Effectiveness of creatine?

[Xentric]

Im on whey right now, and its working good but Ive been thinking of implementing creatine into my diet as well. How fast does it kick in to your system and add water to your body? Any warnings from it? I heard stuff like it can cause acne and stuff, since it raises hormone levels...:dunno:

For fast bulking, I was told this is essential though, with whey of course.

[jay42w8]

for me it holds about 5 pounds of water weight but i use it mainly for strength...my benchpress went from max 185 to max 205 literally the first time i ever used it

and i dont know the exact science but it doesnt mess with ur hormones AT ALL has nothing to do with it

[DUBBED]

What creatine does is gives your muscles more stamina/strength so you can work out harder and longer. If you get the new transporters systems IE V12/Expand water retention is very minimal as it has been designed to prevent it. You will only gain water weight if you use 100% pure monohydrate.

Do drink lots of water when you're taking it however it's very easy to get dehydrated and get headaches etc.

[Tyler883]

Here's an amature's version of how creatine works, I'm certain that an expert will feel the need to correct me....

Energy in your muscle starts as a 'tri-P' and when you exert yourself, you are left with a 'bi-P' and waste..

I heard that creatine basically allows you to store extra 'p's in the muscle so when you are exerting yourself - the 'bi-P's can be quickly converted back into 'tri-P's so that they are available for more work.

Also, I heard that the way the creatine is stored, is combined with a high ratio of water causing a super hydration of you muscle tissue.

I don't know the physics behind this, but I've heard someone say the the water in your muscle might actually cause some sort of mechanical advantage.

anyway, even if all this is bs, creatine is widely used by alot of people, and the end result of increased stamina/strength is widely reported.

I have used it, and it typically allows me to add extra weight to the bar during my workouts, and I find the water retention can be easily lost with just one cardio session, so drink lots of water.

[Talon_lover]

If you are thinking about it use Kre Alykanin. It is pill forum so you just take one 1 hour before your workout for the NRG you need. They have also corrected the PH level of it to above 7 so that you dont all the stuff it is putting into your body when takin other creatines and also you dont get the creatine bloat from it either. I have used probably about 4 different creatines that were suppose to be top of the line and this one by far is the best one that there is hands down in my honest opinion. There is no loading phase either which is very nice as like stated before the ph level is higher then the rest so there for you dont need to load as it doesn't get broken down like all the other before your body can use it.

[Unknown303]

Tyler did a pretty good job explaining the process behind it there. I used if for a while and everyday you went to the gym you could almost add extra weight to your workout. But i've stopped now, not for any real reason though.

[1-Cent]

Originally posted by Talon_lover
If you are thinking about it use Kre Alykanin. It is pill forum so you just take one 1 hour before your workout for the NRG you need. They have also corrected the PH level of it to above 7 so that you dont all the stuff it is putting into your body when takin other creatines and also you dont get the creatine bloat from it either. I have used probably about 4 different creatines that were suppose to be top of the line and this one by far is the best one that there is hands down in my honest opinion. There is no loading phase either which is very nice as like stated before the ph level is higher then the rest so there for you dont need to load as it doesn't get broken down like all the other before your body can use it.

The results were really all in your head unless you weren't taking enough creatine monohydrate to begin with. The difference is in how its structure breaks down, it doesn't form creatinein, more is absorbed but the dosage is comparably less so you're absorbing the same amount at the end of the day. Don't waste your money, unless you're getting a great deal on it or CEE alternatively.

[5hift]

Originally posted by jay42w8
for me it holds about 5 pounds of water weight but i use it mainly for strength...my benchpress went from max 185 to max 205 literally the first time i ever used it

and i dont know the exact science but it doesnt mess with ur hormones AT ALL has nothing to do with it

It takes about a week to start working so I have a hard time believing your bench just jumped 20 lbs from using it once. Your strength gains were probably psychological.

[ecstasy_civic]

Originally posted by 5hift


It takes about a week to start working so I have a hard time believing your bench just jumped 20 lbs from using it once. Your strength gains were probably psychological.


lol
if thats all it took people would be living off this stuff

[jay42w8]

hmmm possibly ur right cuz i did take about a half year hiatus off the bench press so that had somehting to do with it

[jay42w8]

but honestly i went creatine for awhile and my bench press went down...when im on creatine i can bench 225 for 3-4 reps....when im off i can barely pull off one...

[5hift]

jay42w8

You have to look at other things besides what supplements your on for why your making gains or losing strength. How much you bench can depend on how many different things:

- calories/day you consumed for that week
- how much you slept your getting
- amount of water your drinking
- how fatigued you are from your day to day shit.

I've noticed a lot of people do an all or nothing approach to nutrition. Im not saying this is you, but I've seen guys who take creatine, eat tons of protien rich foods, drink tons of water etc, but then when they stop the creatine, everything else gets stopped as well for some reason. Then you hear things like once I stopped taking the creatine my strength just dropped.

Also the psycological effect works wonders man, just knowing you should be stronger with the assistance of creatine is enough for some to push through the ends of their sets.

If you do want to work with creatine, dont do all the cycling/maintence bullshit, just take 5 g's of pure creatine daily.

[^SkylinE^]

REally good tyler! This is a simplfied verson of how creatine works but basically sums it up very well.
If you would like more detail i can post up but im to tired right now maybe tomorrow!



Originally posted by Tyler883
Here's an amature's version of how creatine works, I'm certain that an expert will feel the need to correct me....

Energy in your muscle starts as a 'tri-P' and when you exert yourself, you are left with a 'bi-P' and waste..

I heard that creatine basically allows you to store extra 'p's in the muscle so when you are exerting yourself - the 'bi-P's can be quickly converted back into 'tri-P's so that they are available for more work.

Also, I heard that the way the creatine is stored, is combined with a high ratio of water causing a super hydration of you muscle tissue.

I don't know the physics behind this, but I've heard someone say the the water in your muscle might actually cause some sort of mechanical advantage.

anyway, even if all this is bs, creatine is widely used by alot of people, and the end result of increased stamina/strength is widely reported.

I have used it, and it typically allows me to add extra weight to the bar during my workouts, and I find the water retention can be easily lost with just one cardio session, so drink lots of water.

[afrotl]

So to all you creatine users what is the best product out there and why is it the best?