Creatine: Do's and Donts

[ColdCut]

IM just getting started on creatine monohydrate powder, what should i do and what should i avoid.

1. I should not load up rite?

2. can i take 1 serving before a workout and 1 serving after, or is this too much?

3. Does takin it before a workout give u more energy in the gym?

4. What else can you think of.

 

[Silent Method]

#1. I'm an advocate of a loading phase. Is it absolutely necessary? No. However, a higher dose loading phase will literaly load your muscles with creatine in a shorter amount of time than by taking a maitanance level dose over a longer period. In effect, loading allows to to get the most out of creatine supplementation faster.

#2. What are we calling a serving? Most products recomend much more than the average users body will even use. In reality, if you are an average athletic build and around 200 pounds or so you probably will not be able to utilize more than 7 grams (maintanace) of supplemental creatine per day. (More can be utilized with increased muscle mass, and MUCH more while using AAS.) Spliting the dose into two or more doses is a good idea. Utilizing the post-exercise window for one of the doses is a good idea and can aid absorption.

#3. A dose immediately prior to exercise will yield no ergogenic benifit beyond what maintanace supplementation will already provide.

#4. Good 'ol creatine monohydrate, IMO, is still the most suitable form of supplemental creatine. You can find it pre-mixed with all kinds of carbohydrate and other stuff, which is fine. However, the doses of creatine, as I stated, are often much greater than needed. When cutting the dose of creatine in a pre-mixed powder, you may wish to add a bit of extra carbohydrate.

 

[JuicePimp]

Many of the creatines like cell tech come loaded with sugars. Just something to think about.

I cycle on and off creatine, and I always do the loading phase for a couple of days. I take 10 grams a day for maintance. If I am only using 7-8g, so what? But if I can use the full 10, then I guess I am better off.

Though I have heard that your body really cant absorb more than 5 grams at one time, I dont know if this is true, but I split up my dose, 5g am and 5g pm.

 

[serbyte]

Pre workout is a good idea, because your body imediatly replenishes its stores as you are useing them in your workout. It would not give you an energy boost, but it may help you lift more.

 

[ColdCut]

[B#4. Good 'ol creatine monohydrate, IMO, is still the most suitable form of supplemental creatine. You can find it pre-mixed with all kinds of carbohydrate and other stuff, which is fine. However, the doses of creatine, as I stated, are often much greater than needed. When cutting the dose of creatine in a pre-mixed powder, you may wish to add a bit of extra carbohydrate. [/B]

So carbs=good with creatine????

the stuff i got is pure micronized creatine without anything else added, no sugar and no carbs (im 99% sure)
Should i go ahead and take it with any sort of carbs?

 

[JuicePimp]

You need to take something with it that triggers an insulin response. Thats why a bunch of these come packed with sugar.

When cutting though I make sure that I only take the kind without the sugars and I drink it with some juice that has a much smaller amount of sugars in it.

 

[Silent Method]

Consuming creatine immediately prior to working out will likely have no added benifit for several reasons. For instance, due to the nature of the uptake and muscle storage of supplemental creatine, and assuming a supplemental creatine muscle load has been establised, a dose of creatine immediately prior to exercise will not provide any advantageous net increase in muscle creatine reserve.


ColdCut, in order that your creatine be absorbed by your muscles, you must initiate an insulin response when taking the supplement. An easy and proven way to do this (despite what some supplemnt companies would like for you to believe) is to mix your powdered supplement with good 'ol grape juice.

Fruit juices in general, btw, typically elicit a very sharp insulin spike.

 

[kontesto]

Think Again

Think again before taking that much creatine, your body can't handle that much, save your money dont take alot, most of it will be expelled as creatinine in your urine anways.

http://www.testosterone.net/nation_articles/295naked.jsp

read that.

KM

 

[Nighthawkk]

Here's a simple plan...load up for a few days @ 20-30g ED. Stay on for a month, and during that time take 5-10g ED, preferably post-workout mixed in a fruit juice. Repeat process after two week off period. This is what I do when off-cycle, works excellent.

 

[UA_Iron]

What about cycling creatine - I read you should probably cycle everything to give your body a chance to recuperate and I have also read that creatine doesnt need to be cycled.

 

[ColdCut]

Here's a simple plan...load up for a few days @ 20-30g ED. Stay on for a month, and during that time take 5-10g ED, preferably post-workout mixed in a fruit juice. Repeat process after two week off period. This is what I do when off-cycle, works excellent.

what sort of gains do you see with creatine, or do you plainly use to keep gains post cycle

 

[Nighthawkk]

what sort of gains do you see with creatine, or do you plainly use to keep gains post cycle

Before cycling, I still used this with a high-protein diet and saw gains of 5-7lbs during a 6 week period using Phosphagen at the time (the EAS brad creatine w/ transport saccharides). Now I use the creatine with tribulus and zma post-cycle to keep gains, and sometimes during my off-season too. Hope this helps

 

[Nighthawkk]

What about cycling creatine - I read you should probably cycle everything to give your body a chance to recuperate and I have also read that creatine doesnt need to be cycled.

You will want to cycle creatine because of the stress on the kidney.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

what's the benifit of creatine? i've read a few things here and there, but i don't know what to believe.

also, what happens when you stop taking it?

 

[PIGEON-RAT]

they say you don't absorb very much, but i notice if i take 20g as opposed to 10g i get a LOT thirstier much more often. i gotta drink a ton of water at that dose

anyone know what the deal is?

 

[Silent Method]

In a healthy and hydrated individual creatine supplementation will not stress your kidneys unless you consume much more than you can utilize need anyway.


crak600, creatine supplementation does several things. In regard to energy metabolism, creatine (as creatine phosphate stored in the muscle) donates phosphate to replenish ATP. A muscle with a high level of creatine phosphate can sustain anaerobic output a bit longer than the same muscle with a lower level of creatine phosphate. In addition, supplementing with creatine will draw with it extra water into the muscles themselves. In itself this results in a bit more leverage in the biomechanical system being utilized for a given lift. In the real world, these combined factors mean adding one or two reps to a given %max for many users. Basically, creatine is strength in a bottle for those who respond well to it, allowing them place a greater load on the muscle.

In addition creatine has been shown to have an anti-catabolic effect on muscle.



PIGEON-RAT, regarding increased thirst at the higher dose, if i had to guess, based on work by Colgan and others, I'd say that it's likely due to a negative shift in your gastrointestinal balance. Another theory, assuming you are consuming the ratio of creatine to high GI carb used by most supplement companies, would simply be the effect of sugar consumption on thirst.

 

[Slyder190]

Creatine Don't - purchase Muscle Tech brand, aka Cell Tech.

 

[liftingfreak1983]

i take my creatine and dextrose post workout with 12oz of apple juice...

 

[raestacio]

Pigeon-rat. Personally, I've found creatine to be a diuretic. I have to piss atleast twice before I finish a two hour workout. This could be part of the reason you're so much more thirsty when taking large doses of creatine. Additionally, creatine draws water into your muscles which reduces extra-cellular levels of water which will signal your body to drink more water. ie. you get thirsty.

 

[mphowells]

Creatine Don't - purchase Muscle Tech brand, aka Cell Tech.

y?

 

[Assertive Guy]

what sort of gains do you see with creatine, or do you plainly use to keep gains post cycle

I've taken creatine a few times, and generally I'd expect a 10lb body mass increase in 4-6 weeks and a slight strenth increase (mostly just from the added energy). But its worth noting most of that added weight will be from the added water retention in your muscles, and some people just looked bloated on a cycle (but most people dont find that).

Drink plenty to compensate for this or you run the risk of getting muscle cramps during workouts amongst other things!

Pete