question about creatine

[T_Chapman]

whats the difference between taking creatine at morning/night and taking it pre/post workout?

should i take 5 grams each time i take it? or should i take 3 grams like some people mentioned?

thanks

[Holto]

pre: you need time for it to enter the cells

post: is when your body is primed to absorb it and your cells are depleted

non-training days I say take it with your biggest meal and definitely take 5 grams unless you are really tiny

[T_Chapman]

pre: you need time for it to enter the cells

post: is when your body is primed to absorb it and your cells are depleted

non-training days I say take it with your biggest meal and definitely take 5 grams unless you are really tiny

hmm so i should take 5gram on nonworkout days and 10 on workoutdays right?

why shold i take creatine with my biggest meal?

[T_Chapman]

i also heard you shouldnt take creatine with an acidic or caffeinated drink because it destroys the creatine. does that mean i cant drink orange juice and coke when im on creatine?

[Holto]

i also heard you shouldnt take creatine with an acidic or caffeinated drink because it destroys the creatine. does that mean i cant drink orange juice and coke when im on creatine?

no

[T_Chapman]

no

then when should i avoid caffeine and acidic drinks? how long do i have to prevent drinking them before/after taking creatine?

also you didnt answer my other questions.

[Ry2004]

i read thats one of the side effects with creatine is hair loss, i was wondering if anyone here has experienced that?

[Scott S]

i read thats one of the side effects with creatine is hair loss, i was wondering if anyone here has experienced that?

No. Creatine will not do that.

BTW, the danger of caffeine is overblown. Provided you're taking in plenty of carbs and water, your muscle cells will, too.

[Augury]

T-Chapman:

I dont know much about creatine at all. Sorry. I dont use it and so cant help one bit with when to take it etc. I can tell you what I know it does from various incidental reading ive done:

There are three types of creatine.
Creatine monohydrate
Creatine phosphate
Creatine pyruvate.
There are some creatine salts too...but i dont really care.

The difference between them? monohydrate is dirt cheap. The other two arent. monohydrate works just fine. Save your money. Do not be folled by shiny and glittery advertizing.

"Creatine in cells acts as a phosphate donor, allowing for the conversion of ADP -> ATP(muscle contractile energy). This conversion is the primary source of ATP for intense activity lasting 5-20 seconds. Supplemental creatine increases the usable phosphate pool, improving performance in the above conditions."

Creatine also causes intramuscular water storage, which isnt a bad thing at all. But will also make it look like you are "bulking up" when you take the stuff. Its water weight. That said, creatine as mentioned earlier makes ATP production easier for the body as phosphates are prevalently available and so lift harder and heavier (particularly on low rep movements). Hence you will be putting muscles under more tension and thus stimulate hypertrophic growth. So you will grow and put on muscle mass. Upshot? you put on water and some muscle. no worries so long as you know whats going on when your weight goes up. putting on water weight in muscles is also good becasue it aids with glycogen storage and it also can create mechanical leverage advantages from simply changing the shape (and thus effective insertion angle) of your muscle (but this is really a monor issue - and strikes me as virtually irrelevant).

Ive read that people "cycle" creatine loading and ive also read that its not needed. up to you really, do your own research on the topic I guess.

If you have any exisiting kidney problems i think creatine can aggrivate it so be wary if your kidneys are already shot. If your kidneys are healthy then i have read nothing to imply its bad for you.

Ill go look for when people i know do take the stuff take it and if i find anything helpfull ill post back here.

Augs

[Shao-LiN]

i read thats one of the side effects with creatine is hair loss, i was wondering if anyone here has experienced that?

One of the side effects of steroid use is hair loss. Creatine is not a steroid.

[T_Chapman]

T-Chapman:

I dont know much about creatine at all. Sorry. I dont use it and so cant help one bit with when to take it etc. I can tell you what I know it does from various incidental reading ive done:

....

Ill go look for when people i know do take the stuff take it and if i find anything helpfull ill post back here.

Augs

hey thats okay. you were still helpful.

its just that people tell you to avoid acidic and caffeinated drinks when taking creatine. but then i drink a lot of orange juice so i wanted to ask what the big idea is. unfortunately nobody seems to know why acid and caffeine should be avoided.

i also heard that glutamine cancels out the effects of creatine so to avoid glutamine when taking creatine. my casein has some glutamine so im kinda worried about that.

i also heard loading isnt necessary. id like to know why this is the case as the idea of loading/not loading is a controversial topic.

lastly people say that on nonworkout days i should only take 5g of creatine but with my largest meal. i would like to know why this is the case...

im going to start taking creatine on monday though... i guess ill take 5g before the workout and 5 grams after. i just find it frustrating that people dont give me all the info i want on it. they just give me short answers or they just dont know. then i wonder how someone could take supplements and not know these things about it. its not science. its just basic info. thanks though.

[Maki Riddington]

Read this link:

http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=20

[T_Chapman]

Read this link:

http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=20

i read it and it tells me to take 10g of creatine at once during loading. the whole time it tells you not to overload on creatine but it tells you to take 10g at once... your body cant absorb that much.

i also read other articles that said you shouldnt take less than 5g a day unless youre really small. oh boy... this is so confusing.

[Maki Riddington]

Why can't your body absorb that much?

When it comes to creatine, and the muscles, think of your muscles as a sponge. Although some research has shown that there is a ceiling effect when it comes to how much creatine can be taken in. This does not mean it is a bad thing if too much creatine is used. It just means that some of it is being wasted.

Going back to the muscles and it's role as a sponge, once there is too much creatine in the muscles the excess amount will be converted into creatinine and appears in the urine. Just like a sponge that is filled up with water the excess spills over and leaves the body.

Our bodies synthesize aproximately 1-2 grams a day of creatine from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. So, as the article stated, all you need once a loading phase has been completed is 2-3 grams to keep your muscles full. Anymore could be seen as a waste although you could take more if you are the paranoid type.

[T_Chapman]

Why can't your body absorb that much?

When it comes to creatine, and the muscles, think of your muscles as a sponge. Although some research has shown that there is a ceiling effect when it comes to how much creatine can be taken in. This does not mean it is a bad thing if too much creatine is used. It just means that some of it is being wasted.

Going back to the muscles and it's role as a sponge, once there is too much creatine in the muscles the excess amount will be converted into creatinine and appears in the urine. Just like a sponge that is filled up with water the excess spills over and leaves the body.

Our bodies synthesize aproximately 1-2 grams a day of creatine from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. So, as the article stated, all you need once a loading phase has been completed is 2-3 grams to keep your muscles full. Anymore could be seen as a waste although you could take more if you are the paranoid type.

i see. the article doesnt explain it like that. it says its a "waste" if you take 5g of creatine a day.

so do you think i should just take 3g before the workout? or after?

[Maki Riddington]

In the grand scheme of things it will not make a big enough difference whether you take it before or after a workout. Some will say post workout because of this or that reason and others will say pre workout. Evryone has an opinion and although common logic and science show that post workout may be the most effective time to take it, my opinion is that it really doesn't make a difference.

[T_Chapman]

In the grand scheme of things it will not make a big enough difference whether you take it before or after a workout. Some will say post workout because of this or that reason and others will say pre workout. Evryone has an opinion and although common logic and science show that post workout may be the most effective time to take it, my opinion is that it really doesn't make a difference.

oh okay. thx.

do you know why people tell you to avoid acid and caffeine when taking creatine? and does this mean i cant drink orange juice anymore?

[Growth]

The label wrapped around my creating container says to aviod taking creatine and caffeine in close proximity. i belive this is because caffiene consumption will be detrimental to how well your body utilises creatine

http://www.creatinemonohydrate.net/creatine_newsletter_19.html

It also says that mixing the creatine with a grapefruit drink will help absorbtion due to the slight carb boost. Dont belive its a bad idea to mix with acdic drinks, your stomach is acidc anyway so what would it matter.

[Ry2004]

is it ok to take creatine with whey protein, or should i just take my whey protein in the morning and the creatine pre/post workout?

[T_Chapman]

is it ok to take creatine with whey protein, or should i just take my whey protein in the morning and the creatine pre/post workout?

its okay to mix them.