Protein and Creatine

NiallFH

Been going to the gym now for about 3 or 4 months and was initially taking PHD Whey Protein, I switched off this around 2 months ago and went onto PHD Synergy ISO-7.

Progress wise, in this time, went from around 10.5 Stone to 12 Stone and my bench is up from 40 kg to 85 kg, its been at 85 kg for a few weeks now.

What im wondering is if I should switch from my all in one to seperate protein and creatine and which brands/types would be best to use. (Have been told the all in one's arent great)

I want to add another stone or 2 at least and see how I feel then if I want to get bigger or stay there.

If there is a sticky or master thread for this kind of thing sorry for not seeing it, tried a quick search but found nothing.

ray jay

Yes you should change if only because you're paying way more than necessary. Try myprotein's whey protein and creatine. Don't expect to keep gaining weight at the rate you were though, newbie gains always taper off eventually. You should have seen some progress in your bench after a few weeks. Maybe you should probably take look at your program to see if improvements could be made.

NiallFH

ray jay wrote: »

Yes you should change if only because you're paying way more than necessary. Try myprotein's whey protein and creatine. Don't expect to keep gaining weight at the rate you were though, newbie gains always taper off eventually. You should have seen some progress in your bench after a few weeks. Maybe you should probably take look at your program to see if improvements could be made.

Cheers for the reply, almost out of my PHD so will give those a go next I think.

My program has been completely changed now so im hoping this will help get the progress rolling again.

As for the protein and creatine you linked are they taken pre and post gym and mixed together? Or taken seperate?

Dermighty

Personally I like the individual supplements.

I take protein when I need protein and creatine when it suits me, having creatine premixed with protein and/or carbs doesn't suit me.

Ideally you need:

• Protein
• Creatine
• Recovery

The protein can be anything, I like ON Gold Standard, some people liek Kinetica or myprotein. I stay away from Trek and NutritionX as they're inferior products in my opinion.

Creatine comes in many supplements, taking pure creatine (such as USN Creatine) really helps your workouts. I'd like to emphasise the importance of cycling off and on creatine. I took it before for about 5 months straight, 5-10g a day, and I made good gains but as soon a I went off it for a week and back on it I noticed a considrable jump in endurance and strength, so 4 weeks on and one or 2 off seems to work better for me than just taking it every day.

Recovery wise you can just make your own stuff. Blending a cup of oats, some creatine and some protein being an example. some people like recovery products, like ON Aftermax, which have carbs protein and creatine. Personally I find them to be a little overpriced for what they are and I like to just eat food after a workout anyway

NiallFH

Dermighty wrote: »

The protein can be anything, I like ON Gold Standard, some people liek Kinetica or myprotein. I stay away from Trek and NutritionX as they're inferior products in my opinion.

Cheers, had heard there were a few to avoid didnt know of any in particular though.
So far I have only had protein or all in one so never had creatine on its own, I generally take mine pre and post gym and non gym days morning and night.

Think im going to give the myprotein a go next, seems well priced and rated.

Dermighty wrote: »

Recovery wise you can just make your own stuff. Blending a cup of oats, some creatine and some protein being an example. some people like recovery products, like ON Aftermax, which have carbs protein and creatine. Personally I find them to be a little overpriced for what they are and I like to just eat food after a workout anyway

Generally then you would take your creatine before and after the gym then and the format it is taken isnt important?

Also thanks for the reply, very helpful

_pure_mule_

I find ON gold standard good and like others have said myprotein is good too! As for creatine.. There are 3 different types, I would go for creatine monohydrate. Dosent really matter which creatine you go for as long as the ingredients are 100% creatine monohydrate, but again some companies are more reliable that other. (optimum nutrition, dymatize and gaspari nutrition have a good reputation and I found there products good). I cycle creatine for 8 weeks then take 4 weeks off. 5g 20-30mind before training And then I take protein,5g creatine and 60g pure glucose straight after. (I take glucose for carbs after a workout to refuel the muscles and get energy back into my body). Make sure you are taking some form carbs anyway to get the most out of your workout and to help your muscles repair quicker.(glucose is probably the best because it is the fastest acting carbohydrate, thus it gets into your system quicker after a workout). Along with creatine and protein make sure to take a multivitamin in the morning to make sure your body is getting all the vitamins it needs, and a fish oil wouldn't go astray either, it's good for joints and flexibility!
and if your looking to add more weight you could try serious mass! Worked like a gem for me but as someone said able me your going to find it harder to gain weight from now on. Anyway all the best with it! Hope that helped.. Sorry for such a long post:). Ohh and FairPlay on the bench..45kg in 3 months is good stuff:)

Dermighty

I take 5g before training and 5g before bed.

Taking it before training is effective, I usually take it about an hour beforehand.

I take it before bed because my creatine at night comes from BSN Cell Mass, which has glutamine and some other stuff too. I find it aids my sleep too, so it works for me. Ideally after training would be a good time to take creatine, but I'm not going to take 15g a day so before training and before bed is for me.

Not taking it at the moment, feeling a lot more tired, but pissing less often which is handy :P

After training you want protein, creatine and some carbs, fast acting carbs preferably, some fruit would do the trick like blueberries or grapes.

Mellor

Dermighty wrote: »

Taking it before training is effective, I usually take it about an hour beforehand.

The benefit of creatine is cummulative. It builds up in your system until saturation offering the most benefit. Taking it before training doesn't help that session, its not a stimulent.

NiallFH

Thanks for all the posts guys, all really helpful, its much appreciated, still have a lot to learn!

Putting in an order on myprotein now, will add some multi vitamins in too price seems pretty fair on them

Dermighty

Mellor wrote: »

The benefit of creatine is cummulative. It builds up in your system until saturation offering the most benefit. Taking it before training doesn't help that session, its not a stimulent.

Yes it is cumulative and I wasn't indicating it was a stimulant.

Taking it before training allows it to get into your blood stream and your muscles, which makes more sense to me than taking it after training. It also coincides with me taking it twice a day, once before bed and once when I train, as I sleep and train roughly half a day apart.

Mellor

Dermighty wrote: »

Taking it before training allows it to get into your blood stream and your muscles, which makes more sense to me than taking it after training.

During your work out you'll be using existing creatine in your body, not some thst you just injested. It takes time to process. And what about replacing creatine you use after a workout, or it being absorbed faster after a workout, or with a PWO insulin spike. If anything they are more valid reasons for taking it post workout. But I don't think either is significant.

If taking it pre workout suits your schedule then go for it. I'm not saying its wrong. I'm saying that you should forget the notion that it's more effective than any other time. Thinking that only leads to negativity when you missed a dose pre gym.

Dermighty

Mellor wrote: »

During your work out you'll be using existing creatine in your body, not some thst you just injested. It takes time to process. And what about replacing creatine you use after a workout, or it being absorbed faster after a workout, or with a PWO insulin spike. If anything they are more valid reasons for taking it post workout. But I don't think either is significant.

If taking it pre workout suits your schedule then go for it. I'm not saying its wrong. I'm saying that you should forget the notion that it's more effective than any other time. Thinking that only leads to negativity when you missed a dose pre gym.

I agree about the negativity part.

I like to take it before a workout because it takes time to replenish and if its there ready to be used I find I recover faster. It's more than psychological too.

I work at night and I have college during the day so I need to recovery as fast or as much as I can, the system I use seems to work best for me, perhaps not for others though.

murra

All proteins are the same. It's just the way there advertised that ppl think some are better then others . It's not what protein you take its when you take it thats more important .

Dermighty

murra wrote: »

All proteins are the same. It's just the way there advertised that ppl think some are better then others . It's not what protein you take its when you take it thats more important .

Yeah I agree, I buy the brands I buy because of the taste to value ratio.

Optimum is more expensive than most but it tastes better than most. Kinetica Choc mint versus Optimum Choc mint is no contest. It's not all about taste, but once it has a high protein % then I go for taste.

murra

Dermighty wrote: »

Yeah I agree, I buy the brands I buy because of the taste to value ratio.

Optimum is more expensive than most but it tastes better than most. Kinetica Choc mint versus Optimum Choc mint is no contest. It's not all about taste, but once it has a high protein % then I go for taste.

If there was a protein on the market that tasted great and had a high protein content, but was packaged cheapily and not advertised as much as om etc , to save on cost which would make it cheaper . would you buy it ?

Dermighty

murra wrote: »

If there was a protein on the market that tasted great and had a high protein content, but was packaged cheapily and not advertised as much as om etc , to save on cost which would make it cheaper . would you buy it ?

I would, if I got a recommendation for it. I usually have a read up on supplements before I buy them (more in depth than "this is ****" and "this is amazing" posts on BB.com).

Unfortunately I also buy what I've tried before (slightly self defeating).

I tried Syntha 6 on a recommendation (I'd never buy it due to the packaging, which I think makes it looks stupid). Syntha 6 is the best tasting protein on the planet (this is a statement of fact, not opinion :P).

I've tried Optimum Nutrition (Whey, platinum whey and casein varieties), NutritionX whey, Reflex whey, Kinetica whey, BSN Syntha 6 (not exactly solely a protein supplement, but close enough). Syntha is the best tasting, Optimum is the best tasting after that, I didn't like the others (taste wise). I haven't been taking those individual whey supplements long enough to know if they are more effective or less effective than each other.

A friend of mine sorts me out with a discount in my local store so I usually (not always) buy my stuff there. They stock a large variety of protein, I choose what I like, which is Optimum.

I don't like Optimum Banana flavour (it's not horrible) but I still used it, so if it tastes bad I'll still drink the protein, it's not 100% about taste. But (for example) my girlfriend uses Kinetica, which I honestly think tastes like crap (as in it tastes bad). I'm sure it's as good as Optimum, but for almost the same money there's no point in me buying one over the other unless it's due to indifference/superficial reasons.

I will try MyProtein after I finish my recently purchased Syntha 6 and Optimum tubs and report back with my opinion.

Mellor

murra wrote: »

If there was a protein on the market that tasted great and had a high protein content, but was packaged cheapily and not advertised as much as om etc , to save on cost which would make it cheaper . would you buy it ?

You've just described two of the more popular protein brands. (MP and BP)

ON isn't nearly as bad as other overly branded protein brands.

Yip

anyone ever try this?
http://www.sci-mx.co.uk/product-cate...-whey-protein/

NiallFH

Yip wrote: »

anyone ever try this?
http://www.sci-mx.co.uk/product-cate...-whey-protein

Never tried it but read mixed reviews online.

I went for the MyProtein after posting here, working well for me and have a few friends on it too who are quite happy with it. Good price on it too

Yip

NiallFH wrote: »

Never tried it but read mixed reviews online.

I went for the MyProtein after posting here, working well for me and have a few friends on it too who are quite happy with it. Good price on it too

thanks they look pretty good.any idea how much shipping is to Ireland?
i couldnt find it on the site

Hanley

Yip wrote: »

thanks they look pretty good.any idea how much shipping is to Ireland?
i couldnt find it on the site

€4.95 for up to 20kg I believe!

Nervous Wreck

What are prices like in supp shops around city centre? I usually buy on MP but for the sake of supporting local shops, I might stop that if prices aren't too steep.

Yip

Hanley wrote: »

€4.95 for up to 20kg I believe!

cool thanks.
1 last question is there much difference between these 3?

http://www.myprotein.com/ie/products/impact-whey-deluxe
http://www.myprotein.com/ie/products/impact-blend-deluxe
http://www.myprotein.com/ie/products/impact-whey-protein

i'm new to all the stuff plus there isnt much info on the site.

thanks in advance

Hanley

Yip wrote: »

cool thanks.
1 last question is there much difference between these 3?

http://www.myprotein.com/ie/products/impact-whey-deluxe
http://www.myprotein.com/ie/products/impact-blend-deluxe
http://www.myprotein.com/ie/products/impact-whey-protein

i'm new to all the stuff plus there isnt much info on the site.

thanks in advance

1st one has a pretty poor protein % content

2nd one is a mix of different proteins, idea being a sustained delivery over time

3rd's the one i use and is about the best all arounder they sell, as far as I know!