Creatine Results - Questions

[QuoVadis]

First of all, what a kick-ass board this is. I'm looking forward to spending many hours learning from all you guys.

I just started my very first creatine loading phase, taking anywhere from 15-20 g/day. I'm currently on my fourth day of this, and while flatulence, diarhhea, bloat, etc, have not been a problem, I also don't seem to have gotten any fuller or put on any weight.

Have I just not given it enough time? My pal said his results from creatine were pretty quick. I'm 5'10, roughly 170 lbs, so I don't think my dosage is too small.

I have been drinking lots and lots of water, but I also have a 2-3 cup a day coffee habit. I always try to make sure that there are a couple of hours in between my ingestion of coffee and my dose of creatine. Question is, does caffeine negate the muscle-loading effects even after it has supposedly been eliminated from the body? Or do some metabolites linger and destroy the creatine?

Did a search first but didn't see anything about this specifically, just not to drink coffee WITH the creatine.

Thanks for any input, guys!

 

[MrOlympia2004]

Less coffee, More water, at least a gallon a day. Coffee is a diuretic it will negate your water consumption. What is your diet and training like? Creatine gains happen real quick. Some people dont respond well to creatine also. Drink Drink the H20 for sure.

 

[riskybiz007]

the first time i used creatine i gained about 13 pounds. The second time was about 8 pounds. 3rd time i gained 5 lbs. well it's just been going down hill from then on.

 

[QuoVadis]

13 lbs? Holy shit. I'm also wondering if my creatine is even any good. I bought some generic house brand stuff - the guy assured me it was a good source and 99% pure. But then again, don't they all?

Maybe I'm a non-responder. Just my luck. Or maybe I should shoot for some Phosphagen or Pro Lab just to make sure.

Diet is currently 2700-3200 cal per day, training every other day. Staple foods - potatoes, rice, broccoli, steak, chicken, tuna, turkey breast, yogourt, low-fat bagels, etc, with Labrada MRP, whey and glutamine as supps. I like to do 15-20 min HIIT cardio before hitting the weights, doing one or two body parts per workout. I like to work heavy as possible, keeping the working sets to around 3-4 (not including warmups). I find I exhaust easily and overtrain if I try to work this way through 2 bodyparts. My goals are mostly increased size, definition, while staying as lean as possible (sounds familiar...lol).

And not that I have anything against AAS, I'm doing my first year or two naturally.

 

[-[Hades]-]

Ditto for what 'MrOlympia2004' said.

Id also swap when you do your cardio, the best time is first thing in the morning, but at very least Id swap it to after your workout.

H.

 

[The One]

Creatine and coffee a no no

Creatine should not be taken with coffee period as was said before it is a diuretic. I would stick to lots of carbs on a creatine cycle and drink my coffee when i come off. I find better gains with creatine when i up my carb intake even simple carbs like sugar i up.

 

[MrOlympia2004]

To much cardio before your workouts. Ride the bike for 5 min before you lift or treadmill. Add some fat to your diet. Either from whole foods, Flaxseed oil, or Safflower oil. Your diet, cardio, and coffee drinking are going to make you real lean. If that's your goal then stick with it. But it sounds like your trying to get bigger, more mass etc. Youll have to stop working out and eating like your your on a extreme cutting phase.

 

[primetime21]

I tried creatine once before for a couple of weeks and gained nothing. Then i tried it again one more time a few weeks back and it didnt do much. But i stuck with it and after cycling off for a week i came back on again, and am starting to see gains pretty fast. I am up to about 192 from 187 in about a week since i have gotten back on. My goal is to hit 200, and at this pace i should be there relatively soon. good luck

 

[riskybiz007]

Try this.

Take 200mg of ALA (in capsule form) half an hour before you drink your creatine.

Buy some creapure brand creatine. ex. prolab's

If you want drink w/ some dextrose or w/ a post workout shake. Post workout shake consisting of 80g dextrose and 50g whey. no solid foods.

This should help absorption of creatine.

 

[QuoVadis]

All good advice, bros, thanks for helping.

I would have bought the Prolab stuff but they have a promo where you get two bottles at $60 a piece, and $120 is a bit too much for me to sink into a supp at this time. If it was a single bottle, maybe, but I don't need two. Plus I had this old shit hanging around the cupboard.

Good idea about switching around the cardio. I am also supping with 2 tbsp of flax oil per day.

I do want to get more lean because I have a tire wrapped around my lower back and hips, but first I think I shold just gorge and get the weight up a good 10-15 lbs first. As long as I stay away from saturated fats and greasy foods I'm hoping to avoid adding to my love handles (although I call them Hate Handles).

Thanks guys.