Creatine

[admin]

Should I go through a loading phase or save my money?

[Beast]

Definitely load!

Here is a quote from Big Cat's article on creatine:

"You could potentially up the gains by 30 percent and will start seeing results much sooner. By over-saturating the area surrounding the muscle the body's need for homeostasis will try to equalize the normal ratio of things and increase the amount within the muscle. So loading is beneficial. "

I have only taken creatine once. I saw the greastest increase in weight (Water) after my loading week.

[Big Cat]

Hey Derek, good thing you let us in on the little name change. Have yet to add you to my buddy list.

[Big H]

Hey.. First off i want to say that the "longer than 3 symbols" thing pissed me off. I can no longer be just "H".. So i decided to be unoriginal and become Big "H". LOL.. nice boards mod's nice work.. I will be sure to offer my 2 cents every way i can cat, to make sure you aren't overwhelmed.

[Kutulus]

Why wouldn't you load? Your not saving much money by not loading...

Don't extend the loading past 4 days... if you do be prepared for alot of runny poo... heh...

[Big Cat]

Kutulus, if you are getting diarrhea for longer than a day it may mean you aren't spacing your doses far enough apart. At least that's been my experience.

H, welcome aboard bro. People are already helpin out more. Its kinda nice. Not many people yet but Danny, fit and Dorian are all posting again, and when you, K, Str8 and some of the other folks come over and start posting, we'll have a wide range of information to offer and that gives me a chance to do what I need to do as a moderator and focus on the more interesting posts.

[Kutulus]

i space them 4 hrs apart which is what it says in the directions...

however one time i loaded for a whole week cuz i didn't know any better. I was alright until the 6 or 7th day...

[tone-n-up]

I am currently doing the BFL program. I am now in to my 2nd week of my 2nd 12 week cycle. I currently weigh in at 153 lbs. and stand at 5 ft. 8 in. I feel as though my body is getting toned very well but I just can't seem to get rid of some of the fat. I have been thinking about the Creatine. From what I understand it would be a good thing to add to my diet. I am currently only using the Myoplex Lite protein shakes. But I am un sure of really what the creatine will do for me. If it is meant to bulk with, then that is not what I want. I am trying to lose fat and gain muscle....
I am not trying to gain size. I had done some reading on the creatine, and from what I have found it is also something that is used allot in elderly peole. Or even people who have scoleosis. In reading this I am even more so wanting to understand the creatine, beings I am 31 now. I am really enjoying defying age with lifting weights. If the creatine would help even more.... Then I am all for that.Can someone please help me by giving me more info on this.

[LostProphet]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/catcrea.htm

enjoy.









Later

[DaddyR]

LOL! Check out the date of the originasl post in this thread. And STILL we have folks clogging up the board asking the SIMPLEST of questions about Creatine!

ENOUGH of this crap already! PLEASE folks, use the search button!

To go off on another tangent... why don't people continue discussions any more? Every day people ask the same darned questions again and again. Too friggin lazy to even read through the last couple of days' posts to see if someone has already asked your question? Why not add to an existing duscussion on the same topic? This is pitiful!

I'm sorry to be so negative, folks, but I used to LOVE coming here and reading and contributing to some really great discussions. Nowadays you don't see much of me, in part because I've just got better things to do with my time than weed through all of the dumb-a$$ repetitive stuff in the vain hope that somewhere I'll actually find something worth reading!

Don't get me wrong. I'm still here, when I get a spare hour or two or am EXTREMELY bored. I'll continue to jumo in every now and then. But there are so few threads of any substance anymore. I used to spend insane amounts of time here, but the current state of affairs is just pitiful.

It's just become too hard to find the good stuff in between the simple questions that have been answered <u>hundreds of times over</u> on the board and in the articles section of bb.com.

[LostProphet]

I know DaddyR.


I've just posted a thread called "people with questions on creatine" that has a link to Big Cats article. Hopefully this will elminate a few questions.









Later

[shpongled]

Originally posted by DaddyR
LOL! Check out the date of the originasl post in this thread. And STILL we have folks clogging up the board asking the SIMPLEST of questions about Creatine!

ENOUGH of this crap already! PLEASE folks, use the search button!

To go off on another tangent... why don't people continue discussions any more? Every day people ask the same darned questions again and again. Too friggin lazy to even read through the last couple of days' posts to see if someone has already asked your question? Why not add to an existing duscussion on the same topic? This is pitiful!

I'm sorry to be so negative, folks, but I used to LOVE coming here and reading and contributing to some really great discussions. Nowadays you don't see much of me, in part because I've just got better things to do with my time than weed through all of the dumb-a$$ repetitive stuff in the vain hope that somewhere I'll actually find something worth reading!

Don't get me wrong. I'm still here, when I get a spare hour or two or am EXTREMELY bored. I'll continue to jumo in every now and then. But there are so few threads of any substance anymore. I used to spend insane amounts of time here, but the current state of affairs is just pitiful.

It's just become too hard to find the good stuff in between the simple questions that have been answered <u>hundreds of times over</u> on the board and in the articles section of bb.com.

Bump that

[shpongled]

Originally posted by Beast
Definitely load!

Here is a quote from Big Cat's article on creatine:

"You could potentially up the gains by 30 percent and will start seeing results much sooner. By over-saturating the area surrounding the muscle the body's need for homeostasis will try to equalize the normal ratio of things and increase the amount within the muscle. So loading is beneficial. "

I have only taken creatine once. I saw the greastest increase in weight (Water) after my loading week.

You can't over-saturate. You can saturate, that's it. I still haven't seen any loading vs. regular dosing studies, but I don't see any reason why loading would be useful. Your body will piss out any extra after 50 mg/kg (I would still take 80 mg/kg to be on the safe side). Loading is as ludricous as thinking that taking a ton of chromium is going to increase insulin sensitivity. Like with basically any nutrient, there is a certain point at which more just won't be used.

Loading could cause a surge in the downregulation of CreaT though, making your lower dose less effective than it otherwise would be. Seeing as there's no good reason to do it, and a reason not to, I'd skip loading.

David

[tone-n-up]

Thanx shpongled. I really appreciate getting the help from people who know that we are asking these questions constantly because everybody has different opinions. Not everybody believes the same thing and with that, we take everyones experiences and use that to base what we think is best for us. Of course things do change over time as well. There is always new studies and new opinions about everything.
Again I thank you for taking the time to add your knowledge, you are so appreciated.. :-)

[shpongled]

Originally posted by tone-n-up
Thanx shpongled. I really appreciate getting the help from people who know that we are asking these questions constantly because everybody has different opinions. Not everybody believes the same thing and with that, we take everyones experiences and use that to base what we think is best for us. Of course things do change over time as well. There is always new studies and new opinions about everything.
Again I thank you for taking the time to add your knowledge, you are so appreciated.. :-)

No problem, we all have different opinions, but it still gets a little old seeing the same question 5 times a day when it could all be condensed to one thread

Peace

David

[Big Cat]

Originally posted by DaddyR
I'm sorry to be so negative, folks, but I used to LOVE coming here and reading and contributing to some really great discussions. Nowadays you don't see much of me, in part because I've just got better things to do with my time than weed through all of the dumb-a$$ repetitive stuff in the vain hope that somewhere I'll actually find something worth reading!

Its always been like that, its just more obvious now because or member count has been growing exponentially over the past year. All we can do is keep pointing it out, but that won't exclude the constant flow of newbies.

[LethalGunz34]

Originally posted by DaddyR
LOL! Check out the date of the originasl post in this thread. And STILL we have folks clogging up the board asking the SIMPLEST of questions about Creatine!

ENOUGH of this crap already! PLEASE folks, use the search button!

To go off on another tangent... why don't people continue discussions any more? Every day people ask the same darned questions again and again. Too friggin lazy to even read through the last couple of days' posts to see if someone has already asked your question? Why not add to an existing duscussion on the same topic? This is pitiful!

I'm sorry to be so negative, folks, but I used to LOVE coming here and reading and contributing to some really great discussions. Nowadays you don't see much of me, in part because I've just got better things to do with my time than weed through all of the dumb-a$$ repetitive stuff in the vain hope that somewhere I'll actually find something worth reading!

Don't get me wrong. I'm still here, when I get a spare hour or two or am EXTREMELY bored. I'll continue to jumo in every now and then. But there are so few threads of any substance anymore. I used to spend insane amounts of time here, but the current state of affairs is just pitiful.

It's just become too hard to find the good stuff in between the simple questions that have been answered <u>hundreds of times over</u> on the board and in the articles section of bb.com.

BBBBBBUUUUUUUUMMMMMPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!


DADDYR for PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!

[DaddyR]

Originally posted by Big Cat
Its always been like that, its just more obvious now because or member count has been growing exponentially over the past year. All we can do is keep pointing it out, but that won't exclude the constant flow of newbies.

Guess you're right, if I really think about it. And since we were all once newbies, we certainly don't want to exclude them completely. Sometimes they actually have GOOD things to contribute.

At this point, a days' worth of posts fills about 2 - 2 1/2 pages. Just the past week fills about 16 pages! At that rate, few folks take the time to look at anything that isn't more than a couple of days old. Considering the sheer volume of posts, who can really blame them? But the result is that even more folks ask the same questions even more frequently, which worsens the situation further . . . a vicious cycle.

How to break that cycle? I'm sure the Mods have considered the issue many times over, but what the heck, I've got time to spare on a rainy day . . .

1. Folks need to READ THE ARTICLES BEFORE looking around in here. Anything that can be done to direct folks to the articles from the various boards should be a big help. But of course it has to grab the readers' attention without annoying the heck out of us "regulars". Maybe a series of brightly-colored buttons at the top of the first page of each board, linking to the article sections dealing with specifric topics, for example, CREATINE, PROHORMONES. Many ways this might be accomplished I'm sure.

2. Folks need to ALWAYS do a search first, and take the time to weed through the search results to find the decent info hidden amongst all of the B.S. Of course, searches become less fruitful as the problem gets worse. But that's something EVERY MEMBER can do to improve the situation.

3. More forums (or sub-forums to be exact). For example, add boards for Creatine, PH, etc. under the Supps heading. Problem is, most folks would probably skip the sub-forums and still just post on the main supps board.

4. The one-on-one approach. If there were enough Mods and they spent every waking hour working on these boards (i.e., I think this is an untenable option), they might delete the repetitive questions and PM the authors to refer them to the article or existing thread that answers their question. I sincerely doubt this could be done at this point, however. IMO this would be asking too much of the Mods, and just about impossible.

5. More "stickies" - I expect most of us regulars would oppose that idea though. To have enough to do the job, they would take up way too much space.

Obviously I favor approaches 1 and 2. But folks have been trying to stress number 2 for ages. As for number 1, that's not a decision for me to make. Maybe it's an option that's been repeatedly considered and dismissed. But I thought I'd put it out there.

A plea to all: PLEASE try to help out! <b>Do those Searches!</b> And take the time to really go through the search results. Yes it's a pain, but it's necessary. and PLEASE take the time to go through at least 3-4 days' worth of past posts before asking a question.

If you have a new angle on an old topic, add to the old thread instead of starting a new one. Not only will this decrease the number of little threads all on the same or very similar topics, but it will improve the quality of your search results dramatically!

There. I've turned my originally bitchy response into something that I hope will have a more positive impact. Hope at least SOMEBODY reads and heeds.

[costasoldatos]

AT firstwhen I first came to this site the search option wasn't obvious to me.Maybe search should be More obvious for newbies, so they can really see it when they enter the site,

[Big Cat]

Originally posted by DaddyR
1. Folks need to READ THE ARTICLES BEFORE looking around in here. Anything that can be done to direct folks to the articles from the various boards should be a big help. But of course it has to grab the readers' attention without annoying the heck out of us "regulars". Maybe a series of brightly-colored buttons at the top of the first page of each board, linking to the article sections dealing with specifric topics, for example, CREATINE, PROHORMONES. Many ways this might be accomplished I'm sure.

2. Folks need to ALWAYS do a search first, and take the time to weed through the search results to find the decent info hidden amongst all of the B.S. Of course, searches become less fruitful as the problem gets worse. But that's something EVERY MEMBER can do to improve the situation.

I don't think anyone can argue these two points and I doubt anyone will say that all the members here have been trying there hardest to get this message across.

3. More forums (or sub-forums to be exact). For example, add boards for Creatine, PH, etc. under the Supps heading. Problem is, most folks would probably skip the sub-forums and still just post on the main supps board.

This has been happening to some extent, and this is an initiative from the other mods (doesn't happen a lot that something happens and I'm not involved, but then again I have been absent). But to take it to that extreme would benefit noone. If you specialize boards too much , it will take a lot of people who might otherwise answer certain questions to a T out, because they prefer to handle other topics. If you had absolute experts, several of them, on each topic, this would be feasible, but lets face it we don't.

4. The one-on-one approach. If there were enough Mods and they spent every waking hour working on these boards (i.e., I think this is an untenable option), they might delete the repetitive questions and PM the authors to refer them to the article or existing thread that answers their question. I sincerely doubt this could be done at this point, however. IMO this would be asking too much of the Mods, and just about impossible.

Not to mention futile with the influx of newbies.

5. More "stickies" - I expect most of us regulars would oppose that idea though. To have enough to do the job, they would take up way too much space.

That appears to be the problem, at one time I tried my hardest to get a number of stickies up on all boards, but then complaints came about crowding, hence I leave most of this to the other mods, and only interfere with the lay-out and contents.

What might be feasible, although it would take some time, is to create a subforum that is not accessible as far as posting, and put all interesting threads there. Cleaned up and closed.

[tone-n-up]

I have to add, I do searching myself all the time. But to do it on this sight is not always going to get a person anywhere. I find some things that might help. But I can never seem to get the full answer that I would like to get.

[LostProphet]

Originally posted by Big Cat

What might be feasible, although it would take some time, is to create a subforum that is not accessible as far as posting, and put all interesting threads there. Cleaned up and closed. [/B]

Sounds like a cool idea.

[Big Cat]

Originally posted by tone-n-up
I have to add, I do searching myself all the time. But to do it on this sight is not always going to get a person anywhere. I find some things that might help. But I can never seem to get the full answer that I would like to get.

Little bits help too. I'm aware of the difficulty when there are no FAQ's on the subject, info does get scattered around, that's why it pays to thumb through some old articles from people you know are trustworthy, like myself and str8flexed and so on (I'll be the first to admit there is some crap on this site too).

But say all you find is little bits and pieces, its still easier for people trying to help you to fill in the blanks, than having to do the whole story.

[tone-n-up]

Yes, I do totally agree with you Big Cat. I suppose for me, maybe I should word my questions differntly. So that it does not appear that I have abosolutely no knowledge.

[DaddyR]

Originally posted by Big Cat
What might be feasible, although it would take some time, is to create a subforum that is not accessible as far as posting, and put all interesting threads there. Cleaned up and closed. [/B]

At least it would be one where a searchwould be more fruitful. Problem then being getting folks to search it before posting on the main forum. It's an idea. Might help.

Costasoldatos makes a good point about the relatively inconspicuous size and location of the search button. But I don't know if that's something that can be changed... something tells me it's part of the forum software and that one would have to modify what may be a proprietary software product to change it. Same with the idea I had about flashy buttons linking to specific sections/types of articles. But if possible, I think it would help some.

[Big Cat]

Originally posted by tone-n-up
Yes, I do totally agree with you Big Cat. I suppose for me, maybe I should word my questions differntly. So that it does not appear that I have abosolutely no knowledge.

Indeed. I know its not an easy thing. Its hard for the mods to see this since we know bodybuilding inside out, but from experience with non-BB related boards I can tell you even the best of them make mistakes.

I assume the best chance we have is to keep instructing others in how to do this, and that isn't a job solely for the vets and the mods, newbies will benefit from passing this on as well as it creates a generally better picture of newbies and increases the standing of our board.

[Big Cat]

Originally posted by DaddyR
Costasoldatos makes a good point about the relatively inconspicuous size and location of the search button. But I don't know if that's something that can be changed... something tells me it's part of the forum software and that one would have to modify what may be a proprietary software product to change it. Same with the idea I had about flashy buttons linking to specific sections/types of articles. But if possible, I think it would help some.

If they can find the user CP button and the register button, its not that much to ask that they find the search button ...

[ABC_BOXER]

So Admin...


How did the Loading go

[beast69]

I've only got two things to say to this thread.....

1) why did you have to go and bump a thread from 3.5 years ago?

2) I can't believe the ADMIN asked a question like this! THE ADMIN OF ALL PEOPLE!!

[Nathan1]

i just wanted to see if i could actually still respond to this.


edit: carry on.