physiology experiment a couple of weeks ago that involved creatine phosphate...the price for laboratory grade creatine phosphate - $250 (CDN) per gram! Granted, there is documented evidence of the efficacy of creatine phopshate loading, there is nearly as much, if not more, evidence of it's ineffectiveness. Don't buy into the hype of some manufacturers about the purity. It's a shame these manufacturers aren't held accountable by the FDA.

I don't have the time right now to go through explaining the physiology behind creatine phosphate use in the anearobic alactic system, but it's pretty basic cellular physiology so if you want to learn more and avoid the pitfalls of gym science surrounding creatine phosphate loading by all means get your hands on a basic cellular physiology text book. I have a midterm to study for.

 

[HarmsWayBC]

what N-10-City said is true....HOWEVER..........

SKW Labs in Germany makes good creatine that is high quality and mostly pure with good quality control....they are the only brand I trust......

Will Brink has an extensive article on this on is website www.brinkzone.com, with test results and advice....he (like myself) says to stick with the SKW creatine.

 

[gymtime]

For morning workout, 5 grams post workout, 5 grams late afternoon, evening.

For evening workout, 5 grams between first and second morning meals, 5 grams post workout.