creatines effectiveness?

newby.204

Got 1kg of creatine from bulkpowders.co.uk, on my fourth week now and i have to say im dissappointed, im not sure what i was expecting but i havnt noticed any difference in my training at all!! what gives?

should say i went with the constant 5g/day instead of "loading" i read that after three weeks the level of creatine in your system negates the need for loading??

brianthebard

If you didn't know what to expect then it can be hard to accurately judge if it is working or not. however I think since you didn't load with it then the benefits/effects might be more subtle, ie no/less water retention for a start. Others who know more about creatine will be able to tell you better what effects you should be feeling. You should also know that not everyone is effected by creatine, I don't know the percentage or reasons though.

newby.204

yea i did expect less bloating than average because of the lack of loading, i slaos knew there was a risk that it may not work on me at all, is there any point in loading at the start of the next cycle and see if that makes any difference??

kodute

Having tried it both ways; loading is nonsense.

I have found 10g/day gets more effect than 5g/day.

Most importantly keep the water intake up also.

electric69

loading is a load of BS to help sell more of the product.

Im not sure what sort of difference you were expecting after 4 weeks but i would be very suprised if you noticed any....if you had said 4 months then maybe you would have noticed a decent amount of muscle increase.4weeks is way too soon to be looking for a difference

TommyKnocker

Hi newby.204

Can I ask what was your reason for starting with this supplement?

What results do you expect to see/gain from supplementing with creatine?


Best Regards,

M

colman1212

Quick question. Is using 10g on workout days and 5g on non workout days acceptable?!

Apip99

Well I’m nearly 3 weeks in using creatine and defiantly find I have a little more to give during my work out.

Even if it was just psychological I don’t mind as it cost little or nothing, and I feel I am benefiting. Its also making me its making me drink more water. But I would also say physically I have got some benefits, again could be tied to a growth in muscle from all the hard work, but I like to think the Creatine is doing its bit.

Oh and no loading for me.

Inspector Coptoor

I find the "loading" phase to be a load of BS too.

I have a creatine/taurine pre workout drink (my protein Creastorm).
Id also have 3 CEE tabs or 1 Kre Alkalyn tab with this pre workout.

Post workout, Id have either another Kre Alkalyn tab or 3 CEE tabs.

Id also have the same dose on rest days.

I find creatine isnt a wonder supplement,
It isnt a steroid.

It increases muscle volumisation and may help you get an extra rep or two or may allow you to up the weight by 2.5kg or so for a single.

I tend to cycle creatine according to my 5/3/1 cycle
3 weeks on and deload week off, although i wont be doing that for the summer.
Im just gonna keep taking it for the 12 weeks of summer and stop taking it for september.

Transform

newby.204 wrote: »

yea i did expect less bloating than average because of the lack of loading, i slaos knew there was a risk that it may not work on me at all, is there any point in loading at the start of the next cycle and see if that makes any difference??

some people are just non-responders and again like what was asked what is your current training like and diet as creatine alone is NOT the answer

alfy101

I was using team america sprotein shakes!!! recommened by a friend for best taste compared to maxi muscle. so was taking there trinity version for 2 odd months before swithing to bsn syntha 6 just to try, anyway.. noticed a rapid DECRESE in weights i mean i went from lifting 28kg dumb bells bench press ups to 22kg!!! even on the bar shoulder press i had to go down in weight!! still using the bsn. have a creatine monohydrate drink am going to start in 2.5 weeks that illl start after im back from holidays.
keep ya posted!
oh. it worked out at .5gram per scoop and i would have taken 1 to 2 shakes a day

i still have toned arms but would like to be back up lifting what i was at

Degsy

I've been using creatine on and off for years and one thing i've noticed..it doesnt work...spend the money on steak instead.

electric69

Degsy wrote: »

I've been using creatine on and off for years and one thing i've noticed..it doesnt work...spend the money on steak instead.

im going to guess that was severe sarcasm.otherwise i would have to guess you have been dropping the weights on your head for the last few years.

Barry.Oglesby

As Transform mentioned 20% won't respond to additional creatine in their system.

It's grand, it works but most people who are "using" it ("I don't use it, I ingest it under orders from my neuropsychologist"- Guess the quote) aren't at a sufficient level to see it's effects. They're benching 60kgs and expecting creatine to be their wonder drug. If you're not already moving decent weight, don't expect creatine to help you. Instead, eat well and keep on truckin.

Degsy

electric69 wrote: »

im going to guess that was severe sarcasm.otherwise i would have to guess you have been dropping the weights on your head for the last few years.

No it isnt sarcasm..i've tried most supplements at some time or other and creatine consistently gives me zero results.
Basicly most supplements are bollocks and nothing more than marketing ploys to con money out of beginners.

Hanley

I really like creatine. I've gotten my best results from super dosing 10-20g per day for a month or two on end.

jambi

Creatine monohydrate is one of the most effective nutritional supplements available to athletes to increase high intensity exercise capacity and muscle mass during training. Numerous studies have indicated that creatine supplementation increases body mass and/or muscle mass during training. Gains are typically 2 - 5 pounds greater than controls during 4 - 12 weeks of training. The gains in muscle mass appear to be a result of an improved ability to perform high intensity exercise enabling an athlete to train harder and thereby promote greater training adaptations and muscle hypertrophy. Supplementing the diet with creatine monohydrate and/or creatine containing formulations seems to be a safe and effective method to increase muscle mass.

The ISSN summarizes their findings on creatine monohydrate as this:

1. Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes in terms of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.

7. The quickest method of increasing muscle creatine stores appears to be to consume ~0.3 grams/kg/day of creatine monohydrate for at least 3 days followed by 3-5 g/d thereafter to maintain elevated stores. Ingesting smaller amounts of creatine monohydrate (e.g., 2-3 g/d) will increase muscle creatine
stores over a 3-4 week period, however, the performance effects of this method of supplementation are less supported.

Excerpts above from http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-7-7.pdf

Creatine Mono is effective in my experience. However it is not a magic formula. It doesn’t just turn you into Arnie etc. It increases capacity to perform high intensity exercise thus enabling you to train harder ... your overall diet and training have to be good and you have to put the work in (for more than 4 weeks).

electric69

Degsy wrote: »

No it isnt sarcasm..i've tried most supplements at some time or other and creatine consistently gives me zero results.
Basicly most supplements are bollocks and nothing more than marketing ploys to con money out of beginners.

Why on earth would you continue to use a product for "years" that doesnt work for you? am i missing something here????

Eating steak isnt going to make any difference at all to your workout.stick to the eggs and chicken for the protien.

Degsy

electric69 wrote: »

Why on earth would you continue to use a product for "years" that doesnt work for you? am i missing something here????

I said "on and off" for years.. mostly off..i've done it for up to three months at a time and no it doesnt work for me.

QUOTE=electric69;66461394]Eating steak isnt going to make any difference at all to your workout.stick to the eggs and chicken for the protien.[/QUOTE]

Whats wrong with steak as a source of protein? Its dead animal aint it?Contains the amino acid profiles doesnt it?

electric69

Degsy wrote: »

Whats wrong with steak as a source of protein? Its dead animal aint it?Contains the amino acid profiles doesnt it?

Not as good as eggs and chicken for protien source, and steak costs more.

newby.204

was doing 531bbb, got injured when i went back to cardio, left it out to gain as fast as possible got great results from bcaa/protein. im doin a phase of starting strebgth before i go back to 531bbb again, reason for using creatine is i wana get the gains i lost back, only faster, been away from 531bbb for 3months.

diet at the min

breakfast 4weetabix/hotoats with honey,juice,pce fruit

shake 90+,5gcreatine,pce fruit

lunch 4egg omelette/tuna or sardine melts on brown/ beans on toast

dinner (made from scratch with fresh meat and veg) sheperds pie or chicken cassarole/stirfry/curry or steak n chips or 4egg omelette or spag bol or stew etc(all made with steak mince.)

shake 90+,pce fruit

any other questions, oh i went from 11.5st to 15st with 531bbb then back to 14st when injured

timetogetfit

electric69 wrote: »

Not as good as eggs and chicken for protien source, and steak costs more.

what makes you say that, is it an opinion or do you have facts to back it up? Chicken and eggwhites may be better protein sources for those wanting to lose fat because it has a little less cals than lean cuts of beef but for building muscle I would go as far as saying beef is probably on par with eggwhites and its definitely better than chicken, beef also has a higher concentration of creatine than eggs or chicken

gavkm27

timetogetfit wrote: »

what makes you say that, is it an opinion or do you have facts to back it up? Chicken and eggwhites may be better protein sources for those wanting to lose fat because it has a little less cals than lean cuts of beef but for building muscle I would go as far as saying beef is probably on par with eggwhites and its definitely better than chicken, beef also has a higher concentration of creatine than eggs or chicken

From a fair bit of study and personal experience i can safely say that Chicken has less Calories than Beef,although less protein,the fat content varies dramatically depending on the cut of beef.Chicken is easier to digest than beef also.
I think Turkey tops both in terms of content

couple of examples from a book i have-
Beef- eye of round 225g Cals-448,Protein-77g,Carbs-0,Fats 13g
Turkey- Leg 225g Cals -356,Protein-66g,Carbs-0,Fats 9g
Chicken -Breat 225g Cals -248,Protein-52g,carbs-0,fats 4g

electric69

timetogetfit wrote: »

what makes you say that, is it an opinion or do you have facts to back it up? Chicken and eggwhites may be better protein sources for those wanting to lose fat because it has a little less cals than lean cuts of beef but for building muscle I would go as far as saying beef is probably on par with eggwhites and its definitely better than chicken, beef also has a higher concentration of creatine than eggs or chicken

The reason i say it,like everything else ive said in this thread,is beacuse it is true and not some ridiculous broscience made up by somebodys personal opinion.
Google "pdcaas".

The creatine that is in meat has absolutely ZERO effect on you when you eat it.Just to make that clear once again, ZERO effect.

TheZ

I don't think eating steak or chicken is going to make that much of a difference to average person. Eat whatever you prefer.

More likely to be all the other meals where they are not eating steak or chicken which makes the difference.

Khannie

electric69 wrote: »

The reason i say it,like everything else ive said in this thread,is beacuse it is true and not some ridiculous broscience made up by somebodys personal opinion.
Google "pdcaas".

Jaysus, take it easy there.

Are you trying to tell me that you think that eating chicken is going to have any kind of noticeable effect on a person versus eating beef?

FTA69

All I know is that my lifting ability has been severely curtailed since I came off the creatine.

electric69

Khannie wrote: »

Jaysus, take it easy there.

Are you trying to tell me that you think that eating chicken is going to have any kind of noticeable effect on a person versus eating beef?

without trying to sound too pedantic.... over a period of x number of years,yes.
but for the vast majority of people who wont be training for years it doesnt make any difference what they eat as they are probably only going to make very small gains.
Im just trying to show people what are the best foods for protien source and IMO eggs,turkey,chicken and cottage cheese should be the no.1 foods.
Of course steak is good for you and has protien but its more expensive and its not as good a source as the foods above.

But like we all know most people are going to go out ruin their diet with the bad stuff they eat ontop of all the healthy foods.

electric69

FTA69 wrote: »

All I know is that my lifting ability has been severely curtailed since I came off the creatine.

have you notice that you cant lift the same weight or that you cant do the same no. of reps and sets? Do you get DOMS more often now?

Degsy

electric69 wrote: »

without trying to sound too pedantic.... over a period of x number of years,yes.
but for the vast majority of people who wont be training for years it doesnt make any difference what they eat as they are probably only going to make very small gains.
Im just trying to show people what are the best foods for protien source and IMO eggs,turkey,chicken and cottage cheese should be the no.1 foods.
Of course steak is good for you and has protien but its more expensive and its not as good a source as the foods above.

But like we all know most people are going to go out ruin their diet with the bad stuff they eat ontop of all the healthy foods.

You must be really jacked-looking on your perfect diet..got any pics?
I'd like to see what its possible to achieve with the application of expert knowledege.

Khannie

electric69 wrote: »

without trying to sound too pedantic.... over a period of x number of years,yes.

Fair enough. I believe that you believe it. Convince me if you would.....(with some literature or what not).

I have to say though....I love beef far too much to trade it for chicken on a regular basis. Also, after I eat a steak the size of my head I feel like I could wrestle a lion and win. I know I'm not alone in this. Eating chicken makes me feel....well....nothing.

TommyKnocker

Khannie wrote: »

Also, after I eat a steak the size of my head I feel like I could wrestle a lion and win. I know I'm not alone in this.

I would ahve to agree. It's hard to beat a big rare steak, Steak mmmmmmm:D

M

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Hanley wrote: »

I really like creatine. I've gotten my best results from super dosing 10-20g per day for a month or two on end.

I see a lot of people taking massive doses of creatine, one thing I've noticed is taking any more than 5g per day is very sever on my stomach, if you're taking 4 times that amount, I'm guessing it's safe to assume it doesn't have the same effect on you?

Brian?

Khannie wrote: »

Fair enough. I believe that you believe it. Convince me if you would.....(with some literature or what not).

I have to say though....I love beef far too much to trade it for chicken on a regular basis. Also, after I eat a steak the size of my head I feel like I could wrestle a lion and win. I know I'm not alone in this. Eating chicken makes me feel....well....nothing.

Surely some sort of study on cat wrestling v steak consumption needs to commisioned immediatly.

If it helps, I can eat a small steak and wrassle a large house cat to start with.

Khannie

All this steak talk has made me want steak. Luckily I have one which I think I will have for lunch.

We have no cats or other felines for me to begin our study with. Is it double blind if I blindfold myself and the lion?

TommyKnocker

I guess it's all good as long as no one slips up and eats the cat and then wrestles the steak

M

the drifter

briankeating wrote: »

Surely some sort of study on cat wrestling v steak consumption needs to commisioned immediatly.

If it helps, I can eat a small steak and wrassle a large house cat to start with.

Please continue with your research and then post a vid.

Thanking you

:P

Degsy

Steak is a manly meal..leave chicken fillets and cottage cheese to the Quiche-eaters,vegetarians and crusties.

the drifter

Degsy wrote: »

Steak is a manly meal..leave chicken fillets and cottage cheese to the Quiche-eaters,vegetarians and crusties.

i disagree completely here....chicken makes a great topping for steak...

Degsy

the drifter wrote: »

i disagree completely here....chicken makes a great topping for steak...

An entire chicken maybe..and sausages.

columok

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote: »

I see a lot of people taking massive doses of creatine, one thing I've noticed is taking any more than 5g per day is very sever on my stomach, if you're taking 4 times that amount, I'm guessing it's safe to assume it doesn't have the same effect on you?

QFT. Creatine stomach is one of the worst feelings ever. It hits me like some kind of difene/coffee cocktail! In life terms I can't imagine the slight positives (which i kinda noticed at the time) ever outweighing the negatives.

newby.204

any chance of gettin back on topic?

Brian?

newby.204 wrote: »

any chance of gettin back on topic?

No offence there horse, but I think all your questions were answered on page 1 and 2 of this thread.

newby.204

none taken, just wanted to see if i could stir up any more input:D:D

Degsy

newby.204 wrote: »

none taken, just wanted to see if i could stir up any more input:D:D

Alrighty then.
Creatine doesnt work..get some steak into ya every meal if you wanna see results and dont be afraid to party at the weekends after your workout.
Oh yeah,real men drink cheap unflavoured whey not that poncy "chocolate chip mint cooky" flavour that some people go on about.
You're trying to get muscles,not audition for a smarties commercial

electric69

Khannie wrote: »

Fair enough. I believe that you believe it. Convince me if you would.....(with some literature or what not).

I have to say though....I love beef far too much to trade it for chicken on a regular basis. Also, after I eat a steak the size of my head I feel like I could wrestle a lion and win. I know I'm not alone in this. Eating chicken makes me feel....well....nothing.

valuable input there.glad to here the you believe that.
you stick to your steak and im sure every professional bodybuilder in the world is wrong and your right.they prob just eat the chicken instead of steak to annoy you.

:rolleyes:

Davei141

electric69 wrote: »

valuable input there.glad to here the you believe that.
you stick to your steak and im sure every professional bodybuilder in the world is wrong and your right.they prob just eat the chicken instead of steak to annoy you.

:rolleyes:

Hanley

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote: »

I see a lot of people taking massive doses of creatine, one thing I've noticed is taking any more than 5g per day is very sever on my stomach, if you're taking 4 times that amount, I'm guessing it's safe to assume it doesn't have the same effect on you?

columok wrote: »

QFT. Creatine stomach is one of the worst feelings ever. It hits me like some kind of difene/coffee cocktail! In life terms I can't imagine the slight positives (which i kinda noticed at the time) ever outweighing the negatives.

I think my stomach's lined with the soles of old boots. I never feel any upset from it, I can drink protein shakes all day and not get protein farts, hell even difene/neurofen doesn't seem to effect my stomach, even when taken in large quantities.

Degsy wrote: »

Alrighty then.
Creatine doesnt work..

It does tho...

electric69 wrote: »

valuable input there.glad to here the you believe that.
you stick to your steak and im sure every professional bodybuilder in the world is wrong and your right.they prob just eat the chicken instead of steak to annoy you.

:rolleyes:

Who are you?

electric69

Hanley wrote: »

I think my stomach's lined with the soles of old boots. I never feel any upset from it, I can drink protein shakes all day and not get protein farts, hell even difene/neurofen doesn't seem to effect my stomach, even when taken in large quantities.




It does tho...



Who are you?

im me.who are you?

Hanley

electric69 wrote: »

im me.who are you?

I'm not even going to bother...

Doesn't beef have a higher BV rating than chicken anyway?

electric69

Hanley wrote: »

I'm not even going to bother...

Doesn't beef have a higher BV rating than chicken anyway?

im not even going to bother....