What to take after a work out? Protein or Creatine?

[Harlock]

Sorry, newbie here. I'm confused as to what to take after a work out. Most people would say Protein, but some say creatine. and most creatine product recommend you take it after work out on an empty stomach....so, what's your advice? Thanks!

[Trey70]

Both at the same time. I've never seen the empty stomach thing for creatine. When I'm using it I take it in my PWO shake with whey protein, dex, and malto.

[Harlock]

Both at the same time. I've never seen the empty stomach thing for creatine. When I'm using it I take it in my PWO shake with whey protein, dex, and malto.

Thanks. I used to take cellmass and then green bulge. Cellmass's instructions said wait 1 hour before taking food or a shake. I asked controlled labs regarding their green bulge, and they said the same thing. I'm currently taking Storm from Universal Nutrition.....hmmmmmm........

[TheLBM]

Sorry, newbie here. I'm confused as to what to take after a work out. Most people would say Protein, but some say creatine. and most creatine product recommend you take it after work out on an empty stomach....so, what's your advice? Thanks!

i have been taking prolab mono right after a wo with grape juice then around 15 min a pwo shake. then 45-60 min a meal of real food. seems to work.

[Avila]

if you are a newbie... dont try creatine, take that out of your dictionary... you are not ready.

If you have no idea what is teh difference between creatine and protein.. do some reasearch and learn how to use it... cause they are not the same and should not be compared liek that.


SInce yo uare a newbie, you will be able to improve based on newbie gains and protein

and now on to your question.

take protein.

[adidamps2]

protein creatine and a nap...

[matsgd]

Sorry, newbie here. I'm confused as to what to take after a work out. Most people would say Protein, but some say creatine. and most creatine product recommend you take it after work out on an empty stomach....so, what's your advice? Thanks!

In order to get glycogen to the muscles after the workout and to stop the cortisol levels from rising, a post-workout drink should primarily contain a high-GI carb like maltodextrin or dextrose. Protein is also good to add, but not as important as the carb (provided, of course, that a protein-rich meal is consumed within an hour after completing the workout).

EDIT: My PW drink consists of:
75g maltodextrin
25g whey
1000mg vitamin C
15g glutamine
5g creatine

[9cyclops9]

if you are a newbie... dont try creatine, take that out of your dictionary... you are not ready.

If you have no idea what is teh difference between creatine and protein.. do some reasearch and learn how to use it... cause they are not the same and should not be compared liek that.


SInce yo uare a newbie, you will be able to improve based on newbie gains and protein

and now on to your question.

take protein.

It isn't steroids. Creatine is fine for a newbie. I'd leave the rest of the supps out of the picture though, besides protein powder. And you don't need some fancy creatine with a "hardcore" name like "White Blood" or "Blue Nuts." All you need is some plain creatine monohydrate. Higher Power makes a very affordable mono. Mix 5g with your PWO shake.

[powerman2000]

Sorry, newbie here. I'm confused as to what to take after a work out. Most people would say Protein, but some say creatine. and most creatine product recommend you take it after work out on an empty stomach....so, what's your advice? Thanks!

do everything prescribed in this link http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magaz...pportunity.htm

[Avila]

double post

[Avila]

It isn't steroids. Creatine is fine for a newbie. I'd leave the rest of the supps out of the picture though, besides protein powder. And you don't need some fancy creatine with a "hardcore" name like "White Blood" or "Blue Nuts." All you need is some plain creatine monohydrate. Higher Power makes a very affordable mono. Mix 5g with your PWO shake.

ofcourse its not steriods... but they are not vitamins either.

this is the reason why supplements get banned... ignorant people taking **** without prior knowdlege of what it is.
like EPHEDRA, and some otehr suff.

so you tell him to take it without any knowledge of what it is...
All i said was that he does not need creatine, he is a newbie, he can do it without creatine.

And for him to how to question this and compare it with protein by asking what should i take.... is an obvious indication to research about it.

my 2 cents

[Harlock]

Ok, maybe the "newbie" part was a little exagerated. I've been lifting for about two years (so I've gone through the beginner gains a while back), but I've always avoided supplements (except for protein supps). I'm also 28, so I don't have to really worry about taking anything too young (test boosters and etc.) I know what the difference between protein and creatine is, I'm just not clear on which one first. Instructions to both products say take directly after workout....

Lately my routine has been to take creatine directly after workout, and then 20 minutes later ON's Gold Whey followed by real food 45 minutes later. I've been using these supplements for about 4 months now, I'm just trying to figure out whether changing the pattern will result in better results. Thanks for all the input so far. Highly appreciated.

[J.L.C.]

Immediately after I train I take a PWO shake of about 20 grams carbs, 5 gams protein and 5 grams creatine.

An hour after that I have my big shake with oats....to give me 80 grams carbs, and 60 grams protein.

The first shake is like a "primer" and I use that as my cratine delivery.....the carbs in that one come from dextrose from the bulk store.

[powerman2000]

Immediately after I train I take a PWO shake of about 20 grams carbs, 5 gams protein and 5 grams creatine.

An hour after that I have my big shake with oats....to give me 80 grams carbs, and 60 grams protein.

The first shake is like a "primer" and I use that as my cratine delivery.....the carbs in that one come from dextrose from the bulk store.

Do yourself a favor, go to the link I posted previously in this thread and read every word on the page. You'll love me for it when you see the results!

[J.L.C.]

Some great info in that article...

I've tried a number of approaches over the years, and the way I'm tackling it now has done great things for me.

[powerman2000]

Some great info in that article...

I've tried a number of approaches over the years, and the way I'm tackling it now has done great things for me.

Your method will be good for staying lean, but it is not optimal for muscle mass gains. http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/dextrose.php

Also, where is the scientific logic to waiting for an hour to consume more than 5 grams of pwo protein? Your insulin timing does not require that much time. In fact, you are loosing precious opportunity.

[J.L.C.]

There has been a lot of discussion over at t-nation about the misconceptions of the "1 hour window".....and that it doesn't exist.

I consume between 50-60% of my daily food intake within 3 hour of training.

My post workout carbs come from oats mostly, and either long grain brown rice, or whole wheat pasta. The dextrose is just to help spike insulin a bit with my creatine....and they don't sell malto at the bulk store I go to.

So my approach is bad for mass.....but oral consumption of glutamine is good??

I don't see how feeding intestinal bacterial heaps of glutamine would really do anything for my physique.

I'm not staying lean (hovering around 12% BF), I've gained 25 pounds since my show, and inch on my thighs, an inch on my delts, and a 1/4 inch on my calves (focusing on week points) since my show 2 months ago. This is why I don't believe I'm that far off target.

If what you're doing works for you.....awesome!!

What I'm doing diet-wise, combined with my approach to training, has done a lot for me.

[powerman2000]

There has been a lot of discussion over at t-nation about the misconceptions of the "1 hour window".....and that it doesn't exist.

I consume between 50-60% of my daily food intake within 3 hour of training.

My post workout carbs come from oats mostly, and either long grain brown rice, or whole wheat pasta. The dextrose is just to help spike insulin a bit with my creatine....and they don't sell malto at the bulk store I go to.

So my approach is bad for mass.....but oral consumption of glutamine is good??

I don't see how feeding intestinal bacterial heaps of glutamine would really do anything for my physique.

I'm not staying lean (hovering around 12% BF), I've gained 25 pounds since my show, and inch on my thighs, an inch on my delts, and a 1/4 inch on my calves (focusing on week points) since my show 2 months ago. This is why I don't believe I'm that far off target.

If what you're doing works for you.....awesome!!

What I'm doing diet-wise, combined with my approach to training, has done a lot for me.

Why are you talking about Glutamine and ignoring my question. A lot of talk at t-nation isn't much of an answer. Can you tell me why waiting for an hour pwo is better than consuming more protein much sooner? Can you tell me why you even bother with the 5 grams that you ingest. How do you consume only 5 grams?

Can you explain why using slow digesting complex carbs for the bulk of your pwo carb intake is better than a mix of dextrose and maltodextrin consumed completely within 1 hour pwo.

You've had some success, thats great, but I'm so tired of ppl who can only give an answer to why it is that they are doing what they do simply because "it works for me". We are talking about what is optimal.

If you aren't open to this then all I can say is good luck and continued success.

[the kraken]

protein creatine and a nap...

WORD!!

[J.L.C.]

Why are you talking about Glutamine and ignoring my question. A lot of talk at t-nation isn't much of an answer. Can you tell me why waiting for an hour pwo is better than consuming more protein much sooner? Can you tell me why you even bother with the 5 grams that you ingest. How do you consume only 5 grams?

Can you explain why using slow digesting complex carbs for the bulk of your pwo carb intake is better than a mix of dextrose and maltodextrin consumed completely within 1 hour pwo.

You've had some success, thats great, but I'm so tired of ppl who can only give an answer to why it is that they are doing what they do simply because "it works for me". We are talking about what is optimal.

If you aren't open to this then all I can say is good luck and continued success.

I spoke on glutamine because glutamine intake amounts and timing was a focus of the link you gave.

I told you I don't use malto, because I can't find a quick, convenient, and cheap source for it near me.

I use oats, because complex vs simple carbs post workout has been shown to matter very little (I don't have specific references, nor do I save everything I read).

The reason I wait is that currently, the state of the art is to maximize post-workout hormonal environment by first setting the stage with a small amount of carbs stacked with insulinogenic amino acids and glucose disposal agents ( I use ALA, although this is debatable as well). I get 5 grams of protein by using 1/4 of a scoop that would yield 20 grams if full.

I prefer to get glycogen storage and protein synthesis kickstarted before I ask my system to digest, repair and recouperate all at the same time. By spacing my meals the way I do, I get slightly less bloated and try to extend the anabolic effects of training and feeding.

Competitive bodybuilding is a hobby, so I don't nitpick every detail. I have found what works best for me after 12 years of training. If malto works better for you, use malto.

Here's the T-Nation link with references to the reasoning behind abandoning the "1-hour window".
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=659666

Again, I didn't say anything was optimal in any of my posts. I merely wrote what I do. You took the high and mighty approach by telling me I'm doing everything wrong. Fortunately for me, the judges have, so far, disagreed with you on that.

[powerman2000]

I spoke on glutamine because glutamine intake amounts and timing was a focus of the link you gave.

I told you I don't use malto, because I can't find a quick, convenient, and cheap source for it near me.

I use oats, because complex vs simple carbs post workout has been shown to matter very little (I don't have specific references, nor do I save everything I read).

The reason I wait is that currently, the state of the art is to maximize post-workout hormonal environment by first setting the stage with a small amount of carbs stacked with insulinogenic amino acids and glucose disposal agents ( I use ALA, although this is debatable as well). I get 5 grams of protein by using 1/4 of a scoop that would yield 20 grams if full.

I prefer to get glycogen storage and protein synthesis kickstarted before I ask my system to digest, repair and recouperate all at the same time. By spacing my meals the way I do, I get slightly less bloated and try to extend the anabolic effects of training and feeding.

Competitive bodybuilding is a hobby, so I don't nitpick every detail. I have found what works best for me after 12 years of training. If malto works better for you, use malto.

Here's the T-Nation link with references to the reasoning behind abandoning the "1-hour window".
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=659666

Again, I didn't say anything was optimal in any of my posts. I merely wrote what I do. You took the high and mighty approach by telling me I'm doing everything wrong. Fortunately for me, the judges have, so far, disagreed with you on that.

I never said anywhere that you were wrong, but I stand by what science can show us and say that what you're doing is not optimal.

[bgn95]

god, what the hell's wrong with all you people? anyone with brains knows that after a workout, you need to eat 3-4 value meals, and wash them down with a 12 pack....do i have to teach you people everything?!

[bgn95]

seriously though, i would just take protein. i took 7.5-10 grams of creatine every day for a year and it didn't do jack for me. i tried taking it before workouts, during workouts, after workouts, in the morning and various combinations of those. didn't do a damn thing, when i went off it, i didn't lose an ounce of bodyweight.

[J.L.C.]

I never said anywhere that you were wrong, but I stand by what science can show us and say that what you're doing is not optimal.

Did you read any of the references in the link?

[powerman2000]

Did you read any of the references in the link?

Not yet, but I definitely will.