Pros and Cons of Creatine

[Soulytrack]

I've been contemplating taking Creatine.

I need my good people of TFF to tell me, why should I and why shouldn't I start taking Creatine.

I hear all kinds of positives, but there HAS to be some type of negative out there.

I'm all ears...

[AnwarSadatX]

i didn't have any negatives

usually you use it for a while then stop,

not long enough even if there were any downsides

[Soulytrack]

...i cant speak from experience so it's all hearsay from me.

But one of my boys, after he stopped taking it, it almost looked like depleted. Dude just lost a ton of mass.

How likely is that to happen?

[AnwarSadatX]

well basically what creatine does is help your muscles retain water mass, so they look bigger and more pronounced

when you stop, you lose a lil bit of that

but i didn't think it was that drastic

for me it wasn't anyway

[Soulytrack]

hmm...

thanks for your input.

oh, and which brand/make were you taking?

[AnwarSadatX]

hmmm... sh!t i can't remember

it was a pretty high end brand from a nutritional store, but i guess they'd all be quality if you went to a supplement spot

but one final thing, i personally wouldn't recommend it, jus cause it didn't really make a difference for me

my guess is the only time it'd be really effective is if you were an intense athlete or really deep in the weightlifting game

otherwise i'd just go for the protein shake joints

[andre patton]

hmm...

thanks for your input.

oh, and which brand/make were you taking?

creatine is a chemical. brands dont really matter. just try to get the most mg for your money.

there are some companies that add extra shiit in there to help your body metabolize the creatine, but its unnecessary. you can just make your own with 8oz of juice.

water retention is only about 5lbs when on creatine so i dunno how your boy shriveled up like that. it wasnt the creatine. at the end of the day, 5lbs is probably 2.5% of your body mass.

there really are no negs to it. 5g a day is plenty, dont take too much. you'll just piss it out and force your organs to process it. drink more water, like a gallon a day. enjoy your gains.

hmmm... sh!t i can't remember

it was a pretty high end brand from a nutritional store, but i guess they'd all be quality if you went to a supplement spot

but one final thing, i personally wouldn't recommend it, jus cause it didn't really make a difference for me

my guess is the only time it'd be really effective is if you were an intense athlete or really deep in the weightlifting game

otherwise i'd just go for the protein shake joints

some people are non responders. their body doesnt respond to the creatine. just like caffiene has no effect on some people, native americans have a hard time breaking down alcohol, etc.

but most people DO respond, and respond well. unfortunately you're just one of the unlucky ones. also, you may have had a shiitty workout routine or a shiitty diet.

[Soulytrack]

between a Gainer and creatine, what would be suggested?

[AnwarSadatX]

creatine is a chemical. brands dont really matter. just try to get the most mg for your money.

there are some companies that add extra shiit in there to help your body metabolize the creatine, but its unnecessary. you can just make your own with 8oz of juice.

water retention is only about 5lbs when on creatine so i dunno how your boy shriveled up like that. it wasnt the creatine. at the end of the day, 5lbs is probably 2.5% of your body mass.

there really are no negs to it. 5g a day is plenty, dont take too much. you'll just piss it out and force your organs to process it. drink more water, like a gallon a day. enjoy your gains.



some people are non responders. their body doesnt respond to the creatine. just like caffiene has no effect on some people, native americans have a hard time breaking down alcohol, etc.

but most people DO respond, and respond well. unfortunately you're just one of the unlucky ones. also, you may have had a shiitty workout routine or a shiitty diet.

it did work, just not very well, considering the small gains i made just eventually went away after i stopped my cycle

but you're right, some people it works some it doesn't

i'm sure there'll be some heads in here who benefitted

so to the threadstarter, keep in mind people are different and results vary

[andre patton]

i currently have this creatine (http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2133642&cp=2167077.2325087.2108320.2102405&parentPage=family) and this whey protein (http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2944029&cp=2665513) in my cabinets. the whey should last me about 6 weeks, the creatine should last about 6 months. i paid like $65 total cause its buy 1 get 1 50 percent off.

im not too up on gainers, but ive heard good things about muscle milk. id rather get them from food if i were you. track your meals on fitday for about a week or so, and make sure you're getting like 3700-4000 calories a day CLEANLY (less then 100g of fat a day) if you want to put on lean mass. that should give you a good sense of how much you need to eat to see gains.

if you follow this advice you'll see your strength gains go thru the roof in a months time. i wouldnt be surprised if you added 10 percent to your bench.

[Soulytrack]

this is the whey i'm on

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html

[Soulytrack]

andre, has the creatine been good to you?

[Cool The Kid]

I used creatine for like 2 months

Definitely bulked me up something crazy, put a cool 10-15 pounds of water weight on my body and added like 20# to all my exercises

Peeps say u gotta drink water more or it fukks up your kidneys. Yaaaa b*Tch Yaaaaaaa it's not that serious.

But really it's just a prop IMO. I stopped usin it cause I don't really drink too much water in the winter... lost a lot of gains. I will prob. start using it again in the summer just to kick up my swagger a notch and not lose too much mass while I'm cutting.

[Soulytrack]

so how good are the creatine effects if i also feel the need to burn some excess fat.

is it counter-productive for me to do so?

[Spliff Star]

Damn lol do you guys just stop lifting when you're done with creatine or what :laugh: No reason to fall off as much as you guys are describing.

At most creatine puts on roughly 7lbs of water after a cycle. And that's if you don't drink enough water. Lack of water = body retains more water, hence water retention. Any more than that is muscle and fat.

Monohydrate makes you bloat.

Getting off a cycle sets me back roughly a week or two. No big deal.

[Soulytrack]

just got off the phone with my boy though...

he told me DONT DRINK ALCOHOL if youre on creatine.

i dont even drink often at all, but the thing is im going on an All-Inclusive trip in 4 weeks...



:guilty: bad idea?

[Soulytrack]

Monohydrate makes you bloat.

so what should i take?

[andre patton]

andre, has the creatine been good to you?

yeah definitely.

its really cheap, and effective even in small amounts. theres no reason not to take it. even if you are trying to lose fat creatine is good because it will help you build muscle, which will lower your bf% and also burn fat in the mean time.

i only spend 10 cents a day on creatine. and when i go off it, my lifts arent really weaker anyway. i only lose a few lbs of water weight, and i might be a rep or 2 short on my lifts, but thats it.

[andre patton]

so what should i take?

ehtyl ester is cool if you're really worried about the bloat. im on mono and i dont bloat. i also drink a lot of water though...like 2 gallons a day.

alcohol is a dehydrator so keep that in mind. you want to stay as hydrated as possible. but i wouldnt let that stop me from having a good time on my trip id get mad fukked up. i do that like once a month anyway.

[Soulytrack]

thanks alot yall, i think my mind is pretty much made up.

So about 5-10g a day should be good right?

Andre, didnt u say you was going on a trip too? :laugh: man i cant ****in wait b!

[Spliff Star]

If you're taking plain creatine monohydrate (ie no extra mixed in stuff) make sure you drink something to give you an insulin spike, like a grape drink or cranberry juice or something. More creatine will be delivered to the muscle this way.

Why do you think Celltech is jammed with so much suger?

This doesn't mean go take a table spoon of sugar with your creatine. Go look up ways to create an insulin spike.

Most brand creatine already has a "delivery service" in their product, just stuff like that one guy linked you'll need an outside source.