Creatine on cycle? The truth please

[TheDarkHalf]

I stay on creatine whether I am on or off cycle....

 

[Black Beard]

There are more benefits than just strength increase. It can help the brain as well.

 

[snowpatrol123]

I've never really thought twice about creatine, started taking it years ago and never stopped lol I unconciously mix it with my post-workout shake...

"ok add milk? check...now protein stuff, powder stuff, peanut butter...done"

 

[DreDay187]

It absolutely does, the insulin spike you going to give yourself Post workout with your carbs is going to shuttle the creatine into your muscle better and faster, allowing for better recovery, and better utilization of the creatine. Non workout day take it in the AM upon wakening.

This isn't exactly correct. After a few weeks your body is fully saturated with creatine. It won't matter what time you take it.

 

[DreDay187]

Yeah. Here's the thing tho. Some of us go back to the days when creatine was first produced, before micronizing made the product more tolerable. The large molecules, taken at random times throughout the day, tended to resist dissolving into solution, and would sit on the inner intestinal wall and cause excruciating intestinal cramps and diarrhea. Taking it right after a workout with sugar ensured that more of it would be transported to the muscle, lowering GI side effects.

Yes, micronized molecules and easy-to-absorb esters make taking creatine a breeze nowadays, but if you have a visceral history with the original versions, you realize how much more product gets delivered to the muscles if you time the administration correctly.

The form creatine comes in may affect its absorption but not the timing.

 

[Jean-Claude]

Creatine has ZERO effect on me, on or off cycle.

 

[Black Beard]

Yeah, the consensus is take 5g of creatine monohydrate, everyday whenever. It just works. Some people don't respond to it as well as others. It is a cheap and effective supplement with thousands of publicized studies and research articles to back it up.

 

[DreDay187]

Creatine has ZERO effect on me, on or off cycle.

You are one of the non-responders to creatine which about 15% of the population is as well.

Yeah, the consensus is take 5g of creatine monohydrate, everyday whenever. It just works. Some people don't respond to it as well as others. It is a cheap and effective supplement with thousands of publicized studies and research articles to back it up.

Exactly!

 

[Black Beard]

One last thing to add. People need to remember that creatine is a naturally occuring amino acid found in meat. It is essential to our health. In order to get supplemental doses of creatine from your diet, you would have to eat about 2 lbs of steak every day. People born with faulty creatine metabolism/synthesis are mentally retarded and usually die. It is pretty important.

Thanks Dre^

 

[tigre81]

And anyone have knowledge on kre-alkalyn? I've heard this shit is great and also garbage.

The only creatine that I have ever used is kre alkalyn. I love the stuff for the fact that I am a lot less sore after lifting which allows me to do more work. And for me at least I don't hold any noticeable water weight or have any weight gain.

 

[Black Beard]

Try em all op, you probably have some kre alka whatever samples lying around somewhere.

 

[TheDarkHalf]

The only creatine that I have ever used is kre alkalyn. I love the stuff for the fact that I am a lot less sore after lifting which allows me to do more work. And for me at least I don't hold any noticeable water weight or have any weight gain.

I haven't seen enough studies to believe that kre crap does anything.....creatine mono, dicreatine malate, creatine HCL, and creatine nitrate are the ones I feel like are worth using

 

[Black Beard]

Can't ever go wrong with mono, for the results and the price, put pay a little extra for creapure. It's worth it. You dont want of that cheap, chinese garbage.

 

[Southernfish]

This isn't exactly correct. After a few weeks your body is fully saturated with creatine. It won't matter what time you take it.

Interesting, I was just reading an article the other that had not mentioned that.

 

[DreDay187]

Interesting, I was just reading an article the other that had not mentioned that.

I'll try and find some links when I get home for you. The gist is this:

Supplement companies say on the label to take creatine witha sugary juice as the carbs will help the creatine absorb faster. This is correct. They also recommend a loading phase of ~20g/day for a week or two (4 5gram servings typically). This is supposed to load your body faster which again is correct.

The issue is once you take 3-5g/day of creatine your muscles are saturated with creatine after around 3-4wks. All you're doing by doing the loading phase is SLIGHTLY speeding up the time it gets to reach the saturation point. IMO this means more money for the supplement companies. Personally I wait the 4wks and just do 5g daily...I never do the loading phase since it'll speed things up by a week or two.

The sugary drink thing is also a moot point bc once your body is saturated it doesn't matter how fast you absorb the creatine...you're already at a saturation point where you can no longer store anymore creatine.

Same thing goes for timing of creatine. Taking it before or immediately after a workout won't hinder hints but since you're always saturated the timing is less important than typically believed. All it takes is 3-5g a day of creatine for you to reach this saturation point also, there's no need to go more.

 

[Black Beard]

I do the same. 5g and let it saturated on it's own. 2-5 grams is enough to keep your levels topped off.

 

[Southernfish]

I'll try and find some links when I get home for you. The gist is this:

Supplement companies say on the label to take creatine witha sugary juice as the carbs will help the creatine absorb faster. This is correct. They also recommend a loading phase of ~20g/day for a week or two (4 5gram servings typically). This is supposed to load your body faster which again is correct.

The issue is once you take 3-5g/day of creatine your muscles are saturated with creatine after around 3-4wks. All you're doing by doing the loading phase is SLIGHTLY speeding up the time it gets to reach the saturation point. IMO this means more money for the supplement companies. Personally I wait the 4wks and just do 5g daily...I never do the loading phase since it'll speed things up by a week or two.

The sugary drink thing is also a moot point bc once your body is saturated it doesn't matter how fast you absorb the creatine...you're already at a saturation point where you can no longer store anymore creatine.

Same thing goes for timing of creatine. Taking it before or immediately after a workout won't hinder hints but since you're always saturated the timing is less important than typically believed. All it takes is 3-5g a day of creatine for you to reach this saturation point also, there's no need to go more.

Ya that makes sense, I've been taking creatine post workout for like 10+ years off and on just for the simple fact that it made sense to me to supplement with it at this time. I was reading an article the other day that was basically talking about the best time for creatine consumption, and the long and short of it was there were groups of test subjects who all consumed creatine at different times during the day and also weight trained, and the group that consumed it post workout had the best gains in strength and muscle creatine levels as well as gains in muscle mass, this kind of interested me as I never actually had any reason for taking at this time. I guess though what your saying does make sense as well because doesn't creatine start to convert into creatinine after about 30 or so hours and start to leave the body?? So if taken daily levels should stay consistant enough to do what it is supposed to do??

 

[Mike Arnold]

Creatine works without a doubt, I use Creatine HCL myself and find my muscle to be a little fuller and harder and a little bit of gain in strength. I think creatine monohydrate is no good myself, as it only causes water weight gain and bloat, plus its like sandpaper when you take a shit, that's no good. I ran monohydrate for years and recently switched to HCL (concrete) and that stuff is great. I can notice a difference from when Im not taking compared to when I am.

You say its like sandpaper, which leads me to believe you were using a non-micronoized version. Many people have trouble digesting non-micronized creatine. This inability to properly digest regular monohydrate is the primary reason for both sub-q water retention and bloat. You can eliminate this problem by using an ultra-micronized version of creatine monohydrate, which is sttill very cheap. I would never use regular monohydrate again because it caused me the same problems. I experience no issues with ultra-micronized versions.

 

[Mike Arnold]

5 bucks a month ? Nothing worth a shit costs 5 bucks a month.....

In 2002, in Sao Paulo a hot 22 yr old was 20.00 a weekend but you had to feed her..them whatever.

Creatine has been provene to work. Its effectiveness and benefits are indisuputable, regardless of what one pays for it. You can get ultra-micromized creatine monohyrate for about $7.50/month...so a bit more than $5. You can easily get regular monohydrate for $5 a month...and as long as someone is able to digest it, it still supplies the same benefits.

 

[Mike Arnold]

I think Austinite is in the cruise/blast/TRT, something like creatine pales in comparison to the performance enhancement you can get from hormones and peptides. That's just my guess.

I also get bloated a bit on creatine. I lose a lot of my gorgeous jawline and cheekbones <3 <3 <3, fucking sucks. Still trying to find a way around that. I feel like a piggy. Everyone is different though, and i have been taking in a lot of salt lately.

Of course, steroid work better, but creatine isn't steroids, GH, insulin, or any other PED. Creatine works to build muscle and promote recovery through completely different mechanisms than other PED's, so by using it along with other PED's, the BB'r will recieve benefits above and beyond what they get through PED's alone.

Refraining from creatine use simply because someone is already using steroids is no different than suggesting a steroid-user abstain from GH use because he is already using steroids. Obviously, steroids work much better than GH for building muscle mass & strength--there is really no comparison, but this doesn't mean that GH doesn't have a place. GH's benefits are unique and cannot be obtained from steroids, so its inclusion is well deserved. It is the same with creatine. Any drug-supplement that supplies benefits which cannot be obtained elsewhere, has a place ina BB'rs program.