creatine monohydrate supplementation

[EMC]

been taking creatine for a long time. i typically dont use it for more than 8 weeks and take a break no less than 1 week no more than 2 weeks.

just created this topic to ask peoples experiences with creatine? what is your threshold? do you experience any noticable effects?

for me ive noticed a pattern over time that i start to get gaggy and apetite is affected after 6 weeks and by 7 ive almost had enough. about 3-4 days after i get off, depending on my exercise regime, my apetite is stimulated again and not experiencing any problems. im only using a standard 5mg dosage.

is there any scientific evidence that correlates with this, that suggests that everyone has a certain threshold?

[Growth]

Monohydrate blows IMO. I used to use mono until i tried the other options, now im set on a creatine-AKG, wont be using anything else from now on (unless i find some info that would make me think otherwise).

Used to cycle mono for 12 weeks on 3 weeks off (basically just to give my body a break from it, not from the said performance plateus etc). With CAKG i just stay on perma.

I dont get any negative sides like apetite / stomach probs.

Cant answer your question about independant tolerances

[TonganTerror]

I havnt had any side effects mate and def feel stronger mind you im three or four kilos heavier and firmly believe "weight pushes weight"

I would also like to know what the maximum amount per day is to take im taking 10mg per day but on bb.com they said you can take up to 15mg!!

Dont think you can overdose on it?

[Jigga]

Monohydrate blows IMO. I used to use mono until i tried the other options, now im set on a creatine-AKG, wont be using anything else from now on (unless i find some info that would make me think otherwise).

Used to cycle mono for 12 weeks on 3 weeks off (basically just to give my body a break from it, not from the said performance plateus etc). With CAKG i just stay on perma.

I dont get any negative sides like apetite / stomach probs.

Cant answer your question about independant tolerances

Hmmm I took creatine ethyl-ester for a while and it appeared to work really well but then I read an article about most of it breaking down in to creatinine and to stick with the tried and true phosphate. I read an article on creatine alpha-ketoglutarate with the usual sales pitch but my first impression is that it's just another molecular-bonded product being touted as being at the forefront science. Is there anyone who is familiar with the creatinine breakdown argument and can confidently say that they think CEE, CAKG or CP is superior?

[Beef]

creatine is a load of b/s as far as im concerned. like whey, it's been marketed as the silver bullet for muscle growth. i used to take it on and off, but i reckon it's mostly placebo

[jimjim83]

creatine is a load of b/s as far as im concerned. like whey, it's been marketed as the silver bullet for muscle growth. i used to take it on and off, but i reckon it's mostly placebo

Yeah I find the same thing. Best way to use it is plain and cheap I woldnt waste my money on these big brand names which are mainly sugar anyway. You gey better results by eating better.

[EMC]

there has been alot of research on monohydrate, over 25 years infact. the average person doesnt even need more than 5gms per day for maintenance. loading is another story.

I would also like to know what the maximum amount per day is to take im taking 10mg per day but on bb.com they said you can take up to 15mg!!

Dont think you can overdose on it?

20-30 grams a day is fine during the loading phase(5-7 days). as for maintenance you cant really overdose, your body will convert the excess to creatinine and it will pass out through your urine. so your basically wasting your money otherwise.

research has shown that it takes 1 month for the creatine levels to come back to normal so i assume if you only take a break off creatine for 1-2 weeks you wouldnt have to load up as much to saturate your muscles.

-----------------------

im going to start taking 2 weeks off it to see if there is any change.

[weajo196]

When looking at the studies we've done with the Australian institute of sport, creatine supplementation does show to have positive affects. When i was over there whey, multi-v's and creatine were the main supplements which they gave to their athletes. a hell of a lot of money was put into testing whether it did have positive affects and yes it does but at no stage is it a silver bullet. hard work and good nutrition is your gun and ammo. creatine is more like a little bit extra gun powder, just helps it get u there quicker haha :pfft:

as for which form of creatine, creatine mono is the most researched and has the most back. ethyl ester through numerous studies has been shown to be a bit wanting.

[Growth]

it's been marketed as the silver bullet for muscle growth.

lol, never trust any supplement marketing! Im pretty sure noone who has bothered to read up on the science behind it thinks it is a silver bullet, but there are a lot of studies that show it's benefits.

The thing, as with most SUPPLEMENTS, its supplemental to your diet, and creatine occurs naturally in food, meat etc, so you may be getting a decent amount as it is, and therefor see little results from additional supplementation.

Best bet, and this is something i always say, is just try it for yourself, or research scientific studies on the net. (although i dont thing the OP was asking if creatine was useful or not, it was more about his sides etc)

[Beef]

The thing, as with most SUPPLEMENTS, its supplemental to your diet, and creatine occurs naturally in food, meat etc, so you may be getting a decent amount as it is, and therefor see little results from additional supplementation.

yeah i don't respond to creatine because my natural creatine levels are high. that goes for anybody who is eating large quantities of meat.

i try to stay away from supplements as much as possible, purely because they aren't a necessary factor in bodybuilding (contrary to what the supplement companies themselves claim!)

[rose]

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/creatine-000297.htm

This is one thing I don't particularly like the thought of:

Taking creatine supplements may prevent the body from making its own natural stores, although the long-term effects are not known.

Re threshold:

However, not all human studies have shown that creatine improves athletic performance. Nor does every person seem to respond the same way to creatine supplements. For example, people who tend to have naturally high stores of creatine in their muscles don't get an energy-boosting effect from extra creatine.

http://www.creapure.com/index.php?id=13

With normal activity, 2 to 4 g of creatine are used per day. Depending how physically and mentally active an individual is, this requirement can increase to 5 g per day. The body produces half of the creatine needed daily, and the rest needs to be ingested through food.

[tinytraps]

I found creatine dint really do anything except help me gain weight.

i try to stay away from supplements as much as possible, purely because they aren't a necessary factor in bodybuilding (contrary to what the supplement companies themselves claim!)

agree with this. If you can have whole food then I would have it. If not supplements can work good for those that cant stomach whole food pussys

[ThePman]

I think creatine's awesome and one of the (very very very) few things worth spending money on. Assuming you get the dirt-cheap monohydrate form; everything else is overpriced and most likely doesn't work.

Then again I know what to expect from the stuff, which is a small boost in recovery and strength-endurance. If you're expecting a replacement for dbol, then you're out of luck. That doesn't mean it "doesn't work", though. Compared to most of the crap guys on here waste their money on, it's one of few things that does work even if it doesn't give you "mad gains".

[Growth]

Wasn't previously aware of the mental benefits until this thread :grin: Sweet deal :grin:

While the role of creatine in preventing muscle (peripheral) fatigue for high performance athletes is well understood, its biochemical role in prevention of mental (central) fatigue is not. Creatine is abundant in muscles and the brain and after phosphorylation used as an energy source for adenosine triphosphate synthesis. Using double-blind placebo-controlled paradigm, we demonstrated that dietary supplement of creatine (8 g/day for 5 days) reduces mental fatigue when subjects repeatedly perform a simple mathematical calculation. After taking the creatine supplement, task-evoked increase of cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin in the brains of subjects measured by near infrared spectroscopy was significantly reduced, which is compatible with increased oxygen utilization in the brain.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1198 ... t=Abstract

[Jigga]

Wasn't previously aware of the mental benefits until this thread :grin: Sweet deal :grin:

While the role of creatine in preventing muscle (peripheral) fatigue for high performance athletes is well understood, its biochemical role in prevention of mental (central) fatigue is not. Creatine is abundant in muscles and the brain and after phosphorylation used as an energy source for adenosine triphosphate synthesis. Using double-blind placebo-controlled paradigm, we demonstrated that dietary supplement of creatine (8 g/day for 5 days) reduces mental fatigue when subjects repeatedly perform a simple mathematical calculation. After taking the creatine supplement, task-evoked increase of cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin in the brains of subjects measured by near infrared spectroscopy was significantly reduced, which is compatible with increased oxygen utilization in the brain.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1198 ... t=Abstract

Hah I'll begin my loading phase 2 weeks out from the final exams I think.

[rose]

Wasn't previously aware of the mental benefits until this thread :grin: Sweet deal :grin:

Ummm, I don't think it makes you *grow* brains :pfft: It's no quick fix or magic pill etc.

[Beef]

Wasn't previously aware of the mental benefits until this thread :grin: Sweet deal :grin:

While the role of creatine in preventing muscle (peripheral) fatigue for high performance athletes is well understood, its biochemical role in prevention of mental (central) fatigue is not. Creatine is abundant in muscles and the brain and after phosphorylation used as an energy source for adenosine triphosphate synthesis. Using double-blind placebo-controlled paradigm, we demonstrated that dietary supplement of creatine (8 g/day for 5 days) reduces mental fatigue when subjects repeatedly perform a simple mathematical calculation. After taking the creatine supplement, task-evoked increase of cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin in the brains of subjects measured by near infrared spectroscopy was significantly reduced, which is compatible with increased oxygen utilization in the brain.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1198 ... t=Abstract

Hah I'll begin my loading phase 2 weeks out from the final exams I think.

yeah i wouldn't try loading during the semester.. that could turn out to be quite difficult to manage

i wouldnt even bother loading TBH, there's no point unless you're one of these impatient idiots who can't wait any length of time (most of those people end up on steroids after their first two weeks of lifting weights :pfft:)

if you were a week out from a comp i could see the merit in it, but other than that it's not necessary

*2c*

[knock knock]

Interesting read here:

http://www.brinkzone.com/bodybuilding/t ... rave-yard/

[Jigga]

Interesting read here:

http://www.brinkzone.com/bodybuilding/t ... rave-yard/

That article was exactly what I was after, cheers KK.

[NZresident1]

oops you forgot to add the HMB then Creatine will boost

[fudoc5]

i do a couple of cycles year round, and find that im more prone to injureies and muscle crams while loading

[eddie1896]

Interesting read here:

http://www.brinkzone.com/bodybuilding/t ... rave-yard/

That article was exactly what I was after, cheers KK.

That article has some BS an some truth. Creatine is proven an works... As for you twigs saying it's all shit.. get some half ass training an eating sorted before rubbishing one of the few supplements, that actually work...

creatine loading is a gimmick created by the supplement companies..

no creatine has been proven to be more effective then the original, creatine monohydrate... the other types are gimmicks for the most part..

[Hennie]

Interesting read here:

http://www.brinkzone.com/bodybuilding/t ... rave-yard/

That article was exactly what I was after, cheers KK.

That article has some BS an some truth. Creatine is proven an works... As for you twigs saying it's all shit.. get some half ass training an eating sorted before rubbishing one of the few supplements, that actually work...

creatine loading is a gimmick created by the supplement companies..

no creatine has been proven to be more effective then the original, creatine monohydrate... the other types are gimmicks for the most part..

:ditto: :ditto: :ditto: