Hey everyone… I’ve been lurking for almost two years now and I thought it was about time I start posting. I’ve been lifting for over two years now, but up until a year ago my lifting was on and off. I’m on 531 right now because my lifts need major improvement, and I plan on sticking to this for the next little while until I make some respectable gains.
I’ve read a few of the articles on creatine, but I still need some advice. I’m looking into taking creatine monohydrate to help improve my lifts and size, and I want to know what I’m getting into before I start. Are there any legitimate concerns I should have when it comes to creatine in your experience?
Anything I should absolutely know before I start? How should I cycle and how many grams should I take per day? How much water should I be drinking? And so on.
I’m 18, I weigh in at about 165 at 5"10. Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!
I loaded when I first started using it in the 90s, and I had good results. Load with 20 to 30 grams a day (5 grams per dose). Take it with carbs if you can (maybe not necessary but helpful IMO). Back in the day, they used to recommend sugary drinks like grape juice to mix your creatine in - that’s not necessary - just take it with a meal or in a protein drink. Any kind of feeding probably works, but at least “some” carbs if possible.
I’m a responder to creatine and I’ve had good results so I’ll take 10 grams a day routinely.
[quote]K2000 wrote:
I loaded when I first started using it in the 90s, and I had good results. Load with 20 to 30 grams a day (5 grams per dose). Take it with carbs if you can (maybe not necessary but helpful IMO). Back in the day, they used to recommend sugary drinks like grape juice to mix your creatine in - that’s not necessary - just take it with a meal or in a protein drink. Any kind of feeding probably works, but at least “some” carbs if possible.
I’m a responder to creatine and I’ve had good results so I’ll take 10 grams a day routinely.[/quote]
I’m fairly light (165 pounds) and according to the Catching Up On Creatine article, even 3 grams a day without any loading is sufficient. Do you know about how people have responded with low doses like that? I’m definitely open to taking higher doses, but I don’t want to risk anything by over stressing my kidneys.
[quote]sameersethi2002 wrote:
I’m fairly light (165 pounds) and according to the Catching Up On Creatine article, even 3 grams a day without any loading is sufficient. Do you know about how people have responded with low doses like that? I’m definitely open to taking higher doses, but I don’t want to risk anything by over stressing my kidneys.
How much do you weigh?[/quote]
Any poster on this forum who joined before 2009 will tell you that taking creatine is in no fucking way whatsoever dangerous for your kidneys. Creatine and creatinine (the waste product when creatine is broken down) are in no way dangerous at all. There’s a “kidneys not working 100%” or something thread where MODOK wrote a great post about that, I’ll try to find it. EDIT: here it is:
[quote]MODOK wrote:
You should read my above post. Creatinine is the waste product of creatine. It is NOT a marker of kidney function in and of itself. You have a falsely elevated creatinine level due to taking creatine. The test assumes you aren’t taking creatine and draws conclusions based on that fact. Your kidneys are FINE. Trust me- I assess kidney function for a living. You can continue to take the creatine. It is not damaging or toxic to your kidneys in any way.[/quote]
5 grams a day is pretty standard. And it costs less per month than most people spend on coffee per day.
Much appreciated everyone. I’m beginning in September once school starts. I’ll be drinking a gallon of day (or I’ll try), taking between 3-5 grams per day and hopefully I’ll notice a difference with some hard work! Thanks again.
[quote]sameersethi2002 wrote:
Much appreciated everyone. I’m beginning in September once school starts. I’ll be drinking a gallon of day (or I’ll try), taking between 3-5 grams per day and hopefully I’ll notice a difference with some hard work! Thanks again.[/quote]
just drink a gallon. depending on how long ur school day is, drink 4 ounces every 15 minutes for 8 hrs. my classes start at 8:30. I start hydrating at 7 and end at 3 (end of school, then i train). it always gives me a better lift and i feel great when i do
Taking creatine before a kidney function test is like eating a pork sausage right before your cholesterol test, or a bag of poppy seeds before a drug test.
[quote]beeph wrote:
or a bag of poppy seeds before a drug test.
[/quote]
seinfeld. to add to that, dont take creatine before you work out. it draws water from your tendons making them dry leaving them susceptible to tears and strains.
[quote]CSEagles1694 wrote:
…, dont take creatine before you work out. it draws water from your tendons making them dry leaving them susceptible to tears and strains. [/quote]
Or you could just employ a little common sense and drink plenty of fluid with your creatine.
I know many people who regularly consume creatine pre-workout and none have ever had any tendon “tears or strains.”
[quote]CSEagles1694 wrote:
dont take creatine before you work out. it draws water from your tendons making them dry leaving them susceptible to tears and strains. [/quote]
Probably just an impossible myth. Even if you don’t drink a lot of water, way more muscle cells are in contact with capillaries than with the tendon. And it isn’t that hygroscopic.
The muscle cells won’t absorb more water than you drink with the creatine. Drink it whenever you want, it doesn’t matter.
I appreciate the feedback everyone. Just two final questions, on days that I’m not working out … I should take it first thing in the morning, correct? And when I’m loading, should I be taking the entire dose at once or should I split it up?
When doesn’t matter, just take lots of water. Hell, lots of water creatine or not.
Second, most of use agree theres no point in loading anyway so don’t do it. If you really wanna load, it doesn’t matter when you take it (again.) You may find it better to split it up though, six scoops of creatine won’t be pleasant at once and could very well give you gastro issues (unless you’re using ethyl ester)