creatine users?

the demon

creatine users, could you tell me how you think creatine has helped you and how much you take, how often and what is best to take it with? ogange juice or grape??

maxi-twist

I took celltech for 6 weeks,made great gains.I have a log of what i was doing before and then what i was doing after,ill find it and let you know.

Hanley

I take it before training (it's in my xplode shake, I highly recommend you check it out). It's in CEE form.

Then post training I put a heaped tea-spoon of mono into my post workout shake (NutritionX's RAM).

I can't quantify how well it works for me, but I will always take it in the run up to a comp from about 6-8 weeks out. Xplode is one of the best products I've ever come across for pre-training.

I've gone from 86.9kg (shredded) to 92kg (still lean, 6 pack on show) in the 3 months since I started with Xplode and RAM. Of course I've been training my arse off, breaking records left right and centre and eating like a bear, but the supplements definately helped.

Supplements is all they are tho.

HammerHeadGym

Hanley wrote:

Supplements is all they are tho.

Wise words man.

There's no substitute for goodhealthy diet. Having said that, I got some great gains from creatine, helped me break they 100kg benchpress plateau, and the 140kg squat plateau. Put on a bit of weight though, from the water retention, but that went a month or so after i stopped taking it. I don't use it all the time, and rarely any more as it's hard to get over in thailand. Would definitely recommend it for anyone looking to put on a spurt, break a record or whatever.

Hope this helps.

Degsy

Anybody else notice a big difference between Ethyl Ester and Monohydrate?I found mono would give me wind and generally had very little in the way of beneficial effects,is started on EE recently and have noticed a big difference in strength and a consequent increase in size.

JayRoc

Actually if anything I seem to get a better effect with plain ol' monohydrate, but that may just be my imagination....

Hanley

Both have worked fantastically for me. I've used mono on it's own, EE on it's own and both combined. Both combined are the best result so far.

the demon

have any of you lads had any muscle cramping as a result of taking creatine? any other side affects apart from p*****g like a race horse?:D

Hanley

the demon wrote:

have any of you lads had any muscle cramping as a result of taking creatine? any other side affects apart from p*****g like a race horse?

Hmmm.... I would imgaine those 2 in conjunction is damn near impossible.

Cramping caused by a lack of water and it's one of the first warning signs of dehydration. This happens with creatine because water is pulled into the muscle (primarily with monohydrate tho). So in order to have a "normal" level of water you need to drink more or you'll cramp.

The p1ssing like a race horse thing happens when you go to the other extreme and take in too much water. I know I find myself getting dehydrated alot easier when I'm taking creatine, but never to the extent that I cramp. I can usually see it in my pee (it goes bright yellow) so I can take steps to counter act it.

I take in between 2-3 litres of water a day and have never had either of the problems you're afraid of. No stomach upsets either.

the demon

Thanks for the info lads!:D

Mickk

the demon wrote:

have any of you lads had any muscle cramping as a result of taking creatine? any other side affects apart from p*****g like a race horse?:D

Im not sure but I think the mono is sitting in your small intestine, after not getting absorbed in your stomach, sucking up lots of water that you then piss out (can also give you the ****s and bloated feeling) and leaving you a little dehydrated hence the cramping... Try cee

Degsy

Mickk wrote:

Im not sure but I think the mono is sitting in your small intestine, after not getting absorbed in your stomach, sucking up lots of water that you then piss out (can also give you the ****s and bloated feeling) and leaving you a little dehydrated hence the cramping... Try cee

Mono gave me terrible trots as well for the first fortnight,that dehydrated the hell out of me and i'd imagine it didnt help muscle synthesis much either.

Patto

I have been taking Creatine Mono on and off for since 2001. I have to say its only in the last year or so that I have really examined closely its effectiveness and benefits for me (I understand the absorption rate of creatine varies so form person to person so what's true for me is not necessarily true for everyone).

Notes:
1. I came off creatine last September and haven't been on it since I've gone from 15.5 stone 11%BF at that time to 14.25 stone (9%BF) today.
2. I went from 15.5 stone to 15 with no BF change after 8 weeks of not taking creatine mono.
2. I have not been in the gym since September.
3. I am now back in the gym again but still not taking creatine.

What does creatine do for me:
1. It blows me up, I add nearly half a stone when I go and lose 0.5 stone when I come off (from 15.5 to 15 when I came off it last September).
2. It does seem to add strength (I have no personal reference for this, I've always taken creatine while doing weights and I've always stopped taking creatine while not in the gym)
3. It adds size, I've lost 2 inches off my thighs and an inch off my arms since last September, some due to muscle loss but not all.
4. I don't get stomach cramps or the runs unless I take more than 20g a day (which there is no need to be doing).
5. I've never experienced muscle craps related to creatine.
6. It doesn't seem to have had any effect on my speed over 100M. No idea what it does for longer distances or shorted distances, I'm going to test that though.

What I believe to be true:
1. I have no problem with anyone taking Creatine mono, I think it is safe and works well for most people.
2. Creatine saturates in your muscle at a certain point. Loading is useful but not absolutely necessary. After saturation I understand creatine levels remain saturated for up to 21 days. Maintaining this saturation level only requires about 5g 3-4 times a week.
3. It takes about 8 weeks for creatine to return to normal levels in your muscles when you stop taking it.
4. It adds strength and size but not in a proportionate manner (i.e. all other things being equal a guy with 18 inch arms on creatine is probably not as strong as a guy with 18 inch arms who is not on creatine)

I'm going to go back on creatine (Mono or EE not sure yet?) in a few weeks and have a closer look at its effects. Hope this is of some use to someone:rolleyes: