This entry was posted by Lee ( email address confidential ) on Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 at 9:36 am and is filed under Supplements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Creatine
Hello,
I have been training 3 times a week for 3 months and i am now thinking of starting a course of Creatine. Im not sure if its the right thing to do as people have told me it just makes you look bloated. Is this the case and if i did start a course should i take the powdered form or the gel form
Regards
Lee
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May 16th, 2007 at 10:35 am
hi ,
Creatine is very benificial to many people, although as with most things some people do see side effects(mainly due to water retention and cramps). I personaly do not experience bloating from Creatine and know many people who dont. I suggest you try it and see if it works with you. I believe with suplements it is just trial and error, finding wich brands, products suit the individual. As far as the powder or gel goes i would stick to powder form. although there are alot of possitive thing said about gel form Creatine, there is still the question, can Creatine be stabilized in liquid for that amount of time?
May 16th, 2007 at 10:54 am
I personally don’t think Creatine is necessary atall. Whey protein if anything is best and hard training and very good diet is good enough. You can get a physique like u want from just those things. Creatine isn’t needed.
May 16th, 2007 at 11:12 am
yes , i totally agree with mma. make sure have your diet in order first and prioritise your suplements eg dont take Creatine when you dont take whey protein. alot of people look for a quick fix for thier dream body and there is no such thing. Creatine is just an extra (small) step towards that goal.
May 16th, 2007 at 11:20 am
Thanks for the advice maybe i will take closer look at my diet first
May 16th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Yea Creatine is ok, but isn’t magic. Won’t make a massive difference. If you do buy it, from what I understand, stay away from the liquid form. Stick to the powered form. Ideally it should be creapure branded, so it’s free from impurities.
May 16th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Use Creatine if you must, but like the others have stated, it isn’t really necessary. Creatine works by allowing the muscles to hold more water, which will give your muscles a more bulky look certainly (while you are taking it) and will - due to the excess water storage - allow you to lift more weight. That is where the benefit lies; making you a little stronger allowing you to lift more weight than normal, which will help with muscular hypertrophy. However, once you stop taking the Creatine, the extra water will leave the muscles, which will result in them looking smaller again, and will reduce your strength.
Also, be careful to read the label of whatever Creatine brand you choose to buy, some brands are simply loaded with a massive ammount of sugar - some sugar is beneficial for use with Creatine, but not at the level produced by some brands.
Good luck
May 16th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
If you decide on taking it, make sure you drink plenty of water a day. Atleast your recommended 2 litres because theres a chance if not hydrated that you could cause kidney damage from the Creatine. I know that sounds drastic but if you drink plenty of fluid then you should be fine but there is where your water retention comes in…..
May 16th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Very good points raised here but I thought I would add that the best form of Creatine is when an Ester has been attached. So go for Creatine Ethyl Ester not Monohydrate!
May 16th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Yes Creatine does make you dehydrated and yes it makes you retain water,, but i have never heard or water retention making you lift heavier weights.
Creatine is naturally found in your body but is called PHOSPHOCreatine,, this is bassically a power pack for your cells it helps with explosive movements ie; Weight lifting, like anything to do with your body the effects of the phosphoCreatine you body produces becomes less throughout your workout. That is where a good Creatine supplement comes in handy, as it not only replenishes the phosphoCreatine your body has lost it also helps you keep going longer and harder thus making your workouts more intense and thus helping you push your body further than you have before.
As for side effects i have only ever experienced bloating on the stacking stage of taking it but once i have taken the dosage down to 2 times a day im fine. MAXI MUSCLE have just brought out a new Creatine product called CEE-MAX that does’nt require a stacking dose and unlike many Creatine products you dont have to take it with fruit juice. I find that Creatine has been benificial to me and i would recomend you getting some.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:22 am
Some very good points raised about Creatine, Powder form is best as it is less likely to be converted into the waste product creatinine, and also make sure you drink more water when starting a course of Creatine, as your body will need it for re-hydration, an extra 2 litres of water is recommended. Some people have said that Creatine will not do much, well in some cases that maybe true but if taken properly and at the right times of day the results can be dramatic!
May 17th, 2007 at 7:42 am
The human body is made up significantly by water, and yes, muscles storing water will have an effect on muscular strength. For those who doubt me, simply try de-hydrating yourself over a couple of days, then go to the gym. You would experience a significant decrease in strength, there is no doubt about this. We have all been de-hydrated at some point or other especially during the summer months), can anyone actually tell me that at any time they felt de-hydrated, they felt anything other than fatigued?