Tell me all about creatine

Nazbit

Nazbit

Nazbit

Soldato
Joined
11 Dec 2004
Posts
3,871
Hi all,

Been training seriously for about a year now and using reflex instant whey for about 3 months and so far so good.

But lots of people in my gym seem to bang on about Creatine. Ive done some reading around on some websites but im a bit confused about exactly what it is and what it does.

Sorry for the noobness but im after the following:
1) What is it, what does it do
2) Is is effective? worth the hype?
3) Whats the best to go for?

Thanks in advance everyone.
 
It is naturally found in muscles, basically it helps muscle growth by giving them energy to contract harder and faster.

I think it absorsbs water into your muscles too giving you a bit of extra bulk.

It should be taken with simple sugars (orange juice etc)
 
Just stopped using creatine after a 2 month period. Dunno about anyone else, or if it was just a placebo effect, but I could lift way heavier while on it and do more reps before 'the burn' kicked in.

Gotta wait another 3 weeks before I can go back on it. Made some great gains using it though.
 
some people it will help, others it wont. its not a miracle drug by any means.
 
ive got a quick question about creating too. I heard the powder form isnt very good because it doesnt mix well and leaves tiny crystals or something? is it better getting the tablet form?
 
a tablet is just powder packed together ;]
powder is fine if you get good stuff. ECC is supposed to be better, you need less of it due to the increased absorbtion rates.

taking steroids is not illegal, supplying them is :]
 
There's currently 2 types of Creatine you could consider:

Creatine Monohydrate - Some people are non responders to this, some people get great gains from it. Need around 5g per day and it has to be taken with simple carbs. Good strength gains and it's a cell volumizer as it draws water into the muscles. Excellent for some quick weight gain, as much as 5lb in a week! Can be bought very cheap these days. Tasteless.

Creatine Ethyl Esther (CEE) - None of the bloating of mono and it doesn't need taking with simple carbs. Best taken about 45-30 mins before training on it's own, 3g is plenty. Excellent strength gains and seems to work even for most people who don't respond to mono. Slightly more expensive but still cheap.... tastes absolutely disgusting, a bit like I'd imagine battery acid would taste!!

Personally I take 3g CEE before training and then about 7g of mono in my PWO shake. I never take Creatine on rest days.
 
Samtheman1k said:
Are there any side effects or risks?
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Erm yer, if you like the taste too much and eat it too much you'll get fat.












Nah it'll probably give some people the runs and stuff, and as said above the monohydrate doesn't work for everybody.
 
Samtheman1k said:
Is Creatine worth it?

Are there any side effects or risks?

How much is it?
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In my honest opinion for the money there's not really a better supplement, so I'd say yes.... though as with everything in life others will disagree. You need to try it yourself.

There are no known side effects from taking Creatine. Though if taken in high doses it could be rough on your liver & kidneys... but then so can almost anything if you deliberately take too much. It's safer than painkillers like paracetamol, asprin, etc and no-one minds them.

http://www.myprotein.co.uk/bulk-powders/creatine/
£12 for 500g of the best monohydrate Degussa (formerly known as Creapure)
CEE would cost about £1 extra.
The unbranded mono is as little as £7 and I believe it's of very high quality ;)
 
Chong Warrior said:
In my honest opinion for the money there's not really a better supplement, so I'd say yes.... though as with everything in life others will disagree. You need to try it yourself.

There are no known side effects from taking Creatine. Though if taken in high doses it could be rough on your liver & kidneys... but then so can almost anything if you deliberately take too much. It's safer than painkillers like paracetamol, asprin, etc and no-one minds them.

http://www.myprotein.co.uk/bulk-powders/creatine/
£12 for 500g of the best monohydrate Degussa (formerly known as Creapure)
CEE would cost about £1 extra.
The unbranded mono is as little as £7 and I believe it's of very high quality ;)
Click to expand...


*agrees*

Creatine worked very well for me. Only drawback I have found is that during the loading stage I went to the loo a lot more due to the amount of water I was drinking. My muscles also felt a bit softer due to the extra water they were holding.

I am on a 4 week unloading stage now and have really noticed a reduction in strength and recovery time in the gym. I can't lift as heavy, the muscle stiffness lasts longer and I feel the burn at a lower number of reps.
 
tests were done to show the difference between a laoding phase and a non loading phase, in the first 2 weeks the loaders were showing better gains, but by week 4 the non loaders had caught up and both groups continued onto around the same sort of gains.

so, if thats the case, it shows there is no real point to loading if your doing a phase that is 4 weeks or longer :]
 
Samtheman1k said:
So is creatine only good whilst you are using it? If you stop using it, does your strength reduce & ultimately your muscles will decrease?
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to an extent they will decrease due to less water retention, however this isnt a bad thing. during the time of taking creatine, you would have used more weight therefore building more 'proper' muscle.
 
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