Creatine + Supplements

sarahaldinger

Now that I'm at a great place in my fitness and nutrition, I'm looking at adding in some supplements.
My stats: 25 yo 5'5", 133lb and about 24% body fat. Goal: Lean muscle mass, toned and increased endurance.
Currently work out 5+ days a week -- Cardio and free weights.

I'm thinking about adding in creatine to my workout routine -- curious on people's thoughts?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/pmh/concret.html

Looking at this brand.

Any other recommendations for supplements? Pre-workout or otherwise? Thank you!

ohnstadk

bump

ChrisLindsay9

There's no reason I can think of why any person (man or woman) shouldn't incorporate creatine into one's fitness weight training program. It's one of the most studied supplements out there; it's one of the safest and most effective supplements. The side effects are zilch (or very minimal) for most people. You'll probably want to research good quality brands, but Concrete is pretty good. I've taken it. And despite what you may read, you don't need to load up in the beginning. Just 5g a day, everyday (weight training or not), and within a week or two, you'll start getting the benefits.

I take a pre-workout as well. I'm still exploring brands, trying to find something that I really like. Ergo Pump is probably my favorite in terms of a low-ish stimulant that doesn't make me itch or jittery. Nitro NCG is a high-stimulant pre-workout.

And whey protein is another supplement. After a workout, and snacking. I'm not a fan of replacing meals with it, but as a complement to a meal or snack, is my approach. Personal preference is going to be key here.

Good luck!

Gunsentry

Unless you are a powerlifter and a competitive bodybuilder you do not need Creatine.

Waste of money for your level as it will only give a very slight boost to your lifting potential, maybe one extra rep due to the water retention the muscles will have.

You will end up with more water retention in the muscles which will also give you a fuller look.

There are lots of pros about it but the slight boost it gives is negligible for the average person.

fcp1234

I had great results when I was using creatine. I am not using it now only because Im trying to lose weight and I cant afford the calories ( Lol)..
Try it out, I think you will like it.

__RANDY__

http://examine.com/supplements/Creatine/

__RANDY__

I had great results when I was using creatine. I am not using it now only because Im trying to lose weight and I cant afford the calories ( Lol)..
Try it out, I think you will like it.

I didn't even know creatine had calories

__RANDY__

I had great results when I was using creatine. I am not using it now only because Im trying to lose weight and I cant afford the calories ( Lol)..
Try it out, I think you will like it.

I didn't even know creatine had calories

As I thought

Creatine
Calories 0 Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 0g 0%
Vitamin A (IU) 0 0%
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 0mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%

iWaffle

I had great results when I was using creatine. I am not using it now only because Im trying to lose weight and I cant afford the calories ( Lol)..
Try it out, I think you will like it.

I didn't even know creatine had calories

A lot of brands sell it as a pre-mixed drink with carbs added in. High insulin levels do assist the insulin upload to your muscle cells. It probably works just as well if you take pure creatine with a protein shake after workouts but it's marketed as it's own drink most of the time.

To the OP's question. Creatine and protein are proven performance enhancers. Everything else is psudo-science and highly debated depending on who you talk to.

bcf7683

You're at the same exact place I was when I started- 5'5", 130lbs, around the same %.

I've been taking creatine for around 3 months now, I've seen some decent results. I didn't load when I started, just did the normal dosage everyday, lifting or not.

My routine consists of strength training tues-fri, different muscle group each day (tues- chest/tris/calves, wed- back/bis/abs, thurs- shoulders/traps/calves, fri- ham/quad/abs. Saturdays sometimes I'll do a bit of cardio just to stay active).

When I first started lifting, I was using only protein. I feel like I've nailed down a pretty good supplement routine for myself now- I use protein, creatine, multivitamin, fish oil, and C4 pre-workout. I use the C4 and a protein shake before I workout (I go at 5am so it's tough to get a decent meal beforehand) and a protein shake with the creatine, the multi and fish oil afterwards. I'm pretty content with the progress I've made thus far using these supplements.

I use Optimum Nutrition's creatine (cheap and effective) since I don't really need the other crap that some companies feel the need the mix with theirs. I also use ON's protein, fish oil & opti-woman multi. You can never go wrong by mixing in a good multi and fish oil.... As far as the creatine goes, give it a try and see how you like it. Just give it a couple/few weeks for your muscles to saturate.

Tw1zzler

I buy 100% pure creatine monohydrate from bodybuilding.com. You don't need a fancy cocktail.. just the plain powder. I mix it in shakes, water or juice. It's tasteless. I do notice better results when I'm taking it. I like to cycle it 2 months on 1 month off but I don't think you really have to do that.

Some people think that it causes you to hold water but I've never had that problem with it.

__RANDY__

I use protein, creatine, multivitamin, fish oil, and C4 pre-workout.

boom, I use the same stuff

Hendrix7

Unless you are a powerlifter and a competitive bodybuilder you do not need Creatine.

Waste of money for your level as it will only give a very slight boost to your lifting potential, maybe one extra rep due to the water retention the muscles will have.


There are lots of pros about it but the slight boost it gives is negligible for the average person.

I would agree with that, except creatine is extremely cheap. (provided you buy a basic, decent quality monohydrate none of this designer brand buffered HCL nonsense)

There is no reason not to supplement with it IMO.

Leadfoot_Lewis

Make sure to buy a good Creapure Creatine Monohydrate. Many companies use Creapure (e.g. Optimum Nutrition) and it's fairly inexpensive.

Creatine is the one supplement which isn't a bunch of B.S. It's been around forever and has a ton of science to back up it's effectiveness.

Danny_Boy13

IMO if you find a pre-workout supp then a lot of those will have some form of Creatine in them. I myself like the PWO C4 by Cellucore. This PWO has Creatine Nitrate in it that I feel does bloat like Creatine Mono. Just my $0.02.

rjmudlax13

I used creatine for a few months and, in terms of strength and muscle growth, it worked great. However, I had the worst tendinitis I've ever had. It most likely was because I was pushing harder with the creatine than without it and my tendons couldn't keep up. I don't use it anymore and never will. I don't see any reason to use it unless you are a professional athlete, bodybuilder and/or insanely narcissistic. That's just my opinion and I am not an expert. Your own body creates enough creatine on it's own with a healthy diet. Now, I just focus on eating a clean diet and lifting weights safely.

"Not now chief. I'm in the F***ing zone!"

krokador

I've had the chance to get con-cret during their buy 1 get 1 free special on bodybuilding.com. It does seem to make a big difference in my endurance and I'm not even that advanced. Plus, the lemon lime flavor is delicious haha.

I've had similar results with NOW creatine monohydrate too, it's just not as convenient since it's "unflavored" - I have to mix it in with something else and I'm not big on chugging down weird stuff. Beta-cret is by far the best PWO I ever used IMO, then again I'm not trying stuff left and right (I've sampled bodybuilding.com amino energy which is technically a bcaa energy drink and doesn't exist anymore and blue star extreme rush which wakes me up and gives me amazing focus, but tastes kinda weird an is rather expensive. Got both on super sales, in fact). It is quite costly at regular prices though so if you don't need it, stay away from it, I say xD I probably should be trying to stay away myself lol. Although the BCAAs do seem to reduce muscle soreness when I use them.

Other than that I really like my krill/fish oil and a basic multi. They seem to really help keep my skin clearer, aside from the other health benefits. I've dabbled here and there into other supps and none of them have really done much aside from that.

sarahaldinger

Thank you so much for the replies. Definitely going to give it a try now.
I currently am taking a multivitamin, flax seed oil (Since I'm vegetarian), and a vitamin D supplement.

Awesome information!

cpudoc64

Since one of the ways Creatine works is to retain water by pulling water into muscles, what are everyone's thoughts on using it if you have Hypertension, even mild hypertension? Or if you are on HBP meds?

sarahaldinger

I would say definitely ask your doctor. BP is something you don't want to mess around with.
I would imagine it could be a contraindication to using creatine.

cpudoc64

Since I"ve lost 30+ lbs, I've actually cut my BP meds in half and that dosage to begin with was the lowest dosage. I can talk to him, some of the trainers at the health club I work out at were actually shocked I'd ask the question.

ChrisLindsay9

@cpudoc

Since one of the ways Creatine works is to retain water by pulling water into muscles, what are everyone's thoughts on using it if you have Hypertension, even mild hypertension? Or if you are on HBP meds?

I have mild hypertension and use Creatine with no adverse effects. However, I will say that you should contact your doctor by email or whatever, and give him or her a heads-up on all of the supplements that you're taking. That way, when you go in for your physical, he or she'll be able to utilize this information in evaluating your blood tests and whatnot.

benflando

I do recommend it! It will allow your muscles to look fuller and more toned!

haroon_awan

Creatine

If there is a single dietary supplement in existence that can be said to work, creatine is probably it. With several hundred studies supporting it’s effectiveness and safety, creatine is arguably with one the must-have supplements for most athletes including team and mixed sports athletes (with a few notes made below).

Creatine has been shown to positively impact all manners of performance measures ranging from repeat sprint performance to weight room performance and others (if creatine has a negative impact it is typically on endurance due to a slight weight gain that occurs). Most of the reported side-effects of creatine have not been borne out by research (see comments on cramping in the previous chapter) and the biggest danger of creatine use is a slight weight gain of 1-2 kg due to water retention.

For athletes who need to make weight, this can be a problem and, as noted in the chapter on hydration and cramping, will increase fluid requirements. Even those athletes who need to make a certain weight class can use creatine supplementation during their main training phase and go off at least one month before competition; this will give the body time to get rid of the extra water and drop the weight.

While a number of ‘high-tech’ creatines have come and gone, for the most part bulk creatine monohydrate works as effectively, if not more effectively, than the other types. The only possible exception is a micronized creatine which can be useful for athletes who have stomach problems with the standard monohydrate. All of the other variations on creatine (i.e. creatine ethyl-ester) are no more effective but do cost more.

Traditionally, creatine has been supplemented one of three ways, which I’ve described below:

The method used in the studies was to consume 20 grams of creatine in 4X5 g doses per day for 5 days. While this loads the muscle with creatine the fastest, it can also cause stomach upset in some people.
A less aggressive protocol would be to consume 10 g/day of creatine for 10 days. While this will take longer to reach saturation levels, most people report less stomach problems.
Finally, creatine can simply be taken at a dose of 3-5 grams per day for roughly a month.

The only difference in approaches is the speed of loading. Athletes may simply wish to put 3-5 grams of creatine in their pre- or post-workout shake and be done with it. Maintenance doses are 5-10 g/day depending on the athlete’s size after loading has been finished (larger athletes need more to maintain muscular levels).

I should mention that some percentage of athletes are creatine non-responders. For various reasons, they receive no benefits from creatine, no performance improvement and no weight gain. If an athlete uses creatine in one of the above dosing patterns and no weight gain occurs, they are a non-responder and can discontinue use.

As noted above, after loading, creatine levels will drop gradually over a period of about a month if no more is consumed. Athletes who need to drop water weight should discontinue creatine supplementation at least 30 days prior to the weigh-in of their event.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/supplements-part-1.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/supplements-part-2.html

JNick77

Creatine is great and cheap. There is absolutely NO need to by crap like Concret, it's way overpriced for what it does. Good ole' Creatine Monohydrate is perfectly fine.

I've actually used Creatine when I was hungover and dehydrated, seemed to help. LOL.

I was also reading on PubMed that there's evidence suggesting that Creatine has positive benefits for some pretty big disease, believe it was Alzheimers.

Anyway, it's a pretty good supplement that's been around for a long time.

bcf7683

I use protein, creatine, multivitamin, fish oil, and C4 pre-workout.

boom, I use the same stuff

Supp twins! :drinker: