Gonna start using creatine

[statusfresh]

I'm gonna start using creatine and have some questions. I already drink like a gallon of water but will be increasing it. What are some good brands that aren't too expensive but that will cause little bloating and water retention? Also, my friend told me to limit basketball when I'm on creatine, is that true? Lastly, just to stay safe, should I stop using creatine every 2 months, with a month break in between, or is this whole cycle thing a myth? I'm looking at AST Micronized Creatine at the moment. Would this be okay and safe? I'm planning on taking 5 grams after workout, and 3 grams on my 2-3 rest days of the week. Should I be taking it with grape juice after workout for the insulin spike? Thank you

[muscle-machine]

AST Micronized Creatine is good - I've used it before. Just bought micronized creatine monohydrate from Optimum Nutrition. BB.com brand should be good too and it's probably cheapest. Overall, creatine is cheap. I don't buy into the CEE and kreaklyn stuff (maybe it works better for some people, don't know). good, cheap creatine mono has worked fine for me. Never had any bloating issues.

The water retention fear is a misunderstanding. Creatine holds water where you want it, INSIDE your muscle (muscle is 75% water). So don't worry about the so-called water-weight issue. Now, if you increase your water intake, with or without creatine, you will get a water bloat. It takes your body some time to adjust (has nothing to do with creatine). And you don't need to go crazy on the water thing. This is not related to creatine and before I started using creatine, but I used go crazy on water and I would end up being bloated on water all the time (it did not feel or look good). If you're peeing really often and it's always crystal clear, you can take it easy on the water...

Don't talk to your friends, coaches or parents about creatine. They don't know **** about creatine and will only perpetuate falsehoods (with zeal). Look for information on the forums. Limit basketball when on creatine? Sounds retarded. Most people find that they can live a normal life when on creatine **that was a joke** **** ya, play basketball. It'll help. Creatine is good for strength, mass and power.

When you start, you should load 20-25 grams per day for 5 days. You'll see faster results. After that, go to 5 grams a day (including rest days). Don't worry about trying to time it with an insulin spike. I don't think nutrient timing is critical. I would take it with your morning meal or post workout (or preworkout). Honestly, I don't think it matters. Personally, I take it with my morning meals because it's easiest. Cycle it? sure, why not. you're not going to go into withdrawal for that month off (you prolly won't even notice), so might as well cycle it so we can all sleep better at night.

Just my thoughts from my experience. I haven't done any research on creatine in the last few years, so maybe there are some new theories, but I doubt it.

Also, I never noticed any huge gains that I could specifically say was from creatine. Though, I do tend to feel a little stronger when I'm taking it...could just be placebo effet (which I'm fine with too!). Bottom line is that creatine is one of the few supps that actually has legit research behind it and it's really cheap and safe...so why not?

[12ccopeland]

Take 3-5g of creatine monohydrate per day every day, and there is no reason to do the loading phase...

You don't need to limit creatine while playing basketball.

I have Allmax Nutrition's.

[melaneybh]

If you are looking for Creatine mono, I recommend the bb.com house brand. The price is exceptional. Also you do not need to load. Often times loading leads to stomach discomfort and upset. Anyone I have noticed complaining about bloating when taking creatine were people that were loading. 3-5 grams of creatine per day, everyday no need to cycle or load it. You can also take it however and whenever you want, no grape juice needed. Also ignore your friend. There is nothing that you need to avoid when your supplementing creatine so enjoy playing basketball.

[Divall213]

On a cold Friday afternoon, I had come home from school. I had been thinking of the gym all day. I was hungry, didn't have any lunch. In fact, I didn't eat because I spent the money. For the past month I was saving up for something. Something special which I bought at GNC. I was surprised they didn't ask for ID; I was pretty sure the cashier noticed how nervous I was. Anyways, my mom asked my how my day was when I got home, but I ignored her. I have more important things to do. I run to the bathroom and unpack my bag. In my school bag is a white plastic bag from GNC. I open the bag, first removing the receipt and flushing it down the toilet to get rid of the evidence. My heart was racing now. I unpack the creatine monster from the bag. I wonder what people will be asking me when they see that I will be 50lbs heavier. Should I say I was just eating a lot? I remove the label from the tub and tear it into a thousand small pieces. I flush that down the toilet, too. It is time now. I run up to my room when my mom ask me what I am holding. I panic, sweat drips down my forehead and my teeth chatter. "Mom, it's just for a school project". "What project?" "I don't know mom I just started it!". A tear runs down my cheek. I run upstairs and open the creatine, scooping upservings into a clear water bottle. What have I gotten myself into? I fill it with water and drink it. There is no turning back now. The creatine monster is inside me now, it will control me. What should I do if I die? I cant let my family know about this.
I open the creatine tub and throw it all out the window; a white cloud of mysterious dust sparkles into the wind so graciously. I feel the substance taking control of me; I am now the monster. I walk downstairs, its time to work out; time to get big. Now I worry, I don't want to get too big; people will think I use steroids. I do use steroids. No I don't. Creatine. All I see is the weights now, I am almost downstairs when I hear "Do you want a cookie I just baked". I know I do not have time for this **** now. "No mom I do not want a cookie" I walk in the basement and drop to my knees before the weights, tears running down my cheeks. I turn to the right and look at myself in the mirror. Oh god, what have I done?

[muscle-machine]

oh ya, and just for further insight, I think creatine is beneficial when CUTTING. I think it has muscle sparing properties when your body is in caloric deficit. And I'm not talking about going from 20% bodyfat to 15% bodyfat (which it would be good for too). I'm talking 10% to 7% bodyfat. I'm currently cutting and am close to 7% bodyfat and take creatine everyday, 5 grams. Successful cut. No negative effects and I've retained a good proportion of muscle during the cut. How much did creatine help? Not sure, but 7%bf...can't complain.

[eclipze926]

3-5g of crea mono every day do not cycle whether you are bulking or cutting it does not cause bloating that is a myth. Bb.com allmax and universal all have creapure creatine monohydrate. One 1kg tub should last you around a year maybe a little less. No need to load. Drink about a gallon of water a day. Creatine is ATP it introduces water into muscle cells giving you that extra bit for one more rep or a couple more lbs it isn't anything special.

I have krav Maga sessions and capoeira sessions every week as well as playing sports creatine does not affect this at all.

[thuisinga]

On a cold Friday afternoon, I had come home from school. I had been thinking of the gym all day. I was hungry, didn't have any lunch. In fact, I didn't eat because I spent the money. For the past month I was saving up for something. Something special which I bought at GNC. I was surprised they didn't ask for ID; I was pretty sure the cashier noticed how nervous I was. Anyways, my mom asked my how my day was when I got home, but I ignored her. I have more important things to do. I run to the bathroom and unpack my bag. In my school bag is a white plastic bag from GNC. I open the bag, first removing the receipt and flushing it down the toilet to get rid of the evidence. My heart was racing now. I unpack the creatine monster from the bag. I wonder what people will be asking me when they see that I will be 50lbs heavier. Should I say I was just eating a lot? I remove the label from the tub and tear it into a thousand small pieces. I flush that down the toilet, too. It is time now. I run up to my room when my mom ask me what I am holding. I panic, sweat drips down my forehead and my teeth chatter. "Mom, it's just for a school project". "What project?" "I don't know mom I just started it!". A tear runs down my cheek. I run upstairs and open the creatine, scooping upservings into a clear water bottle. What have I gotten myself into? I fill it with water and drink it. There is no turning back now. The creatine monster is inside me now, it will control me. What should I do if I die? I cant let my family know about this.
I open the creatine tub and throw it all out the window; a white cloud of mysterious dust sparkles into the wind so graciously. I feel the substance taking control of me; I am now the monster. I walk downstairs, its time to work out; time to get big. Now I worry, I don't want to get too big; people will think I use steroids. I do use steroids. No I don't. Creatine. All I see is the weights now, I am almost downstairs when I hear "Do you want a cookie I just baked". I know I do not have time for this **** now. "No mom I do not want a cookie" I walk in the basement and drop to my knees before the weights, tears running down my cheeks. I turn to the right and look at myself in the mirror. Oh god, what have I done?

This is great

[TheJediBrah]

Take 3-5g of creatine monohydrate per day every day, and there is no reason to do the loading phase...

You don't need to limit creatine while playing basketball.

I have Allmax Nutrition's.

Not entirely correct. There is reason to load. it's not necessary but can be useful.

There is definitely no reason to cycle however. (Maybe that's what you meant?)

3-5g of crea mono every day do not cycle whether you are bulking or cutting

It's really this simple

[statusfresh]

On a cold Friday afternoon, I had come home from school. I had been thinking of the gym all day. I was hungry, didn't have any lunch. In fact, I didn't eat because I spent the money. For the past month I was saving up for something. Something special which I bought at GNC. I was surprised they didn't ask for ID; I was pretty sure the cashier noticed how nervous I was. Anyways, my mom asked my how my day was when I got home, but I ignored her. I have more important things to do. I run to the bathroom and unpack my bag. In my school bag is a white plastic bag from GNC. I open the bag, first removing the receipt and flushing it down the toilet to get rid of the evidence. My heart was racing now. I unpack the creatine monster from the bag. I wonder what people will be asking me when they see that I will be 50lbs heavier. Should I say I was just eating a lot? I remove the label from the tub and tear it into a thousand small pieces. I flush that down the toilet, too. It is time now. I run up to my room when my mom ask me what I am holding. I panic, sweat drips down my forehead and my teeth chatter. "Mom, it's just for a school project". "What project?" "I don't know mom I just started it!". A tear runs down my cheek. I run upstairs and open the creatine, scooping upservings into a clear water bottle. What have I gotten myself into? I fill it with water and drink it. There is no turning back now. The creatine monster is inside me now, it will control me. What should I do if I die? I cant let my family know about this.
I open the creatine tub and throw it all out the window; a white cloud of mysterious dust sparkles into the wind so graciously. I feel the substance taking control of me; I am now the monster. I walk downstairs, its time to work out; time to get big. Now I worry, I don't want to get too big; people will think I use steroids. I do use steroids. No I don't. Creatine. All I see is the weights now, I am almost downstairs when I hear "Do you want a cookie I just baked". I know I do not have time for this **** now. "No mom I do not want a cookie" I walk in the basement and drop to my knees before the weights, tears running down my cheeks. I turn to the right and look at myself in the mirror. Oh god, what have I done?

Lol nice story, made me laugh

[llahhsoj]

If you are looking for Creatine mono, I recommend the bb.com house brand. The price is exceptional. Also you do not need to load. Often times loading leads to stomach discomfort and upset. Anyone I have noticed complaining about bloating when taking creatine were people that were loading. 3-5 grams of creatine per day, everyday no need to cycle or load it. You can also take it however and whenever you want, no grape juice needed. Also ignore your friend. There is nothing that you need to avoid when your supplementing creatine so enjoy playing basketball.

Great advice! If you want something other than mono, check out Creacore.

[statusfresh]

AST Micronized Creatine is good - I've used it before. Just bought micronized creatine monohydrate from Optimum Nutrition. BB.com brand should be good too and it's probably cheapest. Overall, creatine is cheap. I don't buy into the CEE and kreaklyn stuff (maybe it works better for some people, don't know). good, cheap creatine mono has worked fine for me. Never had any bloating issues.

The water retention fear is a misunderstanding. Creatine holds water where you want it, INSIDE your muscle (muscle is 75% water). So don't worry about the so-called water-weight issue. Now, if you increase your water intake, with or without creatine, you will get a water bloat. It takes your body some time to adjust (has nothing to do with creatine). And you don't need to go crazy on the water thing. This is not related to creatine and before I started using creatine, but I used go crazy on water and I would end up being bloated on water all the time (it did not feel or look good). If you're peeing really often and it's always crystal clear, you can take it easy on the water...

Don't talk to your friends, coaches or parents about creatine. They don't know **** about creatine and will only perpetuate falsehoods (with zeal). Look for information on the forums. Limit basketball when on creatine? Sounds retarded. Most people find that they can live a normal life when on creatine **that was a joke** **** ya, play basketball. It'll help. Creatine is good for strength, mass and power.

When you start, you should load 20-25 grams per day for 5 days. You'll see faster results. After that, go to 5 grams a day (including rest days). Don't worry about trying to time it with an insulin spike. I don't think nutrient timing is critical. I would take it with your morning meal or post workout (or preworkout). Honestly, I don't think it matters. Personally, I take it with my morning meals because it's easiest. Cycle it? sure, why not. you're not going to go into withdrawal for that month off (you prolly won't even notice), so might as well cycle it so we can all sleep better at night.

Just my thoughts from my experience. I haven't done any research on creatine in the last few years, so maybe there are some new theories, but I doubt it.

Also, I never noticed any huge gains that I could specifically say was from creatine. Though, I do tend to feel a little stronger when I'm taking it...could just be placebo effet (which I'm fine with too!). Bottom line is that creatine is one of the few supps that actually has legit research behind it and it's really cheap and safe...so why not?

Thanks for all the info, I probably won't load just to avoid any stomach discomfort. I'm just wondering though, micronized creatine is creatine mono, but just smaller? There were articles advising to avoid the other types of creatine. Also, the bodybuilding, ON, and AST brands are German right? Lastly, what's the difference between them besides the price. Is there like any extra benefits for the pricier ones. For example, Xtend BCAAs give electrolytes. On AST's description, it says their creatine get's absorbed faster; is that exclusive to them or because of the fact that it's micronized?

[TheJediBrah]

Thanks for all the info, I probably won't load just to avoid any stomach discomfort. I'm just wondering though, micronized creatine is creatine mono, but just smaller? There were articles advising to avoid the other types of creatine. Also, the bodybuilding, ON, and AST brands are German right? Lastly, what's the difference between them besides the price. Is there like any extra benefits for the pricier ones. For example, Xtend BCAAs give electrolytes. On AST's description, it says their creatine get's absorbed faster; is that exclusive to them or because of the fact that it's micronized?

A couple things:
- vast majority of people won't experience any discomfort loading
- No advantage at all with other types of creatine. Why people think making it faster absorbing or increasing absorption is helpful is a mystery to me. People are dumb.

5g creatine mono a day. There is no better option than that.

[eclipze926]

Thanks for all the info, I probably won't load just to avoid any stomach discomfort. I'm just wondering though, micronized creatine is creatine mono, but just smaller? There were articles advising to avoid the other types of creatine. Also, the bodybuilding, ON, and AST brands are German right? Lastly, what's the difference between them besides the price. Is there like any extra benefits for the pricier ones. For example, Xtend BCAAs give electrolytes. On AST's description, it says their creatine get's absorbed faster; is that exclusive to them or because of the fact that it's micronized?

The descriptions are an add pitch. In general creapure create mono does not dissolve so the micronized is the same stuff just smaller it's no different in formula or effectiveness. Most crea mono is micronized anyways

[muscle-machine]

On AST's description, it says their creatine get's absorbed faster; is that exclusive to them or because of the fact that it's micronized?

Don't read any of the bull**** descriptions the companies write. Just look at the ingredients (and how much of each ingredient is included) and research the ingredients.

And btw, paying more for BCAAs that have electrolytes would be a waste of money. Unless you're exercising continuously for hours, you're unlikely to need replacement. And in the case that you did, you could just add a dash of Salt Lite (which is sodium + potassium) to your water. fyi I am a triathlete. So my point is that the companies add stuff just for marketing purposes so they can increase the price. Stick to the basics. Save your hard-earned money.

Now you have all the info you need on creatine. Now go train. No more creatine research, go train!

[LinzKaye]

3-5g per day, drink a gallon of water but increase that if you are more physically active that day. Drink it with whatever, no need to cycle, if you are already concerned about bloat or gastric discomfort, loading will only increase that risk. You can hit up my signature for samples of Green Magnitude, it had extra goodies for when you train as well.

[xxx_jfb_xxx]

On a cold Friday afternoon, I had come home from school. I had been thinking of the gym all day. I was hungry, didn't have any lunch. In fact, I didn't eat because I spent the money. For the past month I was saving up for something. Something special which I bought at GNC. I was surprised they didn't ask for ID; I was pretty sure the cashier noticed how nervous I was. Anyways, my mom asked my how my day was when I got home, but I ignored her. I have more important things to do. I run to the bathroom and unpack my bag. In my school bag is a white plastic bag from GNC. I open the bag, first removing the receipt and flushing it down the toilet to get rid of the evidence. My heart was racing now. I unpack the creatine monster from the bag. I wonder what people will be asking me when they see that I will be 50lbs heavier. Should I say I was just eating a lot? I remove the label from the tub and tear it into a thousand small pieces. I flush that down the toilet, too. It is time now. I run up to my room when my mom ask me what I am holding. I panic, sweat drips down my forehead and my teeth chatter. "Mom, it's just for a school project". "What project?" "I don't know mom I just started it!". A tear runs down my cheek. I run upstairs and open the creatine, scooping upservings into a clear water bottle. What have I gotten myself into? I fill it with water and drink it. There is no turning back now. The creatine monster is inside me now, it will control me. What should I do if I die? I cant let my family know about this.
I open the creatine tub and throw it all out the window; a white cloud of mysterious dust sparkles into the wind so graciously. I feel the substance taking control of me; I am now the monster. I walk downstairs, its time to work out; time to get big. Now I worry, I don't want to get too big; people will think I use steroids. I do use steroids. No I don't. Creatine. All I see is the weights now, I am almost downstairs when I hear "Do you want a cookie I just baked". I know I do not have time for this **** now. "No mom I do not want a cookie" I walk in the basement and drop to my knees before the weights, tears running down my cheeks. I turn to the right and look at myself in the mirror. Oh god, what have I done?

Cliffhanger??