Contemplating whether or not to buy creatine supplement. Anyone tried creatine, I see its not so popular here. But people rave about it so much in bb.com There are many types of creatine, which type and brand u use? Is it real worth it?

creatine is good to take at night cause the digestion process is slow. so muscle would not loss from the body

Are u referring to cassein?

Yes i think he mix up those two lol.

It is not necc if u r just a beginner, right to a point that u may encounter stagnate on ur weight, tats when u can stack in those gimmicks to boost ur energy level. I took creatine ... tat was like... 4 mths ago i think, it does give u boost in energy, u will look abit bigger (water retain). It is a good stuff and worth the money. I m currently taking micronize creatine from Universal nutri. Heard that green magnitute taste awesome hehe never try b4.

Creatine is not a necessity, but no doubt it's one of the more effective supplement.

whr do u buy that un creatine -.- cant find a place that sell cheap one xD

Ego nutrition in the curve . not tat expensive, it can really last u for long.

Is it necessary to workout after taking creatine or can I just take it on a normal non-workout day?

yeah i know UN has 1000g
that is 200 servings, last long enough...
but some places still selling it over price
i will go to the curve once i have transportation
u know la, i don hav car hehe

You're supposed to take creatine after workout.

I tried it, didn't have much of an effect on me. Not like wow major burst. I feel like I can go without resting (more endurance) but it's not like I was gaining massive amounts of strength.

Didn't put on that much size too.

My diet has a lot of red meat, so maybe that's why I didn't benefit from it.

U got to do some research on the web buddy.

There is phase for u to load, maintain and deload (google it up)

and creatine is best taken with carbs. so take it post workout or with breakfast tat will be ideal. DUN TAKE IT PRE WORKOUT- u will suffer from dehydration.

You guys using creatine mono by UN? Thought of trying that. The price is good for 1000gm. 200 servings. I heard it can cause stomach cramps. Anyone experienced this?

nope. =)

OK thanks. I add creatine to my diet soon.

You should get micronized creatine because they are superior (apparently). Dymatize is one of the best bang-for-buck micronized creatine.

You sure? Just bought a virtargo cretine from Liaw http://forum.lowyat.net/user/muscle_fuel and he advised me to consume it preworkout , when training and postworkout.

Creatine need to be taken with lotsa water to prevent dehydration.

U can do ur own research, i m just advising.

There are lots of different opinions about taking creatine. Some say u need to load/deload. Some say u don't have to. Some say no creatine post workout other its ok to take post and pre workout. Experiment, maybe different people need to use different methods.

Oh..okay thanks, consuming creatine make me feel thirsty naturally, I found that I drink addition of 2-3liter of water compare to the time without consume creatine.

This post has been edited by ExpZero: Nov 26 2008, 02:31 PM

i think u're supposed to take it preworkout too. Coz creatine is supposed to give u energy, the extra strength to help u lift more in ur workout.

This post has been edited by Assclown: Nov 26 2008, 04:42 PM

i dont think so...

y don't u think so? care to state ur reasons?

it may get you dehydrated...
depends on what creatine you are taking
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/creatine.html

and it doesnt give u extra energy directly, but a regularly used may gives u that...

This was from one of the email i sent to EAS regarding creatine intake:

'Thank you for contacting Abbott Nutrition. Consume your EAS Phosphagen postworkout, as that is when creatine stores are low and will ensure maximum absorption.


Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.'

And another regarding mixing it with whey:

'Thank you for contacting EAS®.



EAS Phosphagen delivers creatine. EAS 100% Whey Protein delivers protein. Creatine and amino acids from protein utilize different absorption and uptake mechanisms in the GI and the muscle. They therefore would not interfere with one another if both products were taken at the same time.


Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.'

-I've been mixing creatine with my post workout shake and I find that my recovery is much better. However, I do not perform the loading stage, I just add a little to my post workout shake.

And also a piece of advise, the recommended dosage would be around 5g per serving, but take note that this amount does not suit ALL body types. First thing we must admit, as asians we naturally have a different physique compared to westerners. As for me, if i take the recommended 5g or Creatine, i end up shitting like a duck the next few hours and hear my stomach rumbling all day...
Try what works best, each individual is different.

lol, 5g makes you shit like a duck? how much do u take then?

The product tend to give different effect for different people.

I consume 10g (2.5g pre + 2.5g during + 5g post), nothing happen to me lol (I meant the shit thingy)

I take 4g per serving... don't know why 1g can make such a difference..lol

how do u measure such small weight? i mean like, how u know its 4g n not 5g?

Lets say the recommended serving of 5g is 1 1/2 Teaspoon, then i'll take around 1 teaspoon only, or slightly more..
approx only la.. heh

haha, i see.... btw, it seems that many articles about creatine state that if u stop taking creatine, u will suffer a loss in size and performance as well as endurance. Anyone care to justify?

Creatine do help to create water retention in your muscle, stop consume it will cause you to lose the extra water from your muscle slowly.

You consume creatine for additional strength and size, do you think after you stop consuming it and you will still have the effect? (I meant the strength). Of course the performance will decrease by a bit.

I don't think there is anything to worry about it.

so I guess its something u wanna take n not stop taking, otherwise it'll affect ur self-confidence

creatine isn't expensive if compare with whey in term of volume per consume, number of consumption per day.

true... but one has to stop taking creatine every now and then rite? like consume 1 month, break 1 month. What's the purpose of the break?

This is method is used by those who cycle creatine, meaning going through the loading, maintenance and unloading cycle.
Unloading and taking a break for a few weeks is important to flush out the creatine content from your body so that the body does not get used to be spoofed with creatine.
As you know, creatine naturally exists in our food(eg. meats). If the body gets used to having such high dosage of creatine monohydrate being fed to it, it might get used to it and not be able to absorb and digest the natural creatine from food.

i see........ thx for the info there. Anyway, there's also a myth about creatine saying that it causes acne. How true is this? for those who take creatine.

i think u are referring to steroid
steroid may cause acne

Disadvantage of using creatine

source: http://www.creatine-monohydrate.org/creati...sadvantages.htm


source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Creatine-Pros-and-Cons&id=405379

Any input?

Bullshit. You will notice that ANY form of act that causes jealously in other men(eg. bodybuilding) will have the standard 'DONT DO IT OR YOUR PENIS WILL BECOME SMALLER!!' quote to scare 90% of men out there so that the jealous few don't feel intimidated by us.

*this can be applied to so many other MYTHS, I'm sure you can relate to quite a few that says 'dont do it, your penis will become smaller'

As for the kidney failure, if you're taking 30g of creatine everyday for years, your organs will SURELY be overworked. Everything should be done in controlled moderation.

This post has been edited by tineagle: Nov 29 2008, 11:50 AM

anyone here taking creatine care to justify about the acne issue?

yes........... i took creatine it before... for a yaer or two.....

i took it for my pre-workout meal with my shakes... suprisingly, it makes me able to do few more reps........

FYI, beef also high in creatine

does creatine cause u to get acne? apart from that, what are the negative side effects?

That's why I'm still using creatine

But u need to stop using it after 2-3 months right

No acne at all(as usual), just faeces will be very hard even thought I drink like 1 liter of water when consuming it and a total of around 5 liter of water for the whole day.

I do not know about the "acne" issue, maybe it's different from human to human.

Well, a "1 tube" cycle for me

so i guess one who takes creatine has to increase his fiber intake as well

There are a few methods of consuming creatine. If you're cycling it, then the break period is required.
Another method of using creatine is by taking 1 serving as an additional food supplement. Eg. post workout when your creatine stores are low or on days that you could not manage to eat enough meat..etc.

Creatine did cause occasional bloating (stomach) and cramps at the leg calves. But nothing to fuss about.

About recycling, there is no complete study on the safety of long term usage, some say you dont need to cycle it, just make sure u are well hydrated. Some just take it for 2 months, off 1 month, then restart the cycle again. These are all personal preference.

I opt the later. Better be safe than sorry =p

I went for a regular health check & my creatinine level was above normal, other readings ok.

Funny, cos the test was done 1 mth after i stopped taking ON serious mass.

i did some research and found out that many people who consume creatine complain of problems such as kidney stones and enlarged heart.

enlarge heart... i tot there was a thread about a 24 yr old guy died with a enlarged heart due to some sort of stress or wat. Omg.

may give me some link for your research? Kinda interesting.

Link

read the replies from users. you'll be surprised how many are affected negatively.

1st rule: Get yourself hydrated.
2nd rule: Do not take overdose.

I believe if you follow this 2 rules, there will be no major side effect as creatine isn't a new product, goverment/WHO will ban this product if they find the disadvantage is crucial. Most of the link I found only stated that overdose and continuously using for 3 years or more will get the other health problem than the water bloating issue.

Yup more is not always good. Especially true in creatine supplements.

ya, most importantly is consume it moderately and drink lots of water.
About the negative side effects of creatine, I've been taking it for 2 weeks so far and it causes dizziness when I consume it pre-workout. Post-workout, not so.... and it does make your shit watery.

This post has been edited by Assclown: Dec 15 2008, 01:02 PM

me

i can tell you this
creatine CAUSES acne and it DOESN'T

basically, there are a lot of cases where people have taken creatine and have broken out within a day all over the back and face and then stopped their creatine and the acne stopped. So that is not just a phrase or "coming of age" teenhood acne but it is very apparent that CREATINE was the caue of that acne whether indirectly or directly.

Now, there are those that take creatine and do not have any acne at all,,,hell,they might not have any acne since they were twelve.

Where am I going with this? Your bodies are all different and individually special so no theory or written science hypothesis about creatine can be taken as true for every single 6.25 billion people on this planet. It's why some people break out into rash when they eat seafood, some die once they are bitten by an ant, some faces bloat up when they eat nuts.

Scientifically, do nuts make you die? NO. But if a body is allergic? YES

Scientically, does Creatine make you have acne? NO,lots of people and scientist will support this statement

But if your body is "allergic" to it? Yes. Obviously.

I have taken creatine and have broken out after a day of taking it and I was always acne free. I'm not talking about minor breakouts,,this were like 4 to 5 pimples a day. Then I stopped creatine and instantly,as in the very next day, my acne stopped. However I found out I was not allergic, I just did not take enough water. So I drank 300 ml of water every 15 minutes a day. Now I'm acne free and on Creatine again

I've had my fair share of acne problems when I was in my teens, but it somehow stopped once I stepped into adulthood. I've been taking creatine for 2 weeks now and it does not cause acne, so far. Whoa, 300ml of water every 15 mins? That's 1.2 liters every hour. Careful dude, you might get water intoxication.

Beachkid, you might need to go toilet every 15 minutes. It's very inconvenient to consume so much of water.

Creatine only do positive effect to me and no negative effect so far.

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Added on December 15, 2008, 1:46 pmBeachkid, you might need to go toilet every 15 minutes. It's very inconvenient to consume so much of water.

Creatine only do positive effect to me and no negative effect so far.

This post has been edited by ExpZero: Dec 15 2008, 01:46 PM

All these supplements adapt differently do different user ...

Got a follow-up test done & everything is alright. I think its the residual storage of creatin being released gradually by my body after i stopped the supplement.