Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below
best time to take creatine?
- Thread starter JayO
- Start date
R
Rolls Royce
Guest
R
Rolls Royce
Guest
just incase you're lazy and don't feel like reading that article....
what nut case told you to take it before your workout!?!?!?!?
creatine pulls water into the cells........ great..... a hydrated muscle has a better chance of absorbing more protein....... but before the workout will pull the water containing the electrolytes out of you, that you would be using to workout....the result cramps........ not good...... i repeat....... not good.
after after after after the workout.
you pull the water you should be drinking heavily after the workout.........and it will go into the cells....... and walla....... the post workout meal has a better chance of gettin into your cells
that is not opinion....... that is scientific fact.
if you take anything before a workout........ a fat burner would be about it
X
creatine pulls water into the cells........ great..... a hydrated muscle has a better chance of absorbing more protein....... but before the workout will pull the water containing the electrolytes out of you, that you would be using to workout....the result cramps........ not good...... i repeat....... not good.
after after after after the workout.
you pull the water you should be drinking heavily after the workout.........and it will go into the cells....... and walla....... the post workout meal has a better chance of gettin into your cells
that is not opinion....... that is scientific fact.
if you take anything before a workout........ a fat burner would be about it
X
riskybizz007
New member
I'd agree w/ you Exodus but I've never had a muscle cramp due to creatine. I'm not debating your theory, i just know it works better for me when taken 2 or 3 times a day.
Besides, w/ a question like that, he should have done a search. There's millions of threads on this and everyone has a different take on it.
Besides, w/ a question like that, he should have done a search. There's millions of threads on this and everyone has a different take on it.
R
Rolls Royce
Guest
exactly... everyone does have a different take on it. i just referred the original poster to the artice that i linked and then i took a quote from the artical.
if some of you guys had read the artical, they actually explain why then think taking it before the workout it best, but they also say that after the workout works fine too.
if some of you guys had read the artical, they actually explain why then think taking it before the workout it best, but they also say that after the workout works fine too.
R
Rolls Royce
Guest
So, with Creatine powder - should I take it before my workout or after?
Here is our advice - take the powder about 1 hour before your workout. Here is our reasoning...
It can take about 1 hour for the creatine to be absorbed into the bloodstream - and from that point you have about 1.5 hours to use the creatine or lose it. So, let's say you workout at 10am - here is our logic. At 9am you take the creatine powder. By 10am the creatine is in the blood stream. Your muscles are probably mostly saturated with creatine from the supplement you took the day before. So, some of the creatine you took at 9am may be absorbed into the muscles - but the rest is still in the blood. At 10am you start working out and depleting the creatine in your muscles. Your muscles then replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in the blood stream. Your workout ends at 11am (you really should not workout more than 1 hour - but that is a topic for a different day). Remember, you took creatine at 9am - but it was not absorbed into the blood stream until 10am. This means it will stay there until 11:30am (1.5 hours). So, now you have another 1/2 hour where your muscles can replenish their creatine supply if depleted. In a way you are getting the best of all worlds - you have creatine available before, during and after your workout.
You will hear other theories - but that is what we have found to be most effective. Since creatine supplies us with energy when working out - it is important we have creatine available during our workout. Creatine as a recovery agent is much less clear, so taking it after a workout to help with recovery is not proven.
Why does my bottle say take it after a workout?
Good question - there are a few reasons for that. The first is that they have a different opinion than us on how creatine works. If this is the case, I would call and ask them to explain exactly why they think after a workout is better. A second reason is that your supplement has other ingredients besides creatine. Many companies have tried to improve on creatine by adding all types of other supplements. It may be that some of those other supplements do much better if taken after a workout. After a workout is a great time to take a protein supplement because your body is in a growth phase (anabolic). Taking creatine after a workout is not a terrible idea - it is a great time to get the creatine absorbed into the muscles. We just feel, it is important to have creatine available to the muscles during your workout if their creatine supply is depleted. Again, if the manufacturer can provide a clear explanation of why to take it after a workout - fine.
What if I have been taking creatine after my workout?
Don't worry you have still been getting most the benefits of creatine. What is probably happening is the creatine you take after your workout on Monday is what your body will use during your workout on Tuesday. I know - we said creatine only lasts 1.5 hours in the blood stream. However, creatine can last for days once it is trapped within your muscles. So, the creatine you take after your Monday workout is pulled into the depleted muscles where it will stay for days until you use it up. The only problem is that if you deplete your creatine stores during a workout you will not have any other creatine available. This is why we think taking it before a workout is better.
Here is our advice - take the powder about 1 hour before your workout. Here is our reasoning...
It can take about 1 hour for the creatine to be absorbed into the bloodstream - and from that point you have about 1.5 hours to use the creatine or lose it. So, let's say you workout at 10am - here is our logic. At 9am you take the creatine powder. By 10am the creatine is in the blood stream. Your muscles are probably mostly saturated with creatine from the supplement you took the day before. So, some of the creatine you took at 9am may be absorbed into the muscles - but the rest is still in the blood. At 10am you start working out and depleting the creatine in your muscles. Your muscles then replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in the blood stream. Your workout ends at 11am (you really should not workout more than 1 hour - but that is a topic for a different day). Remember, you took creatine at 9am - but it was not absorbed into the blood stream until 10am. This means it will stay there until 11:30am (1.5 hours). So, now you have another 1/2 hour where your muscles can replenish their creatine supply if depleted. In a way you are getting the best of all worlds - you have creatine available before, during and after your workout.
You will hear other theories - but that is what we have found to be most effective. Since creatine supplies us with energy when working out - it is important we have creatine available during our workout. Creatine as a recovery agent is much less clear, so taking it after a workout to help with recovery is not proven.
Why does my bottle say take it after a workout?
Good question - there are a few reasons for that. The first is that they have a different opinion than us on how creatine works. If this is the case, I would call and ask them to explain exactly why they think after a workout is better. A second reason is that your supplement has other ingredients besides creatine. Many companies have tried to improve on creatine by adding all types of other supplements. It may be that some of those other supplements do much better if taken after a workout. After a workout is a great time to take a protein supplement because your body is in a growth phase (anabolic). Taking creatine after a workout is not a terrible idea - it is a great time to get the creatine absorbed into the muscles. We just feel, it is important to have creatine available to the muscles during your workout if their creatine supply is depleted. Again, if the manufacturer can provide a clear explanation of why to take it after a workout - fine.
What if I have been taking creatine after my workout?
Don't worry you have still been getting most the benefits of creatine. What is probably happening is the creatine you take after your workout on Monday is what your body will use during your workout on Tuesday. I know - we said creatine only lasts 1.5 hours in the blood stream. However, creatine can last for days once it is trapped within your muscles. So, the creatine you take after your Monday workout is pulled into the depleted muscles where it will stay for days until you use it up. The only problem is that if you deplete your creatine stores during a workout you will not have any other creatine available. This is why we think taking it before a workout is better.
R
Rolls Royce
Guest
5 grams a day is usually the recommended amount... Take it before the workout, or after, whatever you decide.
If you decide to load the creatine then you'll want to take 5 grams a day at various points of the day for the first 5 days. Many people say that this is unnecessary is just a waste of creatine.
Here is a little excerpt of the article that I previous supplied a link to.
If you decide to load the creatine then you'll want to take 5 grams a day at various points of the day for the first 5 days. Many people say that this is unnecessary is just a waste of creatine.
Here is a little excerpt of the article that I previous supplied a link to.
