Creatine: Do's and Donts

[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?