Do
you take creatine for reasons other than (or as well as) its effects on physical performance?
The usual method of
taking creatine for the first time is by introducing it to your body with a loading phase.
Taking creatine for 8 weeks or longer will downregulate the synthesis of creatine of your own body.
I have actually put on 1.5 kg or roughly 3 pounds over the last couple weeks but this coincided with the time at which I started
taking creatine for the first time so not sure if the added weight is water, muscle of fat to be honest.
I took creatine for awhile and felt great while I was on it.
Not exact matches
For example, sleep deprived rugby players who
took creatine improved their accuracy when throwing a ball (compared to those who did not
take 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.»
For example, take a blood for creatine kinase (to detect muscle inflammation), potassium levels, and kidney and liver functi
For example,
take a blood
for creatine kinase (to detect muscle inflammation), potassium levels, and kidney and liver functi
for creatine kinase (to detect muscle inflammation), potassium levels, and kidney and liver function.
For a greater effect,
take creatine in addition to your post-workout meal — insulin assists in the absorption of
creatine in skeletal muscles, so higher insulin levels will help maximize its efficiency.
Taking into consideration that
creatine supplements are very cheap, proven to be safe
for your health and the majority of people are looking to increase muscle strength and size, we suggest that you use around 3 - 5 grams of
creatine before and after going to the gym, so that you fully optimize the ability to put on slabs of meat on your frame and make yourselves stronger.
Several studies have confirmed that a dose of 5 grams of
creatine taken every day
for 12 weeks straight, both pre and after workout has led to a drastic increase in muscle tissue in comparison to the second group of subjects which
took creatine only in the morning and in the evening, without using it relatively close to the time before starting training or after finishing.
For example, whey protein, BCAA's,
creatine, natural testosterone boosters and fat burners are the best - researched supplements in the fitness industry and have proven to be safe and effective when
taken properly.
The loading phase has you
taking 20 grams of
creatine for 5 days after which you proceed to the maintenance phase of 5 grams per day.
Also,
for example, you can make sure to consume vitamin B12 fortified foods or supplements and meet your daily requirements of the vitamin without consuming meat, and you could easily get 5g of
creatine by
taking a supplement instead of having to eat two pounds of beef (not to mention the cost difference).
For best results you should
take creatine with High GI carbohydrates like dextrose.
Take glutamine and
creatine for faster recovery.
A general rule of thumb is to saturate your muscles with 20 grams of
creatine in five - gram servings
for a week, then bring the consumption down to 5 grams per day
for maintenance, or you could cycle your
creatine consumption by starting with.16 grams per pound -LRB-.35 g per kg) of bodyweight daily during the first week, then lowering the amount to.7 grams per pound -LRB-.15 g per kg) of bodyweight daily during week 2 - 4, then
taking the fifth week off and repeating the cycle.
It may not be safe
for everyone to
take creatine as everybody would react to it differently.
So if you are looking
for creatine supplements that you can
take on a regular basis this makes a good choice.
Athletes are known to
take L - arginine
for these main reasons: enhanced secretion of HGH and its involvement in
creatine and nitric oxide synthesis.
When
taken with enough carbohydrates and using an intense exercise regimen,
creatine supplements are effective in growing muscles and considered safe
for most people.
The students
took 12 g
creatine every day
for 15 days and ran before and just after the supplementation period
for 60 minutes at 65 - 70 percent of their maximal heart rate.
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)
For example, in one article I read, it stated that it
takes 4 to 6 weeks of loading
creatine powder to notice any effect, and that
creatine serum works right away - that's just an outright lie!
Now if you lift often or you are someone who plays additive sports
for strength and power I do recommend
Creatine for you ask any sports person they must be
taking the
Creatine to maximize their athletic goals because it is the most effective supplement out there.
«but
for now you can just «play it safe» by separating your caffeine and
creatine intake (which should happen naturally if you're
taking your
creatine post-workout)»
For my post workout shake, I
take 70g waxy maize, 5g
creatine, 5g glutamine.
Some advice simply
taking 5 to 10 grams of
creatine a day without a loading phase, others recommend a one week loading phase of 20g per day, and then 5g per day
for the rest of the cycle, where a cycle typically last around 4 to 8 weeks, and sometimes a little longer.
We'll have to see what shakes out of further research, but
for now you can just «play it safe» by separating your caffeine and
creatine intake (which should happen naturally if you're
taking your
creatine post-workout).
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.
The
creatine -
taking subjects initially loaded with 0.25 grams of
creatine per kilogram of lean body mass
for seven days, before 0.0625 grams over the subsequent 49 - day period.
Closely monitoring several markers of cell damage (including
creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, prostaglandin - E and tumor necrosis factor - alpha) in their sample of 18 male athletes (who used 20 grams of
creatine monohydrate per day
for five days, mixed with 60 grams of maltodextrine), the researchers found levels of these markers were reduced after the race, compared to 16 control subjects who
took only the maltodextrine.
Looking deeper, the average increase in reps performed at a given percentage of the lifters» maxes was 14 %
for those
taking creatine.
For the subjects who
took creatine their torque decreased less fast during their sets.
In a 2003 study, Dr. Kreider and his colleagues found that long - term
creatine use (over a 21 month period) did not pose any problems
for football athletes who
took five grams a day compared to their non-using counterparts.
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.
Another massive review (22 studies) published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research discovered that the average increase in muscle strength
for subjects
taking creatine while strength training was 8 % greater than gains made on placebo.
There are many reasons why you need to opt
for creatine, but the most important thing to remember is that if it is
taken in the right dosage, it can do wonders to your body.
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.
There doesn't appear to be a bad time to
take creatine, so whatever time of day you'll be sure to get it in is the time you should aim
for.
The reason
for this is research shows that
creatine is most effective when
taken after workouts and with carbs.
After my workout I will
take my whey protein and eat my breakfast (consisting of oatmeal / chia seeds / fruit
for carbs) and after I eat I plan to
take my
creatine (30 - 45 minutes post workout).
In this case, all that the user really has to do in order to
take Creatine is
for them to pop the pill into their mouth and swallow it down with water.
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.
On training days,
creatine should be
taken immediately post-workout because this is when muscle cells are primed
for creatine and nutrient absorption to help fuel growth and recovery.
Creatine is one such supplement used
for building muscle, which is safe when
taken in recommended dose.
Top 5 Reasons You Should Be
Taking Creatine Creatine is a popular supplement
for weight lifters and bodybuilders, but anyone who is serious about...
It's common practice to load up with
creatine by
taking at least four times the usual amount
for the first 5 — 7 days.
A typical loading phase entails
taking 5g of
creatine four times per day
for 5 days.
* 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