Garyb

Member
Jul 20, 2000
211
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Does anybody know about this supplement ?
Would there be a down side to taking something like this ? - like if I stopped taking it would I wilt....
Thanks
Gary
 

Lost

Member
Nov 12, 2000
86
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Creatin is one on the greatest supplements you can take. Its almost as important a protein supplement and/or gultamine.

One thing to remember when taking creatine is that YOU MUST DRINK A TON OF WATER!! In order for creatine to work effectively you must drink alot of fluids. Doubling you daily water intake would be a good starting point.

Creatine aids in your muscles ability to recover and in the production of ATP (adenosine di-phosphate). ATP is the fuel your muscles use to do work. Creatine in naturally occuring in red meats. If you eat a ton of meat, creatine may only going to help you a little, as you are already getting lots of it in your diet (you have to eat meat almost every meal..).

Always remember to take you creatine in a sugary drink. This greatly aids in how much creatine is absorbed. The consensus seems to be that there is no best time to take creatine, but i take it after working out or riding. That way im only sore for 24 hours max, as opposed to 3-5 days for a hard workout.. DO NOT TAKE YOUR GLUTAMINE AND CREATINE AT THE SAME TIME! They will fight for absorption, and then your wasting money..

Lastly just remember to "load" your first week. That means you do about double to triple the regular portion. A daily portion of creatine is 5-10 grams so while loading you would do 15-30 grams for a week. Then you drop down to 5-10 grams a day. If you stop for anylonger than a week or two, you would have to "load" again.

Downsides[\b]

1. Creatine is expensive. (Make sure you only use "creapure" brands. ITs a special form that 99.9999999999999% pure.. NEVER BUY THE LIQUID CREATINE!!! There are huge absorbtion problems with this form..)

2. There are no Health hazards associated with creatine. Don't listen to anyone that tries to tell you different.

Upsides[\b]

1. You will get bigger because you will be able to lift more.

2. In addition to feeling stronger, you will look bigger because you muscles absorb a ton of water, making your muscles bigger!!

3. Workouts feel better and youll enjoy your workout more.

4. Cuts your recovery time by at least 1/2.

5. That chalky taste when you reach the bottom of you glass of gatorade and creatine.. Hmmm, i think that was a downside :think
 

gibbs_6

Member
Jul 5, 2001
657
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You don't have to load for the first week, but if you want faster results then go ahead.Once you quit, you will lose size from the water you were retaining.Also creating a insulin spike when you take it as he said is important also.If you need more information on it go to bodybuilding.com and read some of their articles on it.
 

Garyb

Member
Jul 20, 2000
211
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Thanks for the info. guys
I just want to take it for the soreness, so I guess a dose a day is enough.
Gary
 

Anssi

Member
May 20, 2001
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I think Lost might be listing the most optimistic results imaginable. I took creatine for a few months, and noticed no improvement beyond my normal development or recovery times. This doesn't mean there wasn't any, just not enough to make me notice it(or my recorded results to reflect it) and the benefits ARE individual.

In addition to Lost's instructions, some people recommend taking one or two weeks off creatine every couple of months. IIRC, this is to stop your body adapting to high creatine levels and to achieve over-compensation when you start taking it again.
 

Boozer

Member
Oct 5, 2001
351
0
Originally posted by Lost
[BCreatine aids in your muscles ability to recover and in the production of ATP (adenosine di-phosphate).[/B]

hate to be a picky barstard, but ATP stands for adenosine tri-phosphate.
the process of cellular respiration is so deep and complex, it took well over 25 years to reach the level of understanding that we have today.

Lost, you may be lost, but not in this field. well done on such a great post!
 

SPD

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Feb 20, 2001
591
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Like lost said you have to drink alot more water. I mix mine with my protein shake early morning and late nite before I go to bed, in the middle of the day I take it with plain water.
 

sfc crash

Human Blowtorch
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jun 26, 2001
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if you are going to mix creatine,i'd mix with grape juice,seems to work best.i'd use a creatine based product ,because they've engineered better delivery systems.EAS makes some good stuf.i've never been a fan of creatine use during any endurance sports. a gallon of water a day should be your starting point while on. as for creatine healing muscle micro trauma, i'm not shure about that. making you feel less sore after a heavy work out, i'd bet that would have to do with the creating associated fluid retention either competeing with calcium deposits after a heavy work out, or flushing it from the tissue sooner. i'd pick another suplement if i were trying to prep for mx, unless you plan to stop before racing. if trained properly merely for strength gains,you will retain new found strength, not all the gains. but alas..somethings work better for others:cool:
 

Okiewan

Admin
Dec 31, 1969
29,550
2,239
Texas
I've done a couple cycles of creatine this winter during my training but have stoped for the summer. I've read in mxeast.com's fitness column that some people have reported it to cause arm pump..

Caused me to cramp while riding, big time. Did notice shorter recovery.
There are two schools of thought about loading and the benefit of taking it with juices (sugar). Rich can supply some detail.
 

skmcbride

Member
May 16, 2001
58
0
Don't shoot the messenger!:D

Fellas,
First things first, let's set the record straight on what creatine is and what it can potentially do for an athlete or weekend warriors like most of us. I will try to keep things simple, but will gladly give detail.

Creatine supplementation can increase intramuscular levels of phosphocreatine (PCr), which can donate a phosphate group to ADP to form ATP. This source of energy is called the creatine-kinase system.
ATP is what muscles use for energy.

What is known:

Creatine supplementation does indeed raise intramuscular levels of PCr.

Studies involving supplementation of creatine have shown to improve performance of repeated short burst of activity, stationary cycling, weight lifting etc..

Many conflicting studies exist debating whether creatine supplementation improves performance in sprinting, swimming, cycling etc....

Studies have not shown creatine to be significantly effective for single bout performance or endurance related activities.

The creatine-kinase system supplies energy to muscle for about 10-20 seconds at maximal effort.

Creatine supplementation results in weight gain due to water retention

Muscle storage capacity of creatine is limited, therefore over supplementation is a waste of money.

What is not known:

What are the side effects of use:
Examples
1) Muscle cramping and gastrointestinal pain has been reported in many studies.
2) Although only case reports, kidney dysfunction has also been reported.
Nephron may be able to elaborate here on the kidneys role in clearing creatine and potential long-term effect.
3) Dehydration secondary to intracellular water retention.

Does creatine supplementation aid in actual muscle growth or is its effects purely ergogenic? Recent studies are suggesting the later.

My view:

Ask yourself what are your goals for your particular training and will creatine help me achieve these goals safely, efficiently and effectively. Unless you are a power lifter or sprint cyclists (not a sprinter) and have some disposable income you are probably best to forget about creatine. Here is why:

1) Most sports, including MX, HS, and enduros involve aerobic endurance, creatine supplementation will not improve aerobic performance.

2) Most sports are weight bearing activities, therefore excess weight, especially water, is not only undesirable it could actually be detrimental to performance.

3) "No matter what anybody tells you" the side effects of creatine supplementation are unknown!

4) The cost-benefit ratio is terrible.

5) There is no reason or data to support creatine in the recovery of muscle or post work out soreness.

Creatine likely works by letting you push out a couple more reps or sustain a short burst of power output longer, thus pushing your training to another level. This is strictly an anaerobic effect. These increases would than need to be transferred into muscular adaptation for "true" training to occur. Otherwise the effect will be purely ergogenic and dependent on the continued use of the supplement. Kind of like running race gas and than going back to pump. The idea being change the motor to run better on pump gas. If you are a gym rat or power lifter, not a knock because I was, and want a boost to get over a plateau then maybe it is worth a shot. If you are concerned with sport specific activity outside of wrestling and football than creatine is probably not going to help your performance.

Got to get back to work, sorry for the length, this one just caught my attention as I deal with this stuff on a daily basis. Once again these supplement companies, fitness magazines and ads misrepresent what the studies have shown and report only the positive data. I have over 50 reference studies using creatine and can tell you that little consensus exists.

BTW, I used creatine in 1992 when the first study came out showing it increased intramuscular PCr. It help me in the gym and on the scale, but not on the field or on my motorcycle. Of course, I regard my use as a self-study in the name of science. ;)

Good Luck, Keith
 
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