Any help with creatine?

[ManBearPig]

I'm looking for good brands, where to buy it, and how exactly to cycle it.

I did try it about 5 years ago when i was in high school, but i am thinking that either a)i am a non-responder, or (most likely) b)i cycled it the wrong way.

thanks a ton everyone

 

[Pantlegz]

I'm a nub when it comes to supplements but I got mine from trueprotein I got 4 lbs of monohydrate for $31 so far I'm pretty happy with it. As far as cycling I don't know I think they recommend a 12 week cycle. I'm sure there is someone else around here that has more info that I do.

 

[bommy261]

u can be on creatine indefinitely. i'm always on it, it works great.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

People used to think creatine had steroid-like effects so users cycled it just in case. However, creatine doesn't act anything like a steroid. It simply increases the amount of creatine phosphate in skeletal muscle, allowing for a load that would previous be lifted for 5 reps to be lifted perhaps 6. This increases the overload volume lifted, allowing for greater hypertrophy.

 

[Lamont Burns]

So to answer some OP questions, get about 5g in a day... most any creatine monohydrate will be sufficient. you can just mix it with some water and down it.

some people take 1/2 before working out and 1/2 after, but there's not much to support that over just getting in 5g at some point during the day. the effect is a passive one once your muscles are saturated after several days.

I buy mine at nutraplanet, bodybuilding.com, whomever has the cheapest.

 

[elitejp]

Go with cee. Alot of people are non responders to the monohydrate but when switching to cee have seen results. And you only need to take 2.5g cee per day and you dont need sugar. So cost wise it should be the same to just buy the more expensive cee because you will make it up in the amount of servings.

 

[Lamont Burns]

no, go with anything BUT cee. He's referring to Creatine Ethyl Ester which has been debunked repeatedly with, gasp, science.

 

[Koing]

Get any generic brand imo.

I get mine from www.myprotein.co.uk

I smash it down twice a day with my protein shake and my training drink. I never get off the stuff. I'm only off it when on holiday. It's the f0cking sh!t. I feel invicible on it.

I put in a heaped teaspoon.

Koing

 

[elitejp]

no, go with anything BUT cee. He's referring to Creatine Ethyl Ester which has been debunked repeatedly with, gasp, science.

then go with the mono. They both work for me, so...gasp...science must have forgotten to tell my body.

 

[Deeko]

I won't pretend to be an expert, but I did do a decent amount of research on creatine in college and I've tried various kinds at different points. I never saw a difference, personally. Different people have different natural/diet levels of creatine in their system, so the supplement may or may not benefit you.

For me, it did nothing.

 

[darkxshade]

I just get any cheap monohydrate I can find that is creapure.

 

[Lamont Burns]

then go with the mono. They both work for me, so...gasp...science must have forgotten to tell my body.

If they both work for you, meaning you are a responder to monohydrate, you'd get better results on mono. If you were a non-responder to mono you might make the argument that EE would work better, altho still pretty worthless.

If you want to read:

http://www.jissn.com/content/6/1/6

 

[ManBearPig]

you guys okay with this?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00028LZH2/ref=pop

is 1.1 lbs excessive?

 

[Lamont Burns]

NOW is a good brand in general imo. 1.1 lbs will last you about 100 days at 5g/day if I'm doing my math right.

 

[elitejp]

If they both work for you, meaning you are a responder to monohydrate, you'd get better results on mono. If you were a non-responder to mono you might make the argument that EE would work better, altho still pretty worthless.

If you want to read:

http://www.jissn.com/content/6/1/6

Mono makes my stomach a bit nauseous and kills my appetite. I heard that this tends to be somewhat common. And is the last thing I need when trying to bulk. CEE was supposed to be more effective and you didnt need to load and blah blah blah. So I tried it and it worked for me without the stomach ache.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

If the brand you buy does not already have dextrose in it, then take it with some cheap store brand 100% grape juice. I have read it helps with uptake i.e. actually getting it into the muscle cells.

 

[Whisper]

If the brand you buy does not already have dextrose in it, then take it with some cheap store brand 100% grape juice. I have read it helps with uptake i.e. actually getting it into the muscle cells.

I used to take it with OJ waaaaaay back when I used it (~10 years ago), but that didn't seem to make much of a difference vs. just dumping a scoop into a glass of water and pounding it down.

Then again, there's absolutely nothing scientific about what I just said above.

I must say that mono definitely worked for me, and I don't remember having any adverse effects (other than water retention, which wasn't particularly adverse), so I suppose I'm "one of the lucky ones." Haven't used it in a decade, though, so maybe that's changed.

 

[alkemyst]

The whole grape juice thing is a post-workout method.

You can take it with plain water.

 

[BlackTigers]

Just take the damn stuff. If you want to load it, that's fine. It's not going to kill you, and the stuff is so incredibly cheap anyway, so no big deal.

I usually just dump a heaping teaspoon in my mouth at the water fountain pre-workout, and wash it down with the fountain.

 

[alkemyst]

Just take the damn stuff. If you want to load it, that's fine. It's not going to kill you, and the stuff is so incredibly cheap anyway, so no big deal.

I usually just dump a heaping teaspoon in my mouth at the water fountain pre-workout, and wash it down with the fountain.

I call shens on that...one it makes no sense to bring the powder to the gym and two if you are doing this chances are you are making a freaking mess of the water fountain and setting someone else up for a potential choke hazard.

 

[BlackTigers]

I call shens on that...one it makes no sense to bring the powder to the gym and two if you are doing this chances are you are making a freaking mess of the water fountain and setting someone else up for a potential choke hazard.

Want a video? lmao.

It's in my gym bag, i keep it and my protein shake in there. (it clumps if I mix the two, so I avoid that)

I have never made a mess, I'm a big boy and can stick a spoon into my mouth just fine (Actually, it's not a spoon, but a little plastic measuring thing so it fits back in the bottle). Not to mention...I fail to see how a mess would cause a choking hazard, lmao.

 

[ManBearPig]

some huge guy told me that monohydrate was the worse kind...i dont believe him. thoughts?

 

[surfsatwerk]

some huge guy told me that monohydrate was the worse kind...i dont believe him. thoughts?

Some guy at the gym told me wearing a belt would make me weaker. I think the advice you received is of similar value.

 

[alkemyst]

Want a video? lmao.

It's in my gym bag, i keep it and my protein shake in there. (it clumps if I mix the two, so I avoid that)

I have never made a mess, I'm a big boy and can stick a spoon into my mouth just fine (Actually, it's not a spoon, but a little plastic measuring thing so it fits back in the bottle). Not to mention...I fail to see how a mess would cause a choking hazard, lmao.

ytmnd.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Some guy at the gym told me wearing a belt would make me weaker. I think the advice you received is of similar value.

Wearing a belt for every single set WILL make you weaker. It's good for eliciting greater proprioception and tightness, but if you use it for every set, it enables you to slack your core in certain areas. The advice given to you might have been solid, especially if you used your belt for every set. The advice given to the OP was ridiculous. Creatine monohydrate is the only form of creatine firmly founded in research.