Creatine questions

[RagingRandy]

I am going to be starting on creatine and have a few questions. I have done some research on the net and am more confused than ever.
1. Do you need to do any loading?
2. Do you need to cycle it?
3. Do you run it while running test, ect.?
4. What is the recommended dose?

[AlbertaBeef]

You'll get lots of opinions on this as everyone seems to be different with creatine. One question is have you used it before?? What kind of a responder are you??

I don't beleive in preloading
I don't beleive you need to cycle
I take a couple grams before workout and 5 to 10 after with dex and ALA
I don't use on cycle but you sure could

[Freebsd1977]

You'll get lots of opinions on this as everyone seems to be different with creatine. One question is have you used it before?? What kind of a responder are you??

I don't beleive in preloading
I don't beleive you need to cycle
I take a couple grams before workout and 5 to 10 after with dex and ALA
I don't use on cycle but you sure could

Hey AlbertaBeef, I'm with you on this. I always take a milk+creatine+glutamine+aminos+protein shake pre and after my workouts, that will replenish my tanks for my next workout day. I don't believe in loading phases as well, take the creatine with your shakes and you're good to go. :yeah

[L3]

Want water retention ? go with C monohydrate
Dont want water retention ? go with C Ethyl Ester

1. the only purpose of loading monohydrate is because of its poor absorbtion rate, and you want results in 1 week not 2.
basically you dont need to load.

2. no need to cycle it

3. don't run it with gear, no point... save it for PCT where you will want that extra 20%+ strenght boost.

4. monohydrate + taurine: 1 teaspn (5g) at morning, and 1 more, 20 mins before training.. you'll also want to spike your insulin about 10 mins after drinking the monohydrate so get a candy or small piece of chocolate (taurine will help). dont let the monohydrate sit in water, just spoon it with the taurine in your mouth and wash it down.

ethyl ester: 2-3 grams in morning & 2-3 grams 20 mins pre workout.

i dont see the need to throw it in the PWO shake: 1 - youll replenish your stores overnight/next daily dose, 2 - you save some, 3 - less strain on the kidneys w/ monohydrate

[L3]

silly girl, eating before your training directs bloodflow to the stomach for digestion away from the rest of your muscles....

amino + whey @ once = waste of amino

if you get powdered amino sip it throughout workout. amino works best on empty stomach....


Hey AlbertaBeef, I'm with you on this. I always take a milk+creatine+glutamine+aminos+protein shake pre and after my workouts, that will replenish my tanks for my next workout day. I don't believe in loading phases as well, take the creatine with your shakes and you're good to go. :yeah

[Thechamp]

Hey guys
I just reached my goal weight and i'm also planning to use creatine but my friends keep telling me to use a nitric oxide like NO-Expolde (BSN) or NO- Shotgun but i don't know the differents between an Nitric oxide and a monohydrate?? need some help!!

[gordi]

NO just gives big pumps in the gym. Fun, good for the ego... but no actual strength or muscle gain. Some people find that the pumps interfere with their workouts, also. Creatine helps add strength and muscle, it's not just for show.

[5151]

Want water retention ? go with C monohydrate
Dont want water retention ? go with C Ethyl Ester

1. the only purpose of loading monohydrate is because of its poor absorbtion rate, and you want results in 1 week not 2.
basically you dont need to load.

2. no need to cycle it

3. don't run it with gear, no point... save it for PCT where you will want that extra 20%+ strenght boost.

4. monohydrate + taurine: 1 teaspn (5g) at morning, and 1 more, 20 mins before training.. you'll also want to spike your insulin about 10 mins after drinking the monohydrate so get a candy or small piece of chocolate (taurine will help). dont let the monohydrate sit in water, just spoon it with the taurine in your mouth and wash it down.

ethyl ester: 2-3 grams in morning & 2-3 grams 20 mins pre workout.

i dont see the need to throw it in the PWO shake: 1 - youll replenish your stores overnight/next daily dose, 2 - you save some, 3 - less strain on the kidneys w/ monohydrate

I think a quick look at your dosing schemes for CEE and CrM explain why you feel CrM bloats you and CEE does not.

[5151]

Hey guys
I just reached my goal weight and i'm also planning to use creatine but my friends keep telling me to use a nitric oxide like NO-Expolde (BSN) or NO- Shotgun but i don't know the differents between an Nitric oxide and a monohydrate?? need some help!!

NO2 precursor products focus on delivering "the pump" usually by supplying some form of arginine. Many claim these products give them great focus this is because they are loaded with stimulants so you feel something. Many of these products like the ones you listed will include creatine in the formula so they are really more all in one approaches rather than just NO2 products. Creatine is stored in your muscle as phosphocreatine and is used to regenerate ATP(the main fuel source of your muscles during weight training). By the way both products you listed suck.

[Thechamp]

Thanks!! Any suggestions on some products(brands) i could use?

[Ritch]

If you want just creatine, I would buy it in bulk. You can buy a kilo for about $25 of the ethyl ester. I used VPX shotgun and it kicks ass. If you train 5 times a week the jar will last 6 weeks, however you can`t beat $25 for a kilo of ester which will last nearly half a year!

[IronRobi]

silly girl, eating before your training directs bloodflow to the stomach for digestion away from the rest of your muscles....

amino + whey @ once = waste of amino

if you get powdered amino sip it throughout workout. amino works best on empty stomach....

You should never train on an empty stomach bro. Eat around 1-2hrs before you train so your body has fuel to make it through your workout. That is unless of course you plan on training like a silly girl, then who needs food at all? :)

[O-Train]

Don't buy anything other than Creatine Monohydrate. There really isn't any concrete research on anything else. kre this or ester that...don't waste your money.

The way I use creatine is 5g every day with some kind of sugary juice. No loading. I also hang around with some guys who read a lot more journal articles than I do so I'll fill you in on what they have told me and/or what I have learned.

Loading does help. Bioavailability of oral creatine monohydrate is extremely low. So by loading you are able to increase your bodies creatine phosphate stores faster. Eventually it will reach a saturated level but it will take longer without loading. So yes, loading helps somewhat. It also can be hard on your kidneys and you really have to watch your water intake and keep it high. If I were to do it I would make it more moderate than some of the labels recommend. Maybe 10g/day for 2 weeks.

Cycling of creatine. You're body won't shut down creatine phosphate production because of an exogenous source like it will test however (from what I have heard). Down regulation does occur over time. What I personally plan on doing is taking creatine every day for the whole summer (3-4 months). Then stop for a month or so and repeat. I personally havn't read a lot on this so the cycling part would be more of a personal preference thing.

I've went with Optimum Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate in the past and it was fine. Whatever you get just make sure it's plain creatine monohydrate.

This is all you need to know about creatine. It pretty much applies to everyone except really big guys may need more/day.

[L3]

omg i train on empty stomach and then have smirnoff ice for my post work out shake r u telling me im doing something wrong???????

................


just saying having a heavy ass smoothie shake before you start pumping iron will not be optimal

also, my dosing scheme is not what causes the bloat.

5g mono = maybe 2 g absorbtion where theoretically 2g ethyl = 2 g absorbtion

[5151]

omg i train on empty stomach and then have smirnoff ice for my post work out shake r u telling me im doing something wrong???????

................


just saying having a heavy ass smoothie shake before you start pumping iron will not be optimal

also, my dosing scheme is not what causes the bloat.

5g mono = maybe 2 g absorbtion where theoretically 2g ethyl = 2 g absorbtion
where are you getting these numbers? advertisements and science are not one in the same.

[L3]

which part of my post you are disagreeing with...

that monohydrate causes bloat?
or
both mono and cee cause bloat?
or
CEE is better absorbed than mono?

scienetific data collected from experiments VS observing chagnes in my own body

i trust myself kthnx :)

[5151]

which part of my post you are disagreeing with...

that monohydrate causes bloat?
or
both mono and cee cause bloat?
or
CEE is better absorbed than mono?

scienetific data collected from experiments VS observing chagnes in my own body

i trust myself kthnx :)

I've got to get to gym, I will write a more clear response with what I'm trying to say when I get back. :)

[Freebsd1977]

omg i train on empty stomach and then have smirnoff ice for my post work out shake r u telling me im doing something wrong???????

................


just saying having a heavy ass smoothie shake before you start pumping iron will not be optimal

also, my dosing scheme is not what causes the bloat.

5g mono = maybe 2 g absorbtion where theoretically 2g ethyl = 2 g absorbtion

Wow, slow down man. No one is attacking you. I have a loaded shake right as I wake up and don't start to lift for at least an hour. I do my sets and then have another loaded shake right after. What is wrong with that idea? I think you may be having some anger side-effects on your cycle dude, LOL! :yeah

[powerrack]

I like mono or kre-alkalyn, Mono at around 5-10grams a day or Kre-Alkalyn at 4.5-6grams per day.

I take it year round pretty much. No need to really cycle. Use it on or off cycle.

[L3]

sry .. i meant it in more of a funny ha ha way

my bad .. its not my intention to be an internet tough guy


Wow, slow down man. No one is attacking you. I have a loaded shake right as I wake up and don't start to lift for at least an hour. I do my sets and then have another loaded shake right after. What is wrong with that idea? I think you may be having some anger side-effects on your cycle dude, LOL! :yeah

[Freebsd1977]

sry .. i meant it in more of a funny ha ha way

my bad .. its not my intention to be an internet tough guy

That's better you sissy! ;)

[5151]

omg i train on empty stomach and then have smirnoff ice for my post work out shake r u telling me im doing something wrong???????

................


just saying having a heavy ass smoothie shake before you start pumping iron will not be optimal

also, my dosing scheme is not what causes the bloat.

5g mono = maybe 2 g absorbtion where theoretically 2g ethyl = 2 g absorbtion

Okay back from a solid back day :). I have no idea where you are getting these absorption numbers but they are completely off base. The reason people talk about bloat with mono is because many companies recommend 10gs a day, this is plain retarded. The average male trainer requires 3-5gs on training days and will get by fine with taking none or a half dose on off days. The reason CEE appears to bloat people less is because the recommended dosage is much less, usually 3-5g compared to 5-15g, and this is the sole reason. If you bloat from mono reduce your dosage to half and you will more than likely be satisfied. The University of Nebraska applied for a patent on CEE and was rejected because the source they cited showed that CEE results in a higher level of creatinine in vivo. I just don't understand why you would take a form of creatine with no scientific backing while CrM is cheaper and has been lab tested to hell and back. You want better absorption rates on your mono try taking 2gs with some baking soda and tada you've just made Creatine Kre-alkyln.

[O-Train]

I hope at least one person read my post. From the looks of things I kind of doubt it. If someone gives me some green I'll share more otherwise I feel like I'm wasting my time posting.

[Stonewald Rockwater]

two grams of the monohydrate form in sufficient. drink plenty of water.

[5151]

Don't buy anything other than Creatine Monohydrate. There really isn't any concrete research on anything else. kre this or ester that...don't waste your money. Kre alkalyn IS creatine monohydrate

The way I use creatine is 5g every day with some kind of sugary juice.While the transportation via insulin spike may be beneficial it is far from necessary. I can try to dig some stuff up if your genuinely interested No loading. I also hang around with some guys who read a lot more journal articles than I do so I'll fill you in on what they have told me and/or what I have learned.

Loading does help. Bioavailability of oral creatine monohydrate is extremely low. So by loading you are able to increase your bodies creatine phosphate stores faster. Eventually it will reach a saturated level but it will take longer without loading. So yes, loading helps somewhat. It also can be hard on your kidneys and you really have to watch your water intake and keep it high. If I were to do it I would make it more moderate than some of the labels recommend. Maybe 10g/day for 2 weeks.This hard on the kidneys stuff comes from increased levels of creatinine on blood tests no? From my understanding this is an indicator of a problem not a problem within itself. Kidney issues could be represented by high creatinine levels but the creatinine levels could just represent that your supplementing creatine.

Cycling of creatine. You're body won't shut down creatine phosphate production because of an exogenous source like it will test however (from what I have heard). Down regulation does occur over time. What I personally plan on doing is taking creatine every day for the whole summer (3-4 months). Then stop for a month or so and repeat. I personally havn't read a lot on this so the cycling part would be more of a personal preference thing. Good stuff, a break from supplementation may be beneficial psychologically if nothing else.

I've went with Optimum Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate in the past and it was fine. Whatever you get just make sure it's plain creatine monohydrate.Micronized would be my choice as well

This is all you need to know about creatine. It pretty much applies to everyone except really big guys may need more/day.


I hope at least one person read my post. From the looks of things I kind of doubt it. If someone gives me some green I'll share more otherwise I feel like I'm wasting my time posting.

I have responded to your post above in bold

[RagingRandy]

Thanks for all the awesome info. I really appreciate it.

[L3]

ty for the info :)

ill do my homework next time befor i post

[IronRobi]

sry .. i meant it in more of a funny ha ha way

my bad .. its not my intention to be an internet tough guy

I took it and laughed bro, no worries. But hasn't anybody told you smirnoff ice is a sissy girl's drink??? :moon

[O-Train]

I have responded to your post above in bold

Yes, kre-alkalyn is monohydrate. It just costs more and I doubt the buffering effect does much considering it has to pass through the stomach.

Actually, for those that don't know. Creatine phosphate is a buffer. It helps to buffer hydrogen ions so it should allow you to workout slightly harder before failure.

I've always taken Creatine w/ sugar of some kind. A better option would probably be taking it with Waxy Maize Starch. Apparently it aids absorption. I forget exactly why, it had to do with it's structure I think.

By hard on the kidneys I mean filtration is greatly increased. That's why it's so important to drink a lot of water. So for a healthy person making the kidney's work a little harder shouldn't be that bad. Although this is part of the reason why I wouldn't take it all the time. It's good to give your body a break.

[Rick519]

Thanks!! Any suggestions on some products(brands) i could use?

Same here please!!!

[RagingRandy]

Same here please!!!

PM Physique. He is a quality guy with quality product.