Question on Creatine???

[RRJ]

No, ur hard earned
mass does not go away. And by the way, there isnt any reason u should stop using it. Skip the
loading phase and start with 5 grams a day, dont cycle on or off it, that prevents water
retention and u still get all the great benefits. I actually beleive its essential for optimal health,
therefore i have 5 grams of creatine a day, every day.

[EScoTT]

I just started using
Creatin, and im in the 1st week of it, where u gotta take it 4 times a day...

I wanna
know what is the best time to take the creatin, before or after workout...or both, or what do i
gotta do?

And if anyone knows any harmful side effects, to list them..

Thanks.

[RRJ]

There are no harmful
side affects. And if ur going to go ahead and do the whole loading phase like ur currently doing
which should be 20 grams a day. Take 5 grams in the morning, before workout, after ur
workout (in ur post workout shake), and later on before bed. 5 grams are a rounded
teaspoon.

[EternalBone628]

when you cycle
creatine, lets say 4 weeks on and 1-2 weeks off, lets just say, after those 1-2 resting weeks, do
u do the loading phase again for the first week?

[Glasscity Thug]

u really should never
cycle off creatine after taking it only 4 weeks . u shouldn't really cycle creatine, if u do i
beleive the minumum should be 8-10 weeks. i believe in longer duration w/ low amounts or
short duration w/ high amounts. the longer u stay on it the better chance u have to keep ur
gains.

[RRJ]

Good man Glass.
After uv done the whole loading phase, which really isnt necessary at all, u should continue to
take creatine everyday. 5 grams (teaspoon) a day.

[EternalBone628]

thanx guys

[EScoTT]

thanks man

[EternalBone628]

Kid
Pringle,

"...every muscle in your body needs 48hrs to recover (except ur abdominals) so
ive been told..."

how long does it take for the abdominals to recover? more or less
time?

[Darkchild]

Kid Pringle,

"...every muscle in your body
needs 48hrs to recover (except ur abdominals) so ive been told..."

how long does it
take for the abdominals to recover? more or less time?

ive been
told it takes 24 hrs for them to recover


oh, and another thing, make sure you have
AT LEAST 4-5 hours in between creatine doses, otherwise u will get dem stomach cramps i
been talkin about, and trust me, they ain't no fun

[EternalBone628]

thanks for the heads
up, Kid Pringle

[RRJ]

Good lookin Neruk...I was about to ask that

tsar - how
come u always say "the loading phase isnt necessary"??

I got some more
questions:

1. How many days out of the week, should i 'NOT' work out???And in
what pattern...

2. Say for some reason, i take creatine, but i dont work out at all
anymore (not sayin i would ever do that)....what will be the results of that? ......I heard if
someone did that, their muscles would go flabby or something...is that true.....??

3.
When taking the 5 grams of creatine, how much water should i be drinking with that??? or
does it matter??


Creatine is a supplement that needs no
introduction. While some people may argue this point with me, I think that continual creatine
supplementation is essential for good health as well as athletic performance. While creatine
has been discussed in the athletic context quite extensively, it has some amazing regenerative
effects on all tissues of the body including brain. I think that historically we humans have had a
high creatine intake (due to eating a lot of meat) and we've physiologically adapted to this
intake. Now, unfortunately, most people don’t get enough of it in the diet so there is, what I
might call, a sub clinical deficiency. There are others, of course, that eat enough meat or have
an upregulated endogenous creatine production and we call these people "non-responders".
But the majority of people out there will receive benefit from basic, powdered creatine
supplementation.

I usually recommend 3-5g per day (1 teaspoon), every day –
dissolved in a warm beverage like green tea. Using this amount of creatine should increase
power output by about 10%. This means heavier loads in the gym, more explosive lifts, and
increased athletic performance. For older folk, this means more daily functional capacity. Since
3-5g per day is a rather modest dose, water retention, cramping, etc. isn't an issue (cramping
isn't usually an issue even at higher doses). With all the fancy creatine supplements out there,
a lot of people have forgotten about simple, powdered creatine. But that’s all I use with my
clients, and myself.

And to what Kid pringle said. You should be drinking plenty of water
regardless if ur supplementing with creatine of not. And i once too got bad cramps using
creatine, but it wasnt pure creatine, the simple kind. Rather it was Cell-Tech, and the reason
for that was all the added sugar and nitrates.

1. The rule of thumb is 48 hours (including
abs), but u also have to know ur own body and its limits. Are u a newbie to lifting? Gimme some
more info on ur stats and exactly what it is u want to accomplish.

2. No, it is not
true.

3. Yes it matters, even if u werent taking creatine it matter. Drink plenty of water,
at least 2 cups with every meal.

[EScoTT]

thanks
man...

when u said, creatine should increase power output.., to do explosive
lifts....does this mean ur taking it before or after the workout???, cuz ive been told to take it
right after work out..

[RRJ]

On workout days,
take it immediately after ur workout, in ur post-workout shake. On off days, take it in the morn,
like stated above, dissolved in some warm beverage or just straight with some h2o.

[EternalBone628]

wut about taking
creatine about an hour before a workout, and once more after your workout? and taking
creatine before a workout, would that help to increase power output and reduce muscle
fatigue?

[Darkchild]

wut about taking creatine about an hour before a
workout, and once more after your workout? and taking creatine before a workout, would that
help to increase power output and reduce muscle fatigue?

Should
definately take creatine before a workout. Creatine stays in the bloodstream for around
90minutes, so if u take creatine around 45-60 mins before your session, that should be fine, as
it can take around 60 mins for the creatine to be absorbed into the bloodstream (of course this
depends on what form of creatine you're taking, i used to take powdered which took around
60 mins, all the others like liquid, efeervescent, serum etc.. are absorbed within 20-30mins)
Muscle growth results from the creatine in ur bloodstream being absorbed into the muscle. So
basically, if you're lifting and you exhaust the creatine supply in your muscles, then creatine
from the bloodstream can be absorbed into the muscle. So, a typical good work out lasts for
around 60 minutes ... this means, that if you work out for 60 minutes, there is still creatine in
your bloodstream for another 30 minutes AFTER workout, meaning you dont really have to
take more creatine after workout, as there is already creatine in ur bloodstream. But, some
companies have mixed creatine with other supplements that are useful as a recovery agent
(hence useful after workout) You should know exactly what is in ur creatine before you start
using it.

Also, on ur off days, i would recommend taking only half of the dose you take
on the days you work out

[Darkchild]

wut about taking creatine
about an hour before a workout, and once more after your workout? and taking creatine
before a workout, would that help to increase power output and reduce muscle
fatigue?

yes, man

as befor workout meal I take a protein
shake mix with oatmeal and wait for about 60mins and then workout and after workout I'd say
take the creatine that's when it gets sucked more 'cuz creatine is over 56g of carbs i think if
im not mistake so yeah


To be honest Daii, i would do the
exact opposite of what you are doing.

I would take creatine before a workout (reasons i
gave above) and a protein shake after workout (as protein helps repair and rebuild the broken
muscle fibres) but also have something very high in carbs, some other sorta of Post Workout
Shake, like one of those mass gainer shakes, which is basically all carb, cuz u need the carb
to help replenish the glycogen lost in the muscle during workout. A good form of both is just
some cereal and some milk or a fruit shake. Alot of people don't believe in the benefits of
protein after a workout, but i do. :-)

[EternalBone628]

i appreciate both ur
replies, and i myself, believe in drinking a protein shake within an hour after a workout.

I
have one more question thats concerning creatine, and here it is...

I've been reading
up on EAS Phosphagen Elite, which of course has Creatine Monohydrate, but i wanted to
know if this is a good brand to use compared to other brands, like CellTech's Creatine, has n
e one tried the EAS brand? I just want to know if the EAS creatine is a good, reliable creatine
supplement.

Just want some feed back on it, I'd appreciate n e replies, thanks...

[EScoTT]

what if you dont take
a post workout shake???

[Darkchild]

i appreciate both ur replies, and i myself, believe in
drinking a protein shake within an hour after a workout.

I have one more question thats
concerning creatine, and here it is...

I've been reading up on EAS Phosphagen Elite,
which of course has Creatine Monohydrate, but i wanted to know if this is a good brand to use
compared to other brands, like CellTech's Creatine, has n e one tried the EAS brand? I just
want to know if the EAS creatine is a good, reliable creatine supplement.

Just want
some feed back on it, I'd appreciate n e replies, thanks...

only
creatine i ever tried awas musashi, however, i will check up on this brand with a few friends for
you, see if they know of it.



what if you dont
take a post workout shake???


With respect to what? what
do u mean?

[EternalBone628]

thnx Kid Pringle, I'd
really appreciate that.

[RRJ]

Simple pure creatine
people, skip the cell-tech. And taking creatine before a workout does not increase the power
output for that current workout. Its not too complicated, just take ur 5 grams after ur workout
immediatlely in ur shake, and on offdays whenever.

And if u dont take a post workout
shake, u need to! I'ts not debatable, its a must. And when u do, watch ur gains increase.

[EScoTT]

Some people say
they drink a some kind of post workout shake, after they work out......


Is this
necessary, or should i be taking one too?

[Darkchild]

Some people say they drink a some kind of post workout
shake, after they work out......


Is this necessary, or should i be taking one
too?


Yes, i fully believe in taking both a high protein post
workout shake and a high carb post workout shake, you need to have something high in carb,
because during a workout you lose glycogen from your muscles, you need something high in
carbohydrates to help replenish this lost glycogen, and i believe that protein drinks do help
repair the broken muscle fibres sustained during workout

[EScoTT]

So after i work out, i
take my creatine....and then i should drink a protein shake also....or is that too much in too little
time???

[Glasscity Thug]

no, thats perfect n u
really should actually mix the creatine in w/ ur protein after u train

[EScoTT]

oh fer real, i thought
the best thing to take creatine with was water, becuase thats mainly what it does, is put
WATER in your muscles....so thats why i been takin it with water....ill do it with that WHEY
now...


Usually, how long does it take to notice any changes when your on
creatine???, because i read that you can notice a difference in your body after about a week,
and ive been on it for a week and 2 days..and been working out every day besides a REST
DAY..and im not gaining any weight, or seeing any changes.....



Should i be
changing my workout .....

i work out my chest, bicepts, tricepts, deltoids and back
everytime i work out....
this workout, takes about an hour or so...should i be doing
something different???

and then for legs and stuff, im always playing basketball
eachnight running up and down the court...so i figure thats fine for the legs..

[Glasscity Thug]

it really doesn't
matter what u take u take creatine w/ h2o, grape juice or w/ ur protein it really dont matter. just
make sure ur drinking plenty of h2o throughout the day.u defnitley need to change ur workout
program up if u want max results. if u wanna some input on a training split let me know, but i
need to know a few things, how long have u been training, how often do u train, how serious
are u , and hows the diet look? these few things will help us see where u are and we can take
from there

[EScoTT]

aigh
yeah


Ive been liften for about a year on and off...but ever since i went on the
creatine.,.ive just started to work out again for the past 2 weeks....ive been on the creatine for
a week and 1 days..

I work out everyday, at around 4-5 pm...unless im busy, then ill do
it at night around 8-9 pm..

Im real serious about this...i just wanna get bigger, cuz i dont
wanna be skinny side anymore...


For my diet, i dont really have one...i try to eat as
much as possible when i can, when theres food in the house or whatever......
I try to stick
to water these days, instead of pop and crap....
i eat everynight, before i go to bed...i each
breakfast , lunch and dinner, and maybe some snacks inbetween..., sometimes i eat when im
not even hungry...

I eat meat every day for dinner..

I just cant gain weight, ive
been tryin for years now, thats why im on the creatine now...so i can gain weight with muscle
and hope to get bigger at the same time..

I weight 145 lbs.. and im 5'8...