Thinking of trying Creatine, anyone have any experiences with it?

[Rygu]

I just ordered this from Amazon

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000TCV7TW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I workout 5 days a week and take BCAAs, figured I would give this a shot since I remember people back in the day raving about it. To those who have tried it does it actually work, can/could you see the difference in your strength/build?

 

[No Skill Gap]

You don't need to buy an expensive creatine, it's all the same shit. Just buy creatine monohydrate from some bulk company, cheapest non-ghetto one you can find on Amazon.

- Does it work? I guess so. I definitely think I've lifted a bit more, maybe had more power, an extra rep or two more while consistently taking creatine. It's scientifically proven to work, it's one of the most reliable legal supplements, number one really. Some people are allegedly non-responders but idk how true that is or the odds. Yes it works, but it's like a 5% boost type thing, not necessarily super noticeable.

- I just take 5g a day in a protein shake or whatever when I'm taking it personally. I don't do the loading, so it might not kick in right away. It's a long-term thing you need to hit a certain threshold. If you want to load it's like ~25g for a week in a row, then you go to 3-5 grams a day for as long as you want. I just go with ~5 grams daily like I said. Takes time to work.

- Also you said BCAAs, my opinion would be that's you just pissing money down the drain. Might as well light that money on fire. Pretty much worthless as long as you're getting anywhere remotely close to decent protein intake. It's maybe beneficial if you were cutting super hard or fasting or something, but it's mainly a scam.

Creatine is pretty much the safest and most effective non-PED you can take so yeah. Creatine and Fish Oil are the big two supplements that actually work and are safe, generally. Well outside of caffeine.

 

[Xoleth]

I am a non-responder and gave me constipation (while drinking a lot of water, yeah), but try it.
I've noticed I feel better during workout by taking a potassium pill + little salt before gym.

 

[Whitebeltatlife]

It's fine and safe, but as said it can give constipation/bad farts etc. I prefer regular protein powder. As you've bought it you may as well use it now and see.

 

[Blake_UK]

I always liked it.

Cheap and proven effective (don't bother buying the fancy stuff it's all the same). Loading makes no difference in my experience and make sure to drink plenty of water.

3-5mg preworkout is standard preferably with some fast carbs and caffeine. It boosts ATP production so best for weights/HIIT training.

I do IF and train fasted so I have it in my post workout drink with BCAAs and fruit juice (+ZMA & Omegas). I feel it def helps with the pump and with recovery.

Alongside Omega oils and protein powder its the most researched and proven supplement to work but it's only a small difference (tho it's cheap so good value imo).

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a750240/what-is-creatine/

 

[figss]

I always liked it.

3-5mg preworkout is standard preferably with some fast carbs and caffeine. It boosts ATP production so best for weights/HIIT training.


https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a750240/what-is-creatine/

Its 3-5 grams per day, everyday to see results in about a month. The exception is that if you do a front loading period. Creatine does nothing as a pre-workout and is just added to commercial pre-workouts because people recognize the name and think it is effective. Most of them only have 1 gram of creatine per dose anyway.

edit: Added it takes a month to normally see results. Everything else is a placebo.

 

[Blake_UK]

Its 3-5 grams per day, everyday to see results in about a month. The exception is that if you do a front loading period. Creatine does nothing as a pre-workout and is just added to commercial pre-workouts because people recognize the name and think it is effective. Most of them only have 1 gram of creatine per dose anyway.

edit: Added it takes a month to normally see results. Everything else is a placebo.

I meant take it everyday either pre-workout or in my case post-workout.

 

[Dream Evil]

Anyone have an opinion on creatine for people who train primarily for fitness/weight loss as opposed to strength/mass? Worthwhile or no?

 

[No Skill Gap]

Anyone have an opinion on creatine for people who train primarily for fitness/weight loss as opposed to strength/mass? Worthwhile or no?

I don't fully understand the question but creatine has been linked to improving cognitive ability as well, but to what degree is not really known and is likely very minor.

From the standpoint of being able to lift X% more weight or do X% more reps, or have X% more power you could logically build more muscle mass and progress more by using creatine as opposed to not using it.

But I'm not sure what "fitness" means necessarily. If you want to lose weight well creatine will add weight on you in the form of water. So you won't add fat but you will add weight if that matters at all. There's really no reason not to take it unless you're lazy in my opinion, but at the same time it's not a big deal if you don't take it and it's only a minor help.

 

[Dream Evil]

I don't fully understand the question but creatine has been linked to improving cognitive ability as well, but to what degree is not really known and is likely very minor.

From the standpoint of being able to lift X% more weight or do X% more reps, or have X% more power you could logically build more muscle mass and progress more by using creatine as opposed to not using it.

But I'm not sure what "fitness" means necessarily. If you want to lose weight well creatine will add weight on you in the form of water. So you won't add fat but you will add weight if that matters at all. There's really no reason not to take it unless you're lazy in my opinion, but at the same time it's not a big deal if you don't take it and it's only a minor help.

What I mean is that I don't have any particular goals in terms of lifting more weight, or getting bigger. Most of my training is bodyweight training, or utilizing kettlebells and things like that. My goals are to improve my time on 100 burpees, getting through circuits faster, etc. Not sure if creatine is worthwhile for that style of training.

 

[No Skill Gap]

What I mean is that I don't have any particular goals in terms of lifting more weight, or getting bigger. Most of my training is bodyweight training, or utilizing kettlebells and things like that. My goals are to improve my time on 100 burpees, getting through circuits faster, etc. Not sure if creatine is worthwhile for that style of training.

Yeah well, idk. Do you not want to gain 5 lbs of muscle if you hypothetically could?

Not saying creatine would do that for you but the idea is you could use heavier kettlebells, do more reps and harder bodyweight movements by some small margin. I'd imagine creatine "would" help you improve your 100 burpee time, but to what extent I have no clue. Extremely minor.

What you're saying sounds more like Beta-Alanine would be what you want I guess? The thing is all the supplements are really only going to help a tiny bit if that, unless we're talking steroids/HGH type shit. Creatine is basically the de facto king of legal supplements. It works, it's the most researched, it's safe, it's also cheap.

I used to use this site - https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/ a fair amount, it's pretty good. If you look at the chart at the bottom it will give you an idea of what Creatine will do for you, or read the synopsis. Like I said, it's just a minor thing and I guess if your goals don't include gaining muscle or strength then it's even less necessary.

 

[Dream Evil]

Yeah well, idk. Do you not want to gain 5 lbs of muscle if you hypothetically could?

Not saying creatine would do that for you but the idea is you could use heavier kettlebells, do more reps and harder bodyweight movements by some small margin. I'd imagine creatine "would" help you improve your 100 burpee time, but to what extent I have no clue. Extremely minor.

What you're saying sounds more like Beta-Alanine would be what you want I guess? The thing is all the supplements are really only going to help a tiny bit if that, unless we're talking steroids/HGH type shit. Creatine is basically the de facto king of legal supplements. It works, it's the most researched, it's safe, it's also cheap.

I used to use this site - https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/ a fair amount, it's pretty good. If you look at the chart at the bottom it will give you an idea of what Creatine will do for you, or read the synopsis. Like I said, it's just a minor thing and I guess if your goals don't include gaining muscle or strength then it's even less necessary.

Thanks for that info and the link, appreciate it!

 

[Fahcough]

I am a non-responder and gave me constipation (while drinking a lot of water, yeah), but try it.
I've noticed I feel better during workout by taking a potassium pill + little salt before gym.

Weird how it acts different in 2 bodies. Mines the opposite, take it and wait around 15 minutes because it's going to stir the guts up. Tried ON micronized creatine powder a handful of times and can't stomach it, guts are twisted for an hour after. Think the GNC brand did the same thing. 2 weeks ago have started on Bodybuilding signature monohydrate creatine and it's much smoother, stomach doesn't respond at all. Have been increasing weights at the same time, not sure if mental effect or actual results.

 

[DEVILsSON]

It works.

Make sure to get the 'micronized' version. I found it eliminate bloating and other issues compared to standard creatine monohydrate.

 

[TeTe]

Like others said, don't get hung up on the brand.... just make sure you take it consistently.

Also, BCAAs are only worth it if you have a vegetarian/vegan diet. Even a scoop of protein powder should have the necessary BCAAs that you need for the day.

 

[Amianto]

I never took creatine because I have read that it can cause thinning and loss in hair.

 

[wufabufa]

I never took creatine because I have read that it can cause thinning and loss in hair.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19741313/

This is the only study I've found that shows creatine can increase DHT. It's a super small study with n=20 and only ran for 3 weeks. The only way it might accelerate hair loss is if you've got the genes for it and your hair follicles are sensitive to it. Wanna know other things that will increase DHT? Exercise, eating a balanced and nutritious diet, lowering stress, sleeping well, staying lean, and having sex. Better cut those things out too since you'll go bald from all of that test converting to DHT.

The only thing that will save your hair if balding runs in your family is to nuke your DHT via chemical castration with finasteride or dutasteride. I'll let you research the side effects.....

 

[KGmma]

So I have over the course of this year started taking my strength and condition training more seriously and time and time again people tell me to try out a 90day creatine period.

Right now I'm average height, average weight, average body type, etc. I train 3-4 times a week and my training schedule is so that after 4 training sessions then I have trained everything from head to toe.

Question: Is the creatine really worth it?

 

[figss]

So I have over the course of this year started taking my strength and condition training more seriously and time and time again people tell me to try out a 90day creatine period.

Right now I'm average height, average weight, average body type, etc. I train 3-4 times a week and my training schedule is so that after 4 training sessions then I have trained everything from head to toe.

Question: Is the creatine really worth it?

Yes, its dirt cheap, has almost no negative side effects (maybe some bloating, or cramping if you don't drink enough water. And its not like you need an extra liter a day, just stay hydrated).

The benefits are real, it is the most highly studied strength and fitness supplement in the world and it is incredibly easy to use. As easy as 3-5 grams a day. Or a teaspoon in some juice/water.

 

[KGmma]

Yes, its dirt cheap, has almost no negative side effects (maybe some bloating, or cramping if you don't drink enough water. And its not like you need an extra liter a day, just stay hydrated).

The benefits are real, it is the most highly studied strength and fitness supplement in the world and it is incredibly easy to use. As easy as 3-5 grams a day. Or a teaspoon in some juice/water.

And I should take a dose each day even if I'm not going to work out, or on a day out on the pub?