Creatine Water Retention

[Keep Left]

I'm thinking about going on creatine again to help with my training. The only problem i have is with the water retention. Last time i took it i gained about 15lbs pretty quickly and i became too slow and heavy although i was considerably stronger.

When i was taking it before i loaded for 4 days then took a maintance dose every day, but reading some good threads on this site im thinking of not loading and taking 1 dose(5g i think) on my training days and 1/2 dose(2.5g) on my non training days.

If i do this will it help to reduce the water build up? And also when i finish my creatine whats the best way to lose the weight? Last time i kept it for ages and i cant afford to become heavy and slow again. Not unless my strength is going up significantly.

 

[from zero]

There is no reason you should become slow. Look at any player in the NFL. HUGE guys that run 4.5 40 yd dashes. You only become slow if YOU let yourself become slow.

 

[Isaac79]

You don't have to load creatine, I take 5 to 10 grams on workout days and 0 grams on my days off, and I'm not slow at all.

 

[bignate73]

the loading phase thing actually decreases the length of time creatine is effective for. you spike out sooner, instead of a nice steady buildup in your system. which could also be why you are gaining so much water so quickly.

 

[Keep Left]

Look at any player in the NFL. HUGE guys that run 4.5 40 yd dashes.

Yeah but they have like 500-600lbs squats. I'm only squatting 350 ish(at 205lbs). And if i put on 15 lbs then thats 7.3% increase in weight i have to shift, and im not a speedseter to start with.

Ok so im just going to take the creatine on my workout days about an hour before. Last time i was on it i got shit hot gains(with the weight) So lets hope i can get my squat up to about 450lbs and gain enough overall strength to be up to around 210-220.

 

[protobe]

bro I'll tell you a great creatine, CREATINE TITRATE it works great for strength gains. I was on Monohydrate a year ago took it went up to 190 like that then stoped taking it fucking lost all or it. The titrate i was on for got up to 185 pounds stopped a week later lost 2 pounds. Its great on not retaining water. I'm 205 now and haven't taken creatine in 3-4 months i will after xmas though i will take that titrate. ( no loading) it works great trust me

 

[from zero]

Yeah but they have like 500-600lbs squats. I'm only squatting 350 ish(at 205lbs). And if i put on 15 lbs then thats 7.3% increase in weight i have to shift, and im not a speedseter to start with.

I think you are getting confused a bit. You don't need a huge squat to be fast. You have to train to be fast. Of course, squatting helps, but so do countless other exercises; sprints, plyos, sled dragging, etc etc etc.

 

[Keep Left]

My problem is i have ridiculously long legs so the leverage forces i have to apply from my muscles to make me run faster is huge. Either i become really really light(no possible for football) or i become really really strong.

Everyone i have ever spoken to has all said that when they ran there fastest was when they were squatting there most. So at the moment i am concentrating on being strong in my lower half as possible.

BUT dont think thats all i am doing! I do plyo exercises in pairs with all my exercises to help improve explosiveness. I will shortly(when the weather is more hospitable and i am working less) be taking up a sprint program to work on sledge pulling and sprinting over short distances.

Edit - i forgot to add the fastest i have ever ran was when i was my lightest(got glandular fever) and when i was my strongest(about the same as now). Like i have been told over and over, its all about power to weight ratio. I just need to get the power part up.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

i won't run anymore, PERIOD, if i can avoid it. 4 yrs in the marine corps running 3x a week really did me in. no thanks.

i just started lifting a few months ago, so i don't know how building my legs will affect a run time if i tried. however, while i was still in the marine corps, me and a bunch of friends were playing roller hockey a few times a week for 2-3 months. the sheer intensity of it (these guys were much faster than me on roller blades, i was busting my ass trying to keep up) really improved my run time. plus it was fun as hell to bang the shit out of each other.

in boot camp, i managed to drop almost 2 minutes on a 3 mile run time in just over 2 months. the key....lots and lots of sprints. that's all we did. we never went on long distance runs.

just my $0.02 on increasing run time.