Creatine? Myth or real?

[Zebo]

Just wondering if it has body of credible research to back up its claims or is it snake oil? I realize you can gain all the muscle you want, loose all the fat you want, and develope your desired physique purely from consuming nothing but simple food and proper excersize. But is there a quicker way? Are there other 'good' supplements? Where is a good place to get and unbiased (non-sales) overview of all the suppelments? Thanks.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I've heard the stuff is no different than eating so many pounds of red meat every day. It's relatively safe...you just have to work out really hard for it to do anything. I've heard guys claim that it makes them workout harder, but that's the myth. It's all mental.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
I've heard the stuff is no different than eating so many pounds of red meat every day. It's relatively safe...you just have to work out really hard for it to do anything. I've heard guys claim that it makes them workout harder, but that's the myth. It's all mental.

I'm sorta a old skool tuna broccoli eating healthy free weights kinda dude but if something can work faster and more effecent why not?

 

[PG]

I heard if you eat about 2 pounds of red meat a day it won't matter, but very few people eat that much.

It's much more important to actually have a clue and to be working smart. Put your money and energy into learning instead.

 

[Amused]

I use it with good results. I cycle it with 1 week loading, 8 weeks maintenance, and 4 weeks off. It doesn't do anything radical like roids, but what it does do is keep me from hitting unbreakable walls in my gains.

It pumps up your muscle size/appearence while you're on it because it loads them up with water. So there is a slight aesthetic benefit as well.

But it is true that if you aren't maximizing your workouts, this stuff wont do much for you.

 

[Mingon]

I use creatine monohydrate, it builds endurance more than strength. Helps you train for longer, more often, which in turn will help your physique.

 

[stev0]

creatine isnt going to do all the much besides make you look bigger. for the most part, creatine takes water from your body and puts it into your muscles, making them look bigger. once you stop taking it, the water will start coming out of those muscles and you will just look like you did before you started to take it.

imho, eating right (high protein diet), protein shakes (nitro-tech) and hard work seems to be the best for me. we (the guys that i lift with) set up our routein in 3day shifts, chest & arms, back & abs, legs. mon-sat, sunday as rest, maxing the first 3 days of the month. on pretty much every workout it's a 3set/8rep routein, on the last set of 8 lift till failure then 3 assisted reps. go home and have your protein packed dinner and a shake... depending on the day sometimes two shakes, or a shake and a bar.... imho of course, but i have found this the most effective way to get big, i personally didn't take measurements when i started out, mainly because i didn't want to work to a specific point, just till it looked good... but after 3.5/4 months i am noticibly bigger.

if you are still curious about creatine, go buy a can of the stuff, do it till you run out and then make your judgement. i personally suggest cell-tech for your creatine, as it has many amino acids that your body needs, nitro-tech protein works best in conjunction with celltech... plus it tastes better than all the other ones

:beer:

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Amused
I use it with good results. I cycle it with 1 week loading, 8 weeks maintenance, and 4 weeks off. It doesn't do anything radical like roids, but what it does do is keep me from hitting unbreakable walls in my gains.

It pumps up your muscle size/appearence while you're on it because it loads them up with water. So there is a slight aesthetic benefit as well.

But it is true that if you aren't maximizing your workouts, this stuff wont do much for you.

Thats not what I'm interested in at all... I hit a wall with energy and fat loss. I'm to big already so I go 45 min on treadmill @ 6 mph @ 5 degrees incline... And i always run out of steam about the 30 minute mark and have to force myself to continue... No second wind I got when younger.. anyway she (girl a gnc) said this product would provide the energy to continue and make general muscle rehab faster.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Mingon
I use creatine monohydrate, it builds endurance more than strength. Helps you train for longer, more often, which in turn will help your physique.

That's what I heard... and what I'm looking for...

 

[stev0]

Originally posted by: Zebo

Originally posted by: Mingon
I use creatine monohydrate, it builds endurance more than strength. Helps you train for longer, more often, which in turn will help your physique.

That's what I heard... and what I'm looking for...

crea-drive from gnc then.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: stev0
creatine isnt going to do all the much besides make you look bigger. for the most part, creatine takes water from your body and puts it into your muscles, making them look bigger. once you stop taking it, the water will start coming out of those muscles and you will just look like you did before you started to take it.

Agreed. A friend of mine asked his trainer about creatine and he basically said that it makes you retain water and makes you look bigger.

I took creatine for about 6 months when I was working out a lot and noticed no difference in my strength gains prior to starting it and noticed no effect when I quit.

The one thing that had a big impact on my strength was my caloric intake. When I started dieting, I didn't lose strength, but I was barely able to maintain my bench max. It fluctuated plus or minus 10 pounds during the duration of the diet.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Zebo

Originally posted by: Amused
I use it with good results. I cycle it with 1 week loading, 8 weeks maintenance, and 4 weeks off. It doesn't do anything radical like roids, but what it does do is keep me from hitting unbreakable walls in my gains.

It pumps up your muscle size/appearence while you're on it because it loads them up with water. So there is a slight aesthetic benefit as well.

But it is true that if you aren't maximizing your workouts, this stuff wont do much for you.

Thats not what I'm interested in at all... I hit a wall with energy and fat loss. I'm to big already so I go 45 min on treadmill @ 6 mph @ 5 degrees incline... And i always run out of steam about the 30 minute mark and have to force myself to continue... No second wind I got when younger.. anyway she (girl a gnc) said this product would provide the energy to continue and make general muscle rehab faster.

Go here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=Creatine

More articles on creatine than you need.

In my experience, creatine only helped increase anerobic endurance and strength. It did nothing for my aerobic endurance or capacity.

 

[Zebo]

Thanks A1.

 

[Pastore]

I don't take creatine but I swear by my protein shakes. Most doctors recommend you take in at least as many grams of protein a day as pounds of body fat you have. I am at 235 right now and I can't imagine getting 235g of protein without supplement shakes. Right now I'm drinking 3 shakes a day @ 70g of protein a pop. Combine that with the turkey and chicken I eat, I get about 260g of protein a day, and my calorie intake is right around 1,600. I lose on average about 2lbs a week with 40 min cardio 3 times per week and lifting 3 days per week. When I started getting more protein I could definitely tell within 3 weeks or so that my muscles had gotten tighter and stronger, than with probably 80 or so grams of it I got before starting on the shakes. Just my little plug for whey protein. Oh, and if I may recommend a brand, SportPharma Lean Protein is good stuff. Only 115 cals per serving with no fat and 25g of protein. Tastes pretty good too. No, I'm not getting paid by SportPharma.

 

[Ns1]

Well I have my tub coming in on Friday, so I'll let you know in 8 weeks. I've pretty much hit the wall on everything but squat and pullups and dips so we'll see

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: Beast1284
I don't take creatine but I swear by my protein shakes. Most doctors recommend you take in at least as many grams of protein a day as pounds of body fat you have. I am at 235 right now and I can't imagine getting 235g of protein without supplement shakes. Right now I'm drinking 3 shakes a day @ 70g of protein a pop. Combine that with the turkey and chicken I eat, I get about 260g of protein a day, and my calorie intake is right around 1,600. I lose on average about 2lbs a week with 40 min cardio 3 times per week and lifting 3 days per week. When I started getting more protein I could definitely tell within 3 weeks or so that my muscles had gotten tighter and stronger, than with probably 80 or so grams of it I got before starting on the shakes. Just my little plug for whey protein. Oh, and if I may recommend a brand, SportPharma Lean Protein is good stuff. Only 115 cals per serving with no fat and 25g of protein. Tastes pretty good too. No, I'm not getting paid by SportPharma.

I thought it was 1-2 grams per pound of muscle. Atleast that was the formula I always used.

Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis
Well I have my tub coming in on Friday, so I'll let you know in 8 weeks. I've pretty much hit the wall on everything but squat and pullups and dips so we'll see

Sometimes changing your workout around a little can have an effect. Maybe change the order you go in or do lighter weight and more reps for a week. When I was working out, if I hit a peak, I take a few days off and go light. When I get back into it, my workout gets back on track.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: stev0
creatine isnt going to do all the much besides make you look bigger. for the most part, creatine takes water from your body and puts it into your muscles, making them look bigger. once you stop taking it, the water will start coming out of those muscles and you will just look like you did before you started to take it.

imho, eating right (high protein diet), protein shakes (nitro-tech) and hard work seems to be the best for me. we (the guys that i lift with) set up our routein in 3day shifts, chest & arms, back & abs, legs. mon-sat, sunday as rest, maxing the first 3 days of the month. on pretty much every workout it's a 3set/8rep routein, on the last set of 8 lift till failure then 3 assisted reps. go home and have your protein packed dinner and a shake... depending on the day sometimes two shakes, or a shake and a bar.... imho of course, but i have found this the most effective way to get big, i personally didn't take measurements when i started out, mainly because i didn't want to work to a specific point, just till it looked good... but after 3.5/4 months i am noticibly bigger.

if you are still curious about creatine, go buy a can of the stuff, do it till you run out and then make your judgement. i personally suggest cell-tech for your creatine, as it has many amino acids that your body needs, nitro-tech protein works best in conjunction with celltech... plus it tastes better than all the other ones

:beer:

While creatine wont make up for a bad diet or poor training habits, it DOES have an effect on strength and anerobic endurance. This has been clinically proven over and over again. In fact, of all the suppliments on the market today, creatine, when taken properly, is one of the few that is NOT snake oil.

And don't waste your money on creatine/dextrose mixtures like cell-tech. Buy pure creatine monohydrate and mix it with your own non-acidic sweet juice or sugar/dextrose. You'll end up paying about 2/3 less if you do it this way.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Spoooon

Originally posted by: Beast1284
I don't take creatine but I swear by my protein shakes. Most doctors recommend you take in at least as many grams of protein a day as pounds of body fat you have. I am at 235 right now and I can't imagine getting 235g of protein without supplement shakes. Right now I'm drinking 3 shakes a day @ 70g of protein a pop. Combine that with the turkey and chicken I eat, I get about 260g of protein a day, and my calorie intake is right around 1,600. I lose on average about 2lbs a week with 40 min cardio 3 times per week and lifting 3 days per week. When I started getting more protein I could definitely tell within 3 weeks or so that my muscles had gotten tighter and stronger, than with probably 80 or so grams of it I got before starting on the shakes. Just my little plug for whey protein. Oh, and if I may recommend a brand, SportPharma Lean Protein is good stuff. Only 115 cals per serving with no fat and 25g of protein. Tastes pretty good too. No, I'm not getting paid by SportPharma.

I thought it was 1-2 grams per pound of muscle. Atleast that was the formula I always used.

grams per pound of BF??? WTF???

Um, no. It grams of protein per pound of lean body mass.

So if you have 15% BF, you want as many grams of protien as 85% of lbs you weigh.

 

[stev0]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: stev0
creatine isnt going to do all the much besides make you look bigger. for the most part, creatine takes water from your body and puts it into your muscles, making them look bigger. once you stop taking it, the water will start coming out of those muscles and you will just look like you did before you started to take it.

imho, eating right (high protein diet), protein shakes (nitro-tech) and hard work seems to be the best for me. we (the guys that i lift with) set up our routein in 3day shifts, chest & arms, back & abs, legs. mon-sat, sunday as rest, maxing the first 3 days of the month. on pretty much every workout it's a 3set/8rep routein, on the last set of 8 lift till failure then 3 assisted reps. go home and have your protein packed dinner and a shake... depending on the day sometimes two shakes, or a shake and a bar.... imho of course, but i have found this the most effective way to get big, i personally didn't take measurements when i started out, mainly because i didn't want to work to a specific point, just till it looked good... but after 3.5/4 months i am noticibly bigger.

if you are still curious about creatine, go buy a can of the stuff, do it till you run out and then make your judgement. i personally suggest cell-tech for your creatine, as it has many amino acids that your body needs, nitro-tech protein works best in conjunction with celltech... plus it tastes better than all the other ones

:beer:

While creatine wont make up for a bad diet or poor training habits, it DOES have an effect on strength and anerobic endurance. This has been clinically proven over and over again. In fact, of all the suppliments on the market today, creatine, when taken properly, is one of the few that is NOT snake oil.

And don't waste your money on creatine/dextrose mixtures like cell-tech. Buy pure creatine monohydrate and mix it with your own non-acidic sweet juice or sugar/dextrose. You'll end up paying about 2/3 less if you do it this way.

well if i decide to start using it again.. i'll do it that way

:beer:

 

[Tom]

"Most doctors recommend you take in at least as many grams of protein a day as pounds of body fat you have."

What is the scientific reasoning behind this ? (just curious)

 

[Mingon]

I use tablet form, easier to swallow. Try it and see, a good programme would be try to exercise every day for a week, then try the same thing on creatine the next week by the 4th / 5th day you should start to feel the effects.

 

[jpeyton]

Creatine has been one of the most documented supplements in the industry, and it is generally agreed that it works.

 

[Vette73]

OK I tried it once but it tasted so BAD I had to throw it away. What are some of the best for bulking and will NOT make me throw-up!!!

 

[MaxDepth]

Donuts are better for you

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Mingon
I use tablet form, easier to swallow. Try it and see, a good programme would be try to exercise every day for a week, then try the same thing on creatine the next week by the 4th / 5th day you should start to feel the effects.

I just want to be scrony. I weigh 245 and can't seem to move from that for over a year of working out every week day. maybe crack would help. I envy those scrony drug addicts. 190 is my goal.