Creatine

robingmurphy · January 2016

Creatine seems to be one of the only supplements that has some scientific validity to it. I'm interested in trying it but there seems to be a million brands and dosage suggestions. Can someone just direct me to a recommended brand and dosage to start with so I don't have to do hours of research? What do you take? I'm 5'5", female, 140lb.

TylerForget · January 2016

It will most likely make you gain weight (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you should know). Get pure powdered creatine monohydrate (if it's pure brand doesnt matter) and take a semi-heaping teaspoon (5g) every day, whenever.

robingmurphy · January 2016

Well, you gain LEAN weight, right? Not fat?

harrybananas · January 2016

10g every morning but 5g should be fine. Go for it.

Carlos_421 · January 2016

Find a brand that uses creatine monohydrate, preferably from Creapure (Creapure is the brand of the "ingredient" creatine contained in whatever brand of creatine you choose).

There are other types of creatine that claim one benefit or another (faster uptake etc.) but they are typically more expensive and the good old creatine monohydrate has a fast enough uptake that any improvement wouldn't have any real benefit.

Also, getting a version that is micronized is a plus because it dissolves better (creatine doesn't really dissolve well unless it's in something thick like a protein shake).

To narrow it down, I use Optimum Nutrition creatine because it's:
1) cheap
2) micronized creatine monohydrate (by Creapure)
3) cheap

ETA: as for dosage, recommendations do vary, with some people doing a loading phase and others not.

This is because creatine has the most benefit when you are saturated with as much as the body can hold (once you hit the threshold, any excess is excreted in your urine).
A simple loading phase may look like 4 (5 gram) servings spread throughout the day over a week so that you hit saturation more quickly. After that, drop down to one serving per day.
This is totally optional.
You will still get saturated (albeit somewhat more slowly) and see benefits if you just start with one serving per day.

ovidnine · January 2016

TylerForget wrote: »

It will most likely make you gain weight (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you should know). Get pure powdered creatine monohydrate (if it's pure brand doesnt matter) and take a semi-heaping teaspoon (5g) every day, whenever.

+1

The weight gain will be water btw and you'll lose the water weight a week or so after stopping use.

I use this because it was on the same sale they have going now buy 2 get 1 free.

Carlos_421 · January 2016

robingmurphy wrote: »

Well, you gain LEAN weight, right? Not fat?

The weight will be all water.
Creatine causes you to store water in your muscle fibers which is why you'll want to make sure you stay well hydrated.

The good news is this is different than retaining water from sodium which causes water retention closer to the skin.

tcatcarson · January 2016

This is the one I use - http://www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/optimum-nutrition-micronized-creatine-powder-300g/18267

As simple as it comes, dissolves quickly in water or juice and has a little measuring spoon for your daily amount.

DaddieCat · January 2016

TylerForget wrote: »

It will most likely make you gain weight (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you should know). Get pure powdered creatine monohydrate (if it's pure brand doesnt matter) and take a semi-heaping teaspoon (5g) every day, whenever.

Yup, this. I've not seen any evidence that a loading phase helps in any measurable sense. 5gm is usually the recommended dosage and it will cause water retention in most people. Make sure to keep well hydrated in addition.

singingflutelady · January 2016

robingmurphy wrote: »

Well, you gain LEAN weight, right? Not fat?

Water. Are you lifting? I wouldn't take creative without progressive overload lifting

DaddieCat · January 2016

singingflutelady wrote: »

robingmurphy wrote: »

Well, you gain LEAN weight, right? Not fat?

Water. Are you lifting? I wouldn't take creative without progressive overload lifting

Can I ask why? Studies are showing that it improves cognitive function in many individuals including those that regularly consume it dietarily and it is often being recommended for many if not all to supplement due to this discovery. I know that it's been regularly suggested that all people who don't eat meat as well as elderly people should regularly supplement creatine for bone and brain health.

http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/10731017

http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/266/5/E725.short

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1531-8249(200011)48:5<723::AID-ANA5>3.0.CO;2-W/abstract

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/277/3/R698.short

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394604

http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/creatine/evidence/hrb-20059125

*edited to add more sources.

SonyaCele · January 2016

just get plain creatine. Its not gonna make you gain weight, its gonna make your muscles retain water and get pumped easily. I use it when im doing a hard training cycle, i love it, it makes me feel all powerful and strong.

Sam_I_Am77 · January 2016

BecomingBane wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

robingmurphy wrote: »

Well, you gain LEAN weight, right? Not fat?

Water. Are you lifting? I wouldn't take creative without progressive overload lifting

Can I ask why? Studies are showing that it improves cognitive function in many individuals including those that regularly consume it dietarily and it is often being recommended for many if not all to supplement due to this discovery. I know that it's been regularly suggested that all people who don't eat meat as well as elderly people should regularly supplement creatine for bone and brain health.

http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/10731017

http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/266/5/E725.short

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1531-8249(200011)48:5<723::AID-ANA5>3.0.CO;2-W/abstract

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/277/3/R698.short

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394604

http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/creatine/evidence/hrb-20059125

*edited to add more sources.

I've caught a couple peer-reviewed studies related to Creatine's benefit to cognitive function and it's really interesting if you think about it. That along with Vitamin D is really showing to provide some ground-breaking information as it relates to our brains. I think the research on Creatine is still a little early but it seems promising.

DrifterBear · January 2016

It just stores water in your muscles. Science is mixed on effectiveness of strength gain but it's certainly one of the more supported supplements. Your weight will increase at first use but you will still be losing fat if your in deficit and after leveling out your net weight will start coming down again.

shaloreial · January 2016

I'm a 41 year old 5'2 female. I take 5g creatine monohydrate by Optimum Nutrition every day. I did not do a loading phase, so it took about a month for my muscles to be saturated. I lift heavy, and my lifts are progressing each week. I did gain water weight as soon as I started, about 5 pounds on the scale. I'm back in a deficit to lose body fat and my weight is going down again.

singingflutelady · January 2016

BecomingBane wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

robingmurphy wrote: »

Well, you gain LEAN weight, right? Not fat?

Water. Are you lifting? I wouldn't take creative without progressive overload lifting

Can I ask why? Studies are showing that it improves cognitive function in many individuals including those that regularly consume it dietarily and it is often being recommended for many if not all to supplement due to this discovery. I know that it's been regularly suggested that all people who don't eat meat as well as elderly people should regularly supplement creatine for bone and brain health.

http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/10731017

http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/266/5/E725.short

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1531-8249(200011)48:5<723::AID-ANA5>3.0.CO;2-W/abstract

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/277/3/R698.short

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394604

http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/creatine/evidence/hrb-20059125

*edited to add more sources.

Sorry I assumed she wanted to take it for me ecle strength/growth not the other benefits

robingmurphy · January 2016

singingflutelady wrote: »

robingmurphy wrote: »

Well, you gain LEAN weight, right? Not fat?

Water. Are you lifting? I wouldn't take creative without progressive overload lifting

I am lifting, and getting more serious about it. I still need to lose about 10-15 more pounds in fat, and figure the lifting along with creatine will help me maintain lean mass and build it when I get to goal body fat level.

Carlos_421 · January 2016

robingmurphy wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

robingmurphy wrote: »

Well, you gain LEAN weight, right? Not fat?

Water. Are you lifting? I wouldn't take creative without progressive overload lifting

I am lifting, and getting more serious about it. I still need to lose about 10-15 more pounds in fat, and figure the lifting along with creatine will help me maintain lean mass and build it when I get to goal body fat level.

You figure correctly.

ROBOTFOOD · January 2016

Optimum Nutrition Creatine. Works great. Been taking it for yrs. Just 5g/day is enough.

Amazon has it for cheap.

lisalsd1 · January 2016

I take 5g/day. When I first started taking it, I gained 2-3lbs. I cycled-off of it for a couple of weeks to see if it was water weight; it was water weight. My friend takes it for Chronic Fatigue and swears it improves her life. I feel like it helps my recovery from lifting.

One thing I found is that it does make me feel "bloated" for the first week or so; I increase my water/fiber intake, and that seems to help resolve my issues.

cpw2109 · January 2016

I read this thread expecting to read about loading phases and other such Broscientificals.

But found nothing but the advice that I was going to give.

Top banana.

HealthyVitamins · January 2016

TylerForget wrote: »

It will most likely make you gain weight (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you should know). Get pure powdered creatine monohydrate (if it's pure brand doesnt matter) and take a semi-heaping teaspoon (5g) every day, whenever.

Yup, the weight is water though. Nothing major, I am just a little softer.

I use the USN brand, and the consistency is nice enough to mix into any drink. I take 5g a day.

Soundwave79 · January 2016

Yep been on it for about 3 months now. Def gained 4-5 pounds but then it leveled off. But my PR's have been consistently rising in all my major power lifts. I'm not sure how much of it is mental or how much is actually the creatine but I'll take the progress. Creatine is cheap enough and I haven't about any proven harmful side effects so even if by some chance it's snake oil it's not harming me. But reading all the studies posted above seems like some hard factual scientific evidence that it's quite beneficial.

Muscleflex79 · January 2016

5g/day - I love that it is cheap and it works!

singingflutelady · January 2016

Soundwave79 wrote: »

Yep been on it for about 3 months now. Def gained 4-5 pounds but then it leveled off. But my PR's have been consistently rising in all my major power lifts. I'm not sure how much of it is mental or how much is actually the creatine but I'll take the progress. Creatine is cheap enough and I haven't about any proven harmful side effects so even if by some chance it's snake oil it's not harming me. But reading all the studies posted above seems like some hard factual scientific evidence that it's quite beneficial.

It's only harmful if you have serious kidney issues (like decreased function)

shor0814 · January 2016

Carlos_421 wrote: »

Find a brand that uses creatine monohydrate, preferably from Creapure (Creapure is the brand of the "ingredient" creatine contained in whatever brand of creatine you choose).

There are other types of creatine that claim one benefit or another (faster uptake etc.) but they are typically more expensive and the good old creatine monohydrate has a fast enough uptake that any improvement wouldn't have any real benefit.

Also, getting a version that is micronized is a plus because it dissolves better (creatine doesn't really dissolve well unless it's in something thick like a protein shake).

To narrow it down, I use Optimum Nutrition creatine because it's:
1) cheap
2) micronized creatine monohydrate (by Creapure)
3) cheap

ETA: as for dosage, recommendations do vary, with some people doing a loading phase and others not.

This is because creatine has the most benefit when you are saturated with as much as the body can hold (once you hit the threshold, any excess is excreted in your urine).
A simple loading phase may look like 4 (5 gram) servings spread throughout the day over a week so that you hit saturation more quickly. After that, drop down to one serving per day.
This is totally optional.
You will still get saturated (albeit somewhat more slowly) and see benefits if you just start with one serving per day.

The micronized can be very important. I tried the creatine chews since I thought it would be easy to use at work. Little did I know I would be visiting the bathroom every 20 minutes. My digestive system apparently is not a fan of non-micronized.

Switched back to the powder and no problems since.

jessef593 · January 2016

A calorie surplus combined with progressive overload will increase lean mass. Creatine serves to increase muscular ATP levels, an energy source for your muscles, resulting in increases strength and post set recovery. Which can result in greater muscular gains. It also had a tendency to increase water retention resulting in a bloated look in some people. Allmax creatine MH is the brand I've come across the most and had the most luck with. It isn't a magic powder. Just a "supplement" you still have to push yourself.

robingmurphy · February 2016

Ok, I got some creatine and started loading yesterday (15mg a day). I'm lifting every other day, whole body over three workouts. How long should I expect it to take before I notice a difference? What specifically should I be looking for?

robingmurphy · February 2016

15g I mean! Here's what I got:
CREATINE POWDER 600g (OPTIMUM) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_VH1SwbR8YQ15K

ovidnine · February 2016

You don't really need to do a loading period. It doesn't hurt anything, but its not necessary.

That said, it takes roughly a week before your body starts to have it built up enough that it can start making a difference.

I don't know if you can exactly "look for" anything. I was able to do more sets & reps, especially of my accessory work later in my workout without feeling as fatigued. Whether or not this was due to the creatine itself or the mental boost of thinking it was the creatine I don't know. But either way I did notice I could do a more with less rest in between.

I wouldn't get too focused on looking for anything honestly. Just take it, keep doing your workouts and if it feels like you have room to push yourself some more, do it. I think you'll eventually notice you're able to do more volume with less fatigue. The amount is going to vary from person to person.

Chieflrg · February 2016

I skimmed through and not sure if it was mentioned, but drinking lots of water is recommended.

I was taking creatine for a few years and then had a few bad blood tests showing high signs of kidney failure so I had to stop but I think it helps the more serious lifters out there. The people who are fairly new, probably won't notice much difference in rep gains.

Creatine

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