I have the kind that you mix with water.
I’ve heard that I should take it before a workout, and I’ve heard to take it after. When is the ideal time to take it?
From my understanding it absorbs better with high GI carbs…so you would want to take it with your PWO Surge. That’s what I do.
W/ your PWO Surge or w/ Green Tea in the a.m. on non-workout days.
Danny
I may have misread something, but I had thought that the creatine was mistakenly thought to have been better absorbed with high GI carbohydrates. I think it was in David Barr’s article that he stated a certain type of sodium allowed for a better absorption within the muscle.
For the most part, though, taking it in hot water after a workout is what I have always heard works best. (How that relates to the post-workout shake in regards to timing is something I am not exactly sure on, though.)
If anyone cares to correct me or add something in, by all means, please do!
When should I take it if I dont have Surge?
[quote]silent_circus wrote:
When should I take it if I dont have Surge?[/quote]
With your PWO shake.
I put 1/2 a dose in my coffee pre workout, half in coffee post workout. This helps kill a few birds with one stone.If you don’t like coffee, tea works too. I just prefer the caffine/creatine/sugar combo.
At the most basic level some people say don’t wory too much about timing.Just get it in there.
Creatine uptake is enhanced after a workout, so throw in your PWO carbs, and even a little table salt, and you’re all set.
Cheers
With the usual dose being 5gr at a time, what makes anyone think that taking creatine AT ANY TIME YOU DAMN WELL PLEASE will produce less affects than taking it as you have described? This is creatine supplementation, not the instructions to make a bomb. Could someone please post these studies that confirm LESS absorption when taking it ANYTIME? I have never worried about when to take the stuff. When I was using it, I simply took it daily.
I have no source to site, but I thought I read somewhere that someone had done a study showing benefits to taking creatine pre-workout, as well. I believe it had something to do with quicker muscle recovery during the workout, allowing for more work to be done.
Definitely, you should have it post-workout, since that’s where you’re really feeding the start of the muscle recovery process. But a little before-hand, or during the workout, might be beneficial as well.
Between reps!
LOL! 
[quote]futuredave wrote:
Between reps![/quote]
I take mine post workout shake. Surge when I have it, skim milk and whey when I don’t.
I also add a little to my pre workout shake. It very well may just be placebo, but it seems to help me during my workouts.
Easy Prof X, no need to go into a creatine rage. lol
I’m inclined to agree with you that the evidence is less than compelling about the timing issue. Having said that, if PWO is the only time you’re going to get an insulin spike, it’s best to use it then.
BTW-I find it interesting that you take a view of creatine transport being hindered, as opposed to transport being enhanced, during certain times.
Cheers
[quote]David Barr wrote:
Easy Prof X, no need to go into a creatine rage. lol
I’m inclined to agree with you that the evidence is less than compelling about the timing issue. Having said that, if PWO is the only time you’re going to get an insulin spike, it’s best to use it then.
BTW-I find it interesting that you take a view of creatine transport being hindered, as opposed to transport being enhanced, during certain times.
Cheers[/quote]
No, I take the view of it not mattering much. I also take the view that many people seem to have an affinity for making things way more complicated than they have to be. If you are taking 5gr at one time, I seriously doubt any “enhanced” absorption is so enhanced that the person who takes it at a different time is receiving significantly less amounts into their system. I think it is mostly mental masterbation at best. The most important thing post workout is some form of simple carbs and protein (though not necessary can help reduce recovery and promote further growth). I am pretty sure that I can take creatine at 4 in the morning and, guess what? It still works.
So hostile.
BTW - I didn’t think superheroes needed supplements, X.
I start to drink it just as I am ending my workout. Thus … I premix … bring to the gym and start on it quickly … when my muscles are at their hungriest.
ALA is a great ingriedient to go w/ creatine.