HarvDog Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Anyone take creatine supplements? Just exploring the effectiveness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntinsonovagun Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine While I'm not ON creatine, I do know a little about it, as we just had a Physiology test yesterday over muscle contraction. Creatine is one of 3 major sources of ATP (energy) production. It works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clay008 Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine I will talk to my dietician and let you know what she thinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] I will talk to my dietician and let you know what she thinks. [/ QUOTE ] Your dietician?!?!? You're a mess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntn4bucks Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine I take creatine on a regular basis and I also workout 4-5 times a week. Even though I've heard you can take creatine continuously, I usually take it in intervals (8 weeks on - 4 weeks off). I usually take anywhere between 5-10g per day after a workout. I have had great results with creatine as it relates to increased strength and body composition. If you're looking to loose weight, creatine is probably not for you. You'll tend to gain weight when your on creatine. You'll also need to drink lots of water while you're on creatine. Creatine tends to promote dehydration if you take large doses of it. Just remember...there's no magic pill...and that applies to creatine as well. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clay008 Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine She is not a dietician yet but, she will be later next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] She is not a dietician yet but, she will be later next year. [/ QUOTE ] OOOHHHH....THAT dietician! Gotcha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine Huntn4bucks hit this on the head. I have taken countless types but my favorite is Phosphagen by EAS. You will gain weight but normally it is either water or muscle weight. Creatine is a very important part of foods such as steak. You get condenced versions in supplements. Used properly they WILL have a great effect on your workouts and results. Muscle fatigue is greatly reduced. If you work out to "Failure" on a regular basis you will see more reps before failure. It will also bost your testosterone levels. It will, in fact, help to burn off fat but keep in mind that losing fat isnt necessarly gauged by a scale. You need to buy a paper tape from Walmart and measure your results from there. It is very important to drink lots of water while on Creatine. Creatine will pull water from your body to hydrate your muscles. If you arent drinking plenty of water it will still pull that water from your body causing all sorts of problems. A few years back you probably heard about some wrestlers that died from Creatine. They were "Sweating" off weight before a match. I use to wrestle so I know what lengths they were going to. Many times when making weight, you wont drink any fluids at all for hours and sometimes a day or so. Then you go into a Gym with the heater cranked, put on sweat bags and run. Ive even put on sweat bags and wrapped up in a wrestling mat. You feel like crap but the water comes out and the weight goes down. After weigh in you head straight for a food bar and water fountain. These guys were dropping weight and because they didnt drink water their kidneys failed. Bad, bad idea. Its safe as long as youre drinking water. Creatine is utalized in certain natural amounts. Many producers piggy back the creatine in order to fool your body into utilizing more of the compound. EAS mixes it with different vitamins and protein. Your body will injest and utalize the other vitamins and thus "Piggy Back" more creatine into your system then your body normally would. The "Loading Phase" is also pretty important. Most producers will tell you to drink X-ammount for so many days and the cycle to a normal amount. You will see the gains and results much faster if you do this. The standard cycle (as mentioned above) is important too. Your body will get use to the Creatine and you will plateau if you just stay on it for a long time. Cycle on and off and it will shock your body and you will see gains for years from the same product. It works on the same principle as working out. If you do the same workout every day for the rest of your life you will eventually pleateau and stop growing. If you change it up every 6-weeks it keeps your body in "Shock" and you continue to grow. Because creatine hydrates your muscles you will feel a pump like youve NEVER felt before. When you work out your arms will swell (and so will your pride). Honestly, its amazing. Keep in mind that you will have to keep cardio in your routine. You will gain water weight from all the necessary water but most manufactures utilize proteins in the same compound. Youre actually gaining weight from those proteins. However, they are important to piggy back in more creatine. If youre not working out Id avoid it all together. The added protein will infact put a spare tire on you, typically not the creatine. If you are going to start taking creatine, make sure you get a product with a delivery system (vitamins, protein). You will get much more out of it. If you take straight creatine you will urinate out what your body doesnt use (which is the majority). If youre wanting to bulk look into Cell Tech. It was designed for those body builders that get up and eat a dozen eggs for the protein. Its loaded with weight gaining stuff. If youre looking more toward the muscle leaning or strength aspect look at Phosphagen. Dont get to caught up in the Hype of which offers a few more grams of Creatine. Youre body is only goind to use so much no matter what system carries it in. Hopefully that helps... Just let me know if you have any more questions. Jeramie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine I have been using Creatine in cycles off and on for two years. Have made excellent muscle gains with it also. It definitely gives me more stamina with martial arts also.. and I can not say enough good about it. I will caution you though that because it raises the creatinine (sp) levels in your blood, if you have a blood tests, it shows up as symptoms of kidney problems. I got a baseline blood test before ever starting to use it and get my blood checked regularily. When using creatine if you do the loading phase, (I did) and lift heavy, you will noticed results within two weeks. I would stack the creatine with L-Glutamine and some type of whey protein. There are many good brands out there. The L-glutamine will help you retain muscle built during the cycles of creatine use and the whey protein, well that speaks for itself. One more thing...AST Micronized Creatine Monohydrate is the best I have ever used. It does not seem to irritate your stomach as bad as the non-micronized. It dissolves much better. Depending on your age, if you are over 30, you may want to add a test booster also. As we age our testosterone levels drop and the test boosters do not add test to your body..it only frees up the test that you body produces. Here is a very good website that has over 10,000 pages of excellent information and ordering prices. www.bodybuilding.com I have been involved with weightlifting, martial arts, and physical fitness since I was probably 15..I am now 37 and feel pretty darn good for my age. Aside from injuries from fighting, I am pretty much health issue free! Knock on wood... If you have any questions PM me and I will be glad to help you. By no means am I a nutritionist, or doctor, but have tried numerous supplements, with mixed results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HitRmisS Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine This has probally already been stated but it works if you work out enough if not it builds fat instead of muscle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] This has probally already been stated but it works if you work out enough if not it builds fat instead of muscle [/ QUOTE ] What EXACTLY are you saying??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine to keep it simple, creatine helps the muscles to retain water...thus giving you added bulk and weight (it's all water weight). It will make you slightly stronger, and most definately increases your stamina and your muscle recovery time is a lot shorter while using it. But once you stop taking it, you'll lose a lot of that mass as you slowly pee it out. If you take it and don't work out, your retaining water and it's not going to go to the muscles. The #1 downside, and I can't stress this enough, is the grain (or "powder") will tear your kindeys apart...might not feel it now, but your body 20 years from now will thank you not using. IMO...a proper diet and loads of whey protein shakes are all ya need. If you're really trying to add muscle...consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. If you weigh 180 lbs...eat 180 grams of protein daily. It's excessive for sure, but it works. The protein intake can include the food you eat and the whey protein shakes. Three of those shakes will give you around 90 grams of protein by themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] This has probally already been stated but it works if you work out enough if not it builds fat instead of muscle [/ QUOTE ] What EXACTLY are you saying??? [/ QUOTE ] Beats me?? Muscle and fat are two different substances. Muscle cannot turn to fat and fat cannot turn to muscle. If you eat high calories and workout, you build muscle, if you eat high calories and don't work out, you get fat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil hunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine Just wonderin, does anyone here also take Glutamine with the creatine? Everyone I know thats on creatine also takes glutamine to help the effectiveness of the creatine, I was just wondering what it does to help it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] Just wonderin, does anyone here also take Glutamine with the creatine? Everyone I know thats on creatine also takes glutamine to help the effectiveness of the creatine, I was just wondering what it does to help it? [/ QUOTE ] read my first post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil hunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Just wonderin, does anyone here also take Glutamine with the creatine? Everyone I know thats on creatine also takes glutamine to help the effectiveness of the creatine, I was just wondering what it does to help it? [/ QUOTE ] read my first post [/ QUOTE ] I gotcha, I don't know how I missed that the first time, I read through all the posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Just wonderin, does anyone here also take Glutamine with the creatine? Everyone I know thats on creatine also takes glutamine to help the effectiveness of the creatine, I was just wondering what it does to help it? [/ QUOTE ] read my first post [/ QUOTE ] I gotcha, I don't know how I missed that the first time, I read through all the posts. [/ QUOTE ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntn4bucks Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] Just wonderin, does anyone here also take Glutamine with the creatine? [/ QUOTE ] Yep, I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine SOOOO,If a guy is wanting to lift say, three times a week,and just wants to really get a more muscle mass,what would he benefit the most from?Whey protein?Now that I have some free garage space I was thinking about getting started lifting again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Re: Creatine Definitely whey protein if you could choose only one. Creatine adds to your muscle hydration making it so you can lift harder and a bit more weight before becoming spent. This is what builds the muscle..the added weight and extra 2 or 3 reps you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unioncountyslayer Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 Re: Creatine Creatine is an ok way to gain muscle, but you have to be very disciplined about working out and sticking to a high protein diet to see major muscle gains. I prefer anabolic steroids, Get Big Fast! J/K Although I did use them in the past before the Lord got a hold of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 Re: Creatine i don't put anything into my body. maybe that's why i look like i do... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHISKEYSWAMP Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 Re: Creatine I would have to agree with muggs... Stick with a high protein and fiber diet and you get all the nutrition your muscles needs. Creatine is okay if your trying for a more bulky look but not worth it in the long run. Save your money and buy healthy foods, protein, and meal replacement drinks. My favorite meal replacement drink is Labrada's Lean Body (chocolate). Mix it with a scoop of oatmeal, milk, and some all natural peanut butter and you have an excellent post workout drink that tastes great. Saveonsupplements.com has some of the best prices I have found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HitRmisS Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] This has probally already been stated but it works if you work out enough if not it builds fat instead of muscle [/ QUOTE ] What EXACTLY are you saying??? [/ QUOTE ] Beats me?? Muscle and fat are two different substances. Muscle cannot turn to fat and fat cannot turn to muscle. If you eat high calories and workout, you build muscle, if you eat high calories and don't work out, you get fat. [/ QUOTE ] apparently i was misinformed by one of my past high school coaches but he told me that if you didn't work out enough while using creatine you would actually gain fat from it... oh well prolly just a way to make a freshmen more motivated to work out... just ignore my original post everyone.... (open mouth insert foot) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloader Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 Re: Creatine [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] This has probally already been stated but it works if you work out enough if not it builds fat instead of muscle [/ QUOTE ] What EXACTLY are you saying??? [/ QUOTE ] Beats me?? Muscle and fat are two different substances. Muscle cannot turn to fat and fat cannot turn to muscle. If you eat high calories and workout, you build muscle, if you eat high calories and don't work out, you get fat. [/ QUOTE ] Fat can be burned and the energy then used to place the protiens to build muscle...but no, fat doesn't realy turn into muscle...however muscle can turn into fat, It is called atrophy and occurs when muscle mass becomes disused through severe drops in activity over a long period of time. Any muscle mass that your body no longer needs/uses is neglected and slowly turns into fatty tissue. You can see this in older bodybuilders that no longer work out...tehy still have the mass in the right places but no tone left since the muscle is no longer viable. This can also happen when muscle tissue is surgicaly relocated to rebuild a body during reconstructive plastic surgery. Aparently muscle tissue is easier to place than fat and once it heals it simply atrophies into fat but is already anchored and doesnt move. As long as you are reasonably active and don't require any reconstruction though...this isn't going to happen to you. As for Creatine the only thing I realy know about it is that it is a protien I check for in Urine Drug Screens to find if clients are "doctoring" their samples to hide drug use...the chemicals and drinks on the market that "clean" your urine so you don't test positive for drugs also remove the normal creatine from the urine sample, thus if your urine creatine lvls are superlow or nonexistant it shows me that you are probobly trying to hide something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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