The final word on creatine cycling

fat_wilhelm

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I'd like to know what everybody's opinion is on this. To this day, I still read articles stating both that creatine should be cycled and that it isn't necessary to cycle.

I've always cycled just to err on the side of caution, but I really haven't found anything to convince me one way or the other.
 
The saga continues, there has been no final word.
 
When you get a real answer, let me know. I cycle just because of the water retention. Gives me a week to piss out the bad.
 
Well, that settles that. I figured if anyone could steer me one way or the other, it would be you, Kabuki.
 
I thought the 'final' word would be no.


If your not in a rush, its better to lower the dosage and keep on it. Maybe come off it for a week once a year (but by which point if your body has become dependant then a week won't do anything)

Alas, there are no long term studies of the effects of creatine....yet
 
The final word is use it all year! as soon as u stop seeing results then load again and then keep doing the regular dosage. Ofcourse not all creatine was created equal, some old school creatines cause lots of bloating and not as good results, newer creatines however can do miracles, if u have the money then do Vitargo-CGL by a company called Nutrex, it aint cheap but i bet my wife and kids it will give u monster results real fast!!
 
Thanks. Is it at all similar to Cellmass? Right now, I can't justify switching from that because it's worked so well for me. I'll look into the Vitargo, though.
 
I cycle, and never load. Works for me. My results from creatine are minor, anyway.
 
The final word is use it all year! as soon as u stop seeing results then load again and then keep doing the regular dosage. Ofcourse not all creatine was created equal, some old school creatines cause lots of bloating and not as good results, newer creatines however can do miracles, if u have the money then do Vitargo-CGL by a company called Nutrex, it aint cheap but i bet my wife and kids it will give u monster results real fast!!

There's absolutely no reason to load creatine. Especially if you're mixing the basic monohydrate with some form of fructose.

Thanks. Is it at all similar to Cellmass?

Cellmass actually debunks the need for this thread. As it's Esterfied Creatine it completely bypasses the liver anyway and doesn't need to be cycled, that's one of it's selling points.
 
i always noticed better results when I cycle, load, and on some days take 10 grams of creatine
 
King Kabuki said:
Cellmass actually debunks the need for this thread. As it's Esterfied Creatine it completely bypasses the liver anyway and doesn't need to be cycled, that's one of it's selling points.

The main reasons I've heard in support of cycling, however, include the notions that:

a) your body stops responding to creatine, and thus you must "refresh" and start over to get further benefit.

and

b) if you're constantly on creatine, your body loses its own ability to transport creatine to muscles.

These are the main issues I was concerned with, which don't seem to have much to do with the liver unless I'm missing something, which is certainly possible. I'm assuming your point about liver bypass is in relation to the idea that cycling helps flush your system.
 
These are the main issues I was concerned with, which don't seem to have much to do with the liver unless I'm missing something, which is certainly possible. I'm assuming your point about liver bypass is in relation to the idea that cycling helps flush your system.

Correct.

a) your body stops responding to creatine, and thus you must "refresh" and start over to get further benefit.

That applies to MOST supplements. And smart people who actually put the supplements to real use (not just for vanity), cycle EVERYTHING.

b) if you're constantly on creatine, your body loses its own ability to transport creatine to muscles.

I've never heard that. But the natural fructose should help with this, unless of course you're using an Esterfied version, in which case this shouldn't be a problem at all.

But Mick knows more about all this than I do I think.
 
I think it was Jose Antonio who said not to do it for longer than two months because a toxicity can build up (even at the lower 2g/daily dosags).

Not that it matters to me. Frankly, I've never had the discipline to take a supplement every day for longer than two months (except weight gainers and protein powders).
 
King Kabuki said:
There's absolutely no reason to load creatine. Especially if you're mixing the basic monohydrate with some form of fructose

Fructose replenishes liver glycogen but does not replenish muscle glycogen, which is what you are aiming for when you take your creatine with a sugar...or this is what i've always been taught. I'm interested in your reasoning to pair it with fructose? Myself I only mix with a glucose usually just putting it in my shake and that is post workout only. Any other time I just take it with water...maybe I just read too much on the internet.
 
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