Creatine ? do you take it? does it work?
Discussion
SO ive just got back to going to the gym and its pretty much a last bid attempt at getting decent size and build. if i dont start now ill just be a podge forever!
ive been talked into getting some Creatine tablets by the guy in the shop but i hardly take them.
just wondering if any ph'ers take them/took them and feel they helped???
ive been talked into getting some Creatine tablets by the guy in the shop but i hardly take them.
just wondering if any ph'ers take them/took them and feel they helped???
I have taken creatine, infact I came off a cycle a month or so ago.
It works for some, doesn't for others. Ive only ever used it twice, because the first time I used it I didn't really see much improvement. However, this time around (a goof few years later) I think it really helped me. Saw some good strength increases, and weight gain. I think it was the combination of creatine, an increased diet and training like a nutter.
Do you understand how creatine works? If you don't, it may help you better understand the benefits you should get and therefore know if its helping you. I'll explainb if you want me too..?
You shold take it as much as it tells you too though. Just taking it every now and then won't allow your muscles to build up a higher level of creatine, and so really renders it pointless in taking it at all.
It works for some, doesn't for others. Ive only ever used it twice, because the first time I used it I didn't really see much improvement. However, this time around (a goof few years later) I think it really helped me. Saw some good strength increases, and weight gain. I think it was the combination of creatine, an increased diet and training like a nutter.
Do you understand how creatine works? If you don't, it may help you better understand the benefits you should get and therefore know if its helping you. I'll explainb if you want me too..?
You shold take it as much as it tells you too though. Just taking it every now and then won't allow your muscles to build up a higher level of creatine, and so really renders it pointless in taking it at all.
Edited by balders118 on Friday 12th November 16:12
Yes it does help some people and it can have no effect on others. It can also have a negative effect if you take too much and don't drink enough fluid as you can get cramps and be more susceptible to injuries as it can cause water retention in the muscle which can increase muscle stiffness. However it still remains one of the only proven supplements.
Like most other things, it's a supplement, designed as an addition to good diet and strenuous exercise. When you get the diet and exercise nailed down, you'll notice good improvements providing you stay with it regardless of what tablets, lotions and potions you are taking. See if you notice any difference after a few months of taking them, I always found that protein powder and creatine were a savvy choice and seemed to make a difference combined with a diet designed for what I intended to achieve.
They aren't a magic bullet - Some people swear by them, others aren't as impressed. Providing you follow a sensible diet and actively work out then you'll notice pleasing results from this alone. Providing you eat badly often, don't really bother doing much at the gym and down lots of supplements you may be very disappointed with the results.
You really do get out what you put in - Give it your best shot and work hard at it and you'll start seeing the benefits soon enough IMHO.
They aren't a magic bullet - Some people swear by them, others aren't as impressed. Providing you follow a sensible diet and actively work out then you'll notice pleasing results from this alone. Providing you eat badly often, don't really bother doing much at the gym and down lots of supplements you may be very disappointed with the results.
You really do get out what you put in - Give it your best shot and work hard at it and you'll start seeing the benefits soon enough IMHO.
Each to there own but it's had no effect on me- a bit of water retention for a week or so but nothing gain wise. Mono has alot of use to back it up (though nothing gospel) whereas CEE remains largely untested, and it tastes like cat piss
But, whatever floats your boat. If it works for you then good stuff. It seems to be a 50/50 supp- some rate it, others don't. I don't.
But, whatever floats your boat. If it works for you then good stuff. It seems to be a 50/50 supp- some rate it, others don't. I don't.
If it doesn't work for you, it's just becuase your body doesn't work with it rather than it being a placebo effect. Some people are more receptive to it than others. It can depend on your diet for example - if you are already eating a large amount of red meat, than your creatine in take is already fairly high, so supplementing won't make as much difference as someone who is a veggie. I expect there are many other factors too.
As for CEE over mono, you're right, it tastes like chewing on a paracetamol. The idea behind it is that it has a better effinity with your body so you need to take less for the same effect. I.e, for every 10g of mono you take, your body will absorb 6, but for CEE it would absorb 9. Those are just numbers picked out the air, but thats the principle. This reduces the unplesentries like water retention and dehydration.
Mono has been around longer though, you're right.
Don't get me wrong (and I think I cam across badly in my previous post) i've used both, and infact saw the better benefits from mono, but i'm putting that down to a *much* better diet and better training than the first time around.
As for CEE over mono, you're right, it tastes like chewing on a paracetamol. The idea behind it is that it has a better effinity with your body so you need to take less for the same effect. I.e, for every 10g of mono you take, your body will absorb 6, but for CEE it would absorb 9. Those are just numbers picked out the air, but thats the principle. This reduces the unplesentries like water retention and dehydration.
Mono has been around longer though, you're right.
Don't get me wrong (and I think I cam across badly in my previous post) i've used both, and infact saw the better benefits from mono, but i'm putting that down to a *much* better diet and better training than the first time around.
Body builders seen to rate it, strength athletes don't seem to. I think sometimes creatine is wrongly credited for hard work and good diet. Do the same thing with out the creatine and you might get the same results- that's my thoughts anyhoo.
Be it a placebo or not- if it helps with training then it can't be a bad thing!
Be it a placebo or not- if it helps with training then it can't be a bad thing!
didelydoo said:
Body builders seen to rate it, strength athletes don't seem to. I think sometimes creatine is wrongly credited for hard work and good diet. Do the same thing with out the creatine and you might get the same results- that's my thoughts anyhoo.
Be it a placebo or not- if it helps with training then it can't be a bad thing!
I can see why body builders would rate it and strength athletes wouldn't, and its down to the rep range you do. Body builder will train with higher reps than strength athletes. Creatine itself doesn't make you sronger. It gives you the ability to carry on without fatiguing so soon. This would be more beneficial to a higher rep training body builders, than the low strength training reps that lifters do.Be it a placebo or not- if it helps with training then it can't be a bad thing!
And your last comment I agree with. I use caffine to help me train sometimes. If I use unbranded stuff, I don't get a benefit, but using redbull I feel like i'm buzzing; physchological? Almost certainly, but who cares? It still gives the desired effect.
Creative is a bit more than a supplement like whey tbh. The amount people take could not be gotten in a normal diet, it's in some meats but not on a scale to make it noticeable.
I know plenty of people who feel they get nothing from it other than some bloat, personally i respond well to cee
I know plenty of people who feel they get nothing from it other than some bloat, personally i respond well to cee
Rob287 said:
I went on it for just over a week and found I couldn't wind down on an evening to get to sleep, I was wried to the moon 24/7. I'm not sure if its meant to do that or it was just in my head though. After a few days off it I was sleeping like a baby again. As a result I don't know if it worked for me, never got that far.
Thats probably a psychological effect. Creatine doesn't give you energy in the way caffiene does for example. It simply increases the your capacity to rebuild spent ATP (energy).I used it a few years ago and it definitely improved my lifts.
I did a bit of digging at the time and it turns out that vegetarians produce much less natural creatine in their muscles than meat eaters. I'm a vegetarian so this might explain it.
'Normal' people I know who've used it report inconclusive results.
I did a bit of digging at the time and it turns out that vegetarians produce much less natural creatine in their muscles than meat eaters. I'm a vegetarian so this might explain it.
'Normal' people I know who've used it report inconclusive results.
balders118 said:
Rob287 said:
I went on it for just over a week and found I couldn't wind down on an evening to get to sleep, I was wried to the moon 24/7. I'm not sure if its meant to do that or it was just in my head though. After a few days off it I was sleeping like a baby again. As a result I don't know if it worked for me, never got that far.
Thats probably a psychological effect. Creatine doesn't give you energy in the way caffiene does for example. It simply increases the your capacity to rebuild spent ATP (energy).in increased heart rate and difficulty in sleeping.It can also affect the lungs in some
instances (breathing capacity).If it works for you then great,but there's a number of
people who experience unpleasant side effects and don't stay on the stuff long enough
to say whether they're training improved or not.
I've used it a few times over the years but wouldn't bother now,it improved my
workouts but always at the expense of a few nights poor sleep and a week of slight
nausea during loading.
My brother is a vegetarian, trains more often than me (almost every day) and usually a higher rep range and a lot of cable work. He really rates creatine and says he notices a good impact on his endurance and muscle gain (and has grown a lot this year). But he does get / has to watch out for craps.
I've only used it once, many years ago when it 'came out' and was the Emperor's new clothes - the old fashioned white powder that you were supposed to load. I do think it helped and I did get stronger whilst on it. Probably ore than I'd have expected on the routine I was on at the time?
Haven't tried any of the newer versions though that you don't need to load, are supposed to be more efficient/better assimilated/less wasted etc. but might well get some soon. Any idea of which brand to get or whether to get one of the protein powders that has it in?
I've only used it once, many years ago when it 'came out' and was the Emperor's new clothes - the old fashioned white powder that you were supposed to load. I do think it helped and I did get stronger whilst on it. Probably ore than I'd have expected on the routine I was on at the time?
Haven't tried any of the newer versions though that you don't need to load, are supposed to be more efficient/better assimilated/less wasted etc. but might well get some soon. Any idea of which brand to get or whether to get one of the protein powders that has it in?
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