This is why so many people prefer to
take creatine as it helps your system as a whole.
It may not be safe for everyone to
take creatine as everybody would react to it differently.
Studies (here and here) have shown that vegetarians
taking creatine as a supplement get a boost in their cognitive function.
I'm
taking creatine as a sports supplement.
Not exact matches
Creatine is not an acute - acting supplement, meaning its effects are in no meaningful way affected by when you
take it, so long
as you do so consistently (i.e., daily).
The concern is that athletes who
take creatine may be enticed to try other ergogenic aids, such
as harmful and illegal steroids, although whether they actually do is unknown.
Paul metropolitan area during the 2009 - 2010 school year to a series of five questions about muscle - enhancing behaviors, two healthy (changing eating patterns and exercising more) and three unhealthy (using protein powders or shakes,
taking steroids, or employing another muscle - building substance such
as creatine, amino acids, HMB, DHEA, or growth hormone), researchers at the University of Minnesota and Columbia University found that almost all students surveyed (90 % of boys, 80 % of girls) reported doing at least 1 behavior with this
as the goal, and up to one - third reported the use of unhealthy methods.
Posing
as a 15 - year - old athlete wanting to bulk up during strength training, a researcher asked more than 200 health food stores whether he should
take a sports performance supplement containing
creatine.
«Health food stores recommend teens try performance supplement not recommended under 18: Researcher posing
as 15 - year - old football player looking to boost muscle mass and strength frequently advised to
take creatine, unproven
as safe for adolescents.»
As a little thing to get you started, note that
creatine has had over 600 scientific research studies conducted upon it to prove that it's completely safe to consume and it will simply not harm you when you start
taking it.
In this part we are going to
take a look at the good old
Creatine — proven to pack on mass, but also, proven to boost your natural testosterone production
as well
as DHT.
Take muscle building supplements to support your gains, such
as glutamine, BCAAs, whey protein, and
creatine.
Absorption of supplements such
as creatine, glutamine, and anti-oxidants can be enhanced if
taken with a high glycemic drink (carb drink, juices).
I personally
take 2.5 grams of
creatine before the workout and mix another 2.5 grams with this drink
as I consume it during the workout (I finish my last sip by the time I am done).
I personally did not follow this routine
as I thought it would be harmful to
take 20g of
creatine a day.
In what has been described
as the loading stage, you are advised to
take 2 scoops of
creatine powder with 12 oz.
You could just
as easily make it a 8 week cycle with
creatine, and then
take four weeks off after that.
And this is when muscle glycogen is going to be most susceptible to refilling their stores, so the
creatine taken then will have maximum impact
as your muscles are desparately soaking up resources.
Back when
creatine first became popular, it was suggested that
creatine needed to be loaded,
as in
taking a large dose of it for a few days to speed up how soon the muscles will become saturated, and then drop down to a maintenance dose from that point on.
In a placebo controlled cross-over design study, 45 vegetarian and vegan subjects (chosen
as their intake of
creatine was negligible)
took five grams per day of
creatine for six weeks.
At this time, the high GI carbs will spike your insulin, which will drive those carbs and amino acids for the protein,
as well
as creatine (assuming you
take creatine) into your muscles.
And
as a quick aside, while both beta - alanine and
creatine are found in many pre-workout supplements, research shows
creatine is best
taken post-workout.
Taking caffeine and
creatine monohydrate
as supplements may further boost your levels when combined with a training program (23, 24).
Outside of bodybuilding,
Creatine is also important and can be
taken as a supplement to support medical treatments.
The supplements I
take are
as follows: vitamin E, fish oil, alpha lipoic acid, acytel l carnitine, magnesium potassium asporotate, CoQ10
as ubiquinal and
creatine.
But whereas
creatine is best
taken post workout (along with protein and carbohydrates), beta alanine is best used
as a pre-workout supplement.
Early
creatine researchers also knew the power of insulin, and in some of the first research published in the American Journal of Physiology, it was discovered that
taking creatine along with a high dose of simple carbohydrates could trigger
as much
as 60 % better
creatine storage in the muscles.2 Researchers reporting on their findings confirmed that insulin was the key to pushing more
creatine through muscle cell membranes.
Creatine is one of the tricky substances to
take, given than if it is not
taken the right way, chances are, it would not
take effect
as expected.
One of the things you can expect when
taking Creatine in is for you to gain some weight, with reports ranging from
as little
as 2 pounds to
as much
as 4 pounds.
Taking creatine with fewer or no carbs elicits no significant insulin spike and ultimately fails to achieve your goal of getting the most
creatine into your muscles
as possible.
After the workout, I immediately
took a mixture of whey protein (40 grams),
creatine (5 grams), glutamine (10 grams) and Tang (sugary powdered drink mix)
as well
as some vitamins and minerals (multi-vitamin, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and an anti-oxidant).
However, don't
take it more than 5 grams per day,
as your body may face hassles while handling that amount of
Creatine Monohydrate.
However, the right supplements (even ones
as simple
as protein and
creatine),
taken at the right time, can have stunning effects on your body composition.
There are a number of benefits you can experience from
taking creatine regularly, but the 5 main ones are
as follows...
So now you know about the benefits of
creatine,
as well
as what type to
take and how and when to
take it.
It's a good idea to dissolve it in warm water before
taking it,
as this will give the best possible absorption, and it will also reduce any risk of stomach upsets, which some people experience when
taking creatine.
* Duration of a few weeks * An average dose more equivocal to a «loading» phase than a «maintenance phase» * A larger dose for potential responders who lack natural, dietary
creatine * A smaller dose for potential non-responders with a significant amount of existing dietary
creatine intake * A training protocol that emphasizes all phases of muscular energetics to
take advantage of the ATP - CP, glycolytic, and oxidative effects of
creatine supplementation (HIIT is ideal for cardiovascular exercise when supplementing
creatine, due to the repeated bouts of high intensity work) * A training protocol that incorporates negatives in order to stimulate satellite cell fusion,
as per Dr. Hatfield's theory of holistic training * A training protocol that emphasizes repeated bouts of work per the results of
creatine studies * A nutrition protocol tailored to reduce post-workout cortisol levels, which would involve a post-workout shake and possible glutamine supplementation * A nutrition protocol that
takes advantage of carb - load (super compensation) near the end of the cycle
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I exercise 4 days a week and I've read that I should continue to
take creatine on non-workout days
as well
as the days I do workout, in order to keep a constant supply of
creatine in my system.
Taking this compound in addition to
creatine monohydrate is also popular
as their benefits increase when
taken together5.
There are a number of benefits you can experience from
taking creatine regularly, but the 5 main ones are
as follows... Continue Reading →
Do you
take creatine for reasons other than (or
as well
as) its effects on physical performance?
Every newbie in the weight room can now
take comfort in knowing that many pro bodybuilders are just
as lost and misinformed
as them when it comes to
creatine supplements.
Hi Kevin, I've
taken creatine on and off for over 20 years, since it first became widely available
as a supplement (currently I use Creapure from Germany due to concerns about contamination from other sources such
as China, etc).
So if you wanted to
take creatine suppliments they would also be vegan (little secret he doesn't share meat eaters need to suppliment with it
as well to get performance benefits).