Hi everyone this is the 2nd post here, pardon me for my ignorance.

I just took creatine for the 1st time today. I've never took any mass gainer (which has creatine in them) and I don't eat red meats like beef. And yes, I do know that creatine's naturally occurring in the body. I include it in my postworkout shake.

I followed my friend's recommendation to take it slow (1g for the 1st day, 2g for the 2nd day and so on and so forth until I reach 5g).

So my questions are:
1) Do I need to be cautious of anything else besides staying hydrated constantly throughout the day?

2) How often should I take it once I reached the recommended serving of 5g? 7 days a week? Or only when on the days when I workout?

3) I don't do a "loading phase" so should I even bother to cycle? Is it okay to take it consistently all year round?

Thanks for your help in advance!! Please don't reply things like "food > supplements", "get some real food", "creatine is not magic", I know that (I also keep my expectation realistic) and I'm asking specifically for a guide on creatine intake.

This post has been edited by Kar Weng: May 12 2014, 10:14 PM

5g a day.
Once you're saturated, you can do 3g a day.
Don't worry if you miss a day, just continue dosing.
Don't have to cycle. You can if you want to.

How do you know if you're saturated though?

http://youtu.be/Bwyn0v987Kg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLRbUHAfkV0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l67vH_NvFp4

Watch all 3. All your questions answered. Done.

5g per day. No need for cycling with creating as it isn't a stimulant, thus you don't build up tolerance to it.

This post has been edited by -Dan: May 13 2014, 12:08 AM

Thanks a lot man!!! Straight to the point
The 2nd and 3rd links are from Omarisuf, my favorite youtube channel and I can't believe I missed them. They're probably out before I was a subscriber.

true that.

just a quick question, which brand of Creatine u guys taking? any recommendation?

ultimate nutrition

Dymatize Elite

Yea was wondering about the same thing

consume simple sugar when taking them... spiking ur insulin helping our body absorb creatine

But do we actually need to rush them in to our bloodstream? And is it hard to be absorbed?

The creatine transporter is a sodium-chloride dependant transporter, not insulin dependant. So no, you don't need dextrose or sugar for creatine absorption.

Thanks man. This is what I needed.