Supplements??????

[deebo007]

I am a natural competitor & I have done a couple of shows throughout the years but I am confused about the supplements & the intake of them. Yes, I have done the usual protein & creatine in the offseason but my question is in regards to contest prep. Is it ok to take stuff like that while in contest mode or not. I know there are probably several seasoned competitors out there laughing there heads off about this but I am serious & I am asking for your help with this. Do you or do you not reccomend it & if you do, what kind do u recommend? My last contest, I went from 255lbs down to 190lbs in 4months time. My bodyfat was already low before I started my diet & I think I lost too much muscle. Please help!!!!!!

[cjackway]

I may get hammered for this, but.....Continue to use the creatine and protein (stop using whey about 4 weeks out). Anything else is at your discretion. I don't stop any of my supps except whey throughout my prep or prior to my show.
Works for me.

[dvsness]

There is nothing wrong with using protein powder and creatine during contest prep. I always have!

[MegaMan Myke]

cut creatine no later than 2 weeks out get on some aminos like xtend to maintain muscle(take pre,intra,&post workout for best results ESPECIALLY for cardio) and make sure you are getting good protein post work all the way up to the show

[Pure-Natural]

I cut protein powders & creatine 7- days out.

[Sporto1633]

I personally take creatine, as well as every other supplement I take, all the way up through show day - there's no need to cut anything out. The protein powder issue depends on what kind/brand you have and what sodium protocol you are using for your final week - that's usually the excuse given as to why people are told to cut it out. The creatine issue is multi-faceted. For the sake of this discussion, let's assume you don't have any mild allergic reaction to using creatine (which can also cause bloat and water retention), the main reason most people are afraid to use this through prep is because they notice after taking it, they look smoother, bloated, etc. Well, there's a couple of reason's for that, but the MAIN reason is because the creatine hasn't dissolved properly into an aqueous solution. What most people do is take a scoop of it, throw it in water, shake it up, and then drink it...whether in a pre/post workout shake or whatever. The problem with that becomes absorption. It takes creatine monohydrate a good few hours to dissolve into an aqueous solution with water. If it hasn't dissolved all the way, it won't absorb all the way. If it doesn't absorb all the way, you get the creatine outside the tissue and the accompanying water to go along with it. There has been some recent studies done on this from some companies trying to really attack the absorption problem on a practical level (I mean, come one - who has time to let it dissolve, right?), but so far, nothing cost efficient has come up. One company claims to have stabilized creatine for better absorption by combining it to HCL (which I was at the conference where this information was presented), but the data was inconclusive on the absorption because of the flaws done in the study.

Nevertheless, it's an issue that can be handled. Creatine causes water retention INSIDE the muscle, which is where you want it int he first place. If you have the patience and plan ahead to consistently have your creatine dissolved properly leading into the final weeks of prep, you should notice a difference and not need to cut it out - it will actually help you maintain your fullness, hardness, etc. That's what I did, and I don't think I was holding water at my last show :D

Hope that helps

Sporto

[dvsness]

Actually, I believe the main reason for people claiming creatine bloat is either fat or dosing too high. I have never let my creatine sit in solution and have not had an issue since reducing my dose to a reasonable amount for my weight a few years back.

[Sporto1633]

Actually, I believe the main reason for people claiming creatine bloat is either fat or dosing too high. I have never let my creatine sit in solution and have not had an issue since reducing my dose to a reasonable amount for my weight a few years back.

I don't disagree with that. I do believe the creatine issue is a lot more complicated than just people being too fat or dosing too high though only because I've seen these issues occur in lean people first hand...

Sporto