Best time to take creatine?

[Da OG]

When do the experts here think is the most effective time - morning, before a workout, during a workout or str8 after a workout?

I've noticed on the tubs that after loading you should take a maintenance load every day for 11weeks and take nothing for 4weeks. Do you lot follow this religiously? Does it depend how much your taking and would missing a day here and there of supplementation have a noticeable detriemental effect on your performance?

[Logic86]

* Should I take Creatine before or after my workout?

Seems like such an easy question - but as with most things, nothing is ever that easy. The answer that is right most of the time is - before your workout. However, the form of creatine (powder, liquid, gum, etc.) you use effects the answer. In addition if you are taking a supplement that has other ingredients in addition to the creatine - that can also play into the answer. So - let's look at some more detail...


* What do the scientific studies say about when to take creatine?

Most of the studies involved giving volunteers powder creatine monohydrate before a workout. If they were doing a loading phase it was split into 4 servings (5 grams each) and these were given throughout the day. Still other studies split the dosage even in the maintenance phase and give half the creatine before a workout and the other half after.

This all sounds confusing - but it points to two facts. First, very few studies have been done with taking creatine only after a workout. Second, the exact timing of when you take the creatine may not be critical. As long as you have creatine available to your muscles - it will be effective.

* So, with Creatine powder - should I take it before my workout or after?

Here is our advice - take the powder about 1 hour before your workout. Here is our reasoning...

It can take about 1 hour for the creatine to be absorbed into the bloodstream - and from that point you have about 1.5 hours to use the creatine or lose it. So, let's say you workout at 10am - here is our logic. At 9am you take the creatine powder. By 10am the creatine is in the blood stream. Your muscles are probably mostly saturated with creatine from the supplement you took the day before. So, some of the creatine you took at 9am may be absorbed into the muscles - but the rest is still in the blood. At 10am you start working out and depleting the creatine in your muscles. Your muscles then replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in the blood stream. Your workout ends at 11am (you really should not workout more than 1 hour - but that is a topic for a different day). Remember, you took creatine at 9am - but it was not absorbed into the blood stream until 10am. This means it will stay there until 11:30am (1.5 hours). So, now you have another 1/2 hour where your muscles can replenish their creatine supply if depleted. In a way you are getting the best of all worlds - you have creatine available before, during and after your workout.

You will hear other theories - but that is what we have found to be most effective. Since creatine supplies us with energy when working out - it is important we have creatine available during our workout. Creatine as a recovery agent is much less clear, so taking it after a workout to help with recovery is not proven.



http://www.absolute-creatine.com/9.htm

[omeo]

I take it post workout with Dextrose and Whey.
Reasoning: After a workout your body is a like sponge. Dextrose spikes insulin which increases absorption even more.

[Da OG]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll probably test it before a workout first and then try it just after for a few weeks and compare the results.

[clsmooth217]

I take creatine ethly ester with glutamine,BCAA'S,Arginine and whey pre and post workout.