Group: Health Supplements

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Supplements can be a great aid with your health and fitness goals. Combined with the proper exercise and nutritional plan they can be quite effective.

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THE CREATINE GUIDE

BIGKATT
BIGKATT
Posts: 82
Joined: 2006/12/19
United States
2007/01/10, 01:24 PM
I've noticed that alot of people have posted questions about creatine lately and decided to help explain what creatine is and how it is used by our bodies. This information was gathered from several sources in an effort to give everyone a more complete idea of what creatine is and does.

Creatine is a compound that can be made in our bodies or taken as a dietary supplement. The chemical name for Creatine is methyl guanidine-acetic acid. Creatine is made up of three amino acids - Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. Our liver has the ability to combine these three amino acids and make creatine. The other way we get creatine is from our diet.

On average a 160 pound person would have about 120 grams of creatine stored in their body. 95% of the creatine in our body is stored in our muscles. The remaining about 2-5% is stored in various other parts of the body including the brain, heart and testes.

In your body you have a compound called ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). Think of ATP as an energy containing compound. What is important to know about ATP is that the body can very quickly get energy from a ATP reaction. You have other sources of energy such as carbohydrates and fat - but they take longer to convert into a useable energy source. When you are doing an intense quick burst activity - such as lifting a weight or sprinting, your muscles must contract and need a quick source of energy. This immediate energy comes from ATP.

When your muscles use ATP for energy a chemical process happens where the ATP is broken down into two simpler chemicals ADP (adenosine di-phosphate) and inorganic phosphate. This process of ATP turning into ADP releases the energy which gives your muscles the ability to contract. Unfortunately, we do not have an endless supply of ATP. In fact, your muscles only contain enough ATP to last about 10-15 seconds at maximum exertion. In case you were wondering - no, the ADP can not be used to create more energy for your muscles.

Here is where the creatine comes in - or more specifically the creatine phosphate (CP). We don't want to go into great detail on creatine vs. creatine phosphate now (that is in a later article) - all you need to know now is that the majority of creatine that is stored in the muscles bonds with abundant phosphorus stores in the muscles and is converted into Creatine Phosphate (CP). CP is able to react with the ADP in your body and turn "useless" ADP back into the "super useful" energy source - ATP. More ATP in your body means more fuel for your muscles.

Creatine also "volumizes" the muscles by keeping them hydrated, thus making them less prone to atrophy. New research has shown that creatine can help buffer lactic acid that builds-up in the muscles during exercise. This leads to that nasty burning feel you get in your muscles. Scientifically it is a complicated process - basically the creatine bonds with a Hydrogen ion and that helps delay the build up of lactic acid so you can lift more without the "burn".

There is also some data to indicate that creatine helps put the body in a more anabolic state where protein synthesis can occur. The more protein synthesis - the greater the muscle gain.

The average human has between 3.5 and 4 grams of creatine per kilogram of muscle. Once you use up the creatine in your muscle you have to rest your muscles and wait a while before you can exercise the muscle again. Studies have shown that the human muscle can store up to 5 grams of creatine per kilogram. So, by taking a creatine supplement you can raise your levels from 3.5 to 5 grams of creatine - and thus enjoy more of the benefits of creatine.

Excess creatine is eventually converted into the waste product creatinine and excreted from the body.

Creatine is not a wonder drug. It provides your muscles with more short term energy - but that is wasted if you do not exercise your muscles. If you take creatine you should push yourself even harder in the gym. The idea is with more energy you should be able to workout harder. A harder workout leads to increased muscle mass.

If you are working out hard - most people see positive results within the first month. If you do not see any results, and you are using a quality creatine supplement, you may not be a responder to creatine. Some people have such a high baseline level of creatine that supplementing does not do anything. If you see no results - creatine supplementation may not be right for you.

<B>DOSAGE AND CYCLING: IMPORTANT!</B>

You should take the smallest amount that results in a positive gain. By this we mean that if you find that 5 grams work - that is what you should take. Taking 10 grams will not produce twice the effect. Remember what you are trying to do is saturate the muscles with creatine. You are looking to boost your levels by about 30% percent. Taking addition creatine once you have reached saturation is just a waste. Whatever you don't use is just excreted as the waste product - creatinine.

**Everyone who sells creatine wants you to do a loading phase where you take 20 grams a day for the first 5 days. From their standpoint - the more you take - the more they sell. However, unless you are in a hurry to gain muscle mass loading is not necessary. Studies have shown that people who load have greater gains than people who take just 5 grams a day after the first 2 weeks. However, after 4 weeks both groups are at an equal level. So, all loading does is just get you to the same point 2 weeks faster. We don't think taking 100 grams in 1 week is worth it if all it does is shave 2 weeks off the process. In the end you are not going to have greater gains with loading.

Cycling first started with steroid use. The idea is that if you give your body a constant source of a substance - it may eventually get lazy and stop making the substance. In effect your body just relies on you to feed it the supplement - rather than making it. So, if you take a few weeks off from using supplement you ensure that your body will continue to produce the substance.

**The fact is that people have not been supplementing with creatine long enough to know if cycling is required. Our feeling is "better safe than sorry." You have nothing to lose by cycling and a few years from now you may find out that it was a good idea. It is always good to give your body a rest from any supplement. We find that a 2 month on and 1 month off cycle has worked for us

<B>WHEN TO TAKE CREATINE:</B>

Most of the studies involved giving volunteers powder creatine monohydrate before a workout. If they were doing a loading phase it was split into 4 servings (5 grams each) and these were given throughout the day. Still other studies split the dosage even in the maintenance phase and give half the creatine before a workout and the other half after.

This all sounds confusing - but it points to two facts. First, very few studies have been done with taking creatine only after a workout. Second, the exact timing of when you take the creatine may not be critical. As long as you have creatine available to your muscles - it will be effective.

When you take creatine in powder form - it is in your blood stream for about 1 - 1.5 hours. For muscle growth the creatine must be absorbed into the muscles. So, if you are working out and deplete your creatine supply in your muscles AND you have creatine available in the blood stream, your muscles can replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in your blood.

Here is the important point - if your muscles are fully saturated with creatine and you are not working out ( so you are not depleting your creatine stores) then after 1.5 hours the creatine in your blood will be converted into creatinine and excreted

<B>So, with Creatine powder - should I take it before my workout or after?</B>

Here is our advice - take the powder about 1 hour before your workout. Here is our reasoning...

It can take about 1 hour for the creatine to be absorbed into the bloodstream - and from that point you have about 1.5 hours to use the creatine or lose it. So, let's say you workout at 10am - here is our logic. At 9am you take the creatine powder. By 10am the creatine is in the blood stream. Your muscles are probably mostly saturated with creatine from the supplement you took the day before. So, some of the creatine you took at 9am may be absorbed into the muscles - but the rest is still in the blood. At 10am you start working out and depleting the creatine in your muscles. Your muscles then replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in the blood stream. Your workout ends at 11am (you really should not workout more than 1 hour - but that is a topic for a different day). Remember, you took creatine at 9am - but it was not absorbed into the blood stream until 10am. This means it will stay there until 11:30am (1.5 hours). So, now you have another 1/2 hour where your muscles can replenish their creatine supply if depleted. In a way you are getting the best of all worlds - you have creatine available before, during and after your workout.

Since creatine supplies us with energy when working out - it is important we have creatine available during our workout. Creatine as a recovery agent is much less clear, so taking it after a workout to help with recovery is not proven.

<B>Why does my bottle say take it after a workout?</B>

Good question - there are a few reasons for that. The first is that they have a different opinion than us on how creatine works. If this is the case, I would call and ask them to explain exactly why they think after a workout is better. A second reason is that your supplement has other ingredients besides creatine. Many companies have tried to improve on creatine by adding all types of other supplements. It may be that some of those other supplements do much better if taken after a workout. After a workout is a great time to take a protein supplement because your body is in a growth phase (anabolic).

Taking creatine after a workout is not a terrible idea - it is a great time to get the creatine absorbed into the muscles. We just feel, it is important to have creatine available to the muscles during your workout if their creatine supply is depleted. Again, if the manufacturer can provide a clear explanation of why to take it after a workout - fine.

<B>What if I have been taking creatine after my workout?</B>

Don't worry you have still been getting most the benefits of creatine. What is probably happening is the creatine you take after your workout on Monday is what your body will use during your workout on Tuesday. I know - we said creatine only lasts 1.5 hours in the blood stream. However, creatine can last for days once it is trapped within your muscles. So, the creatine you take after your Monday workout is pulled into the depleted muscles where it will stay for days until you use it up. The only problem is that if you deplete your creatine stores during a workout you will not have any other creatine available. This is why we think taking it before a workout is better.

What about liquid, serum, effervescent or creatine gum?
These forms of creatine are absorbed more quickly by the body. For this reason, we still recommend taking them before a workout - but only about 20 minutes before a workout. Again, the creatine will stay in the blood stream for up to 1.5 hours - but it will only take 20 minutes for the creatine to get into the blood stream.

<B>OFF DAYS?</B>

There is some evidence that indicates that creatine can help with muscle recovery. If this is true, then taking creatine on your off days is a good idea. Our feeling is that more research needs to be done before anyone can conclusively say that creatine helps with recovery. This research may not come anytime soon so you are left to make your own decision. If you feel that creatine is helping with muscle recovery, then yes take it on your off days. If you are not convinced that creatine helps with recovery, then you do not need to take it on off days.

A University of Kentucky study shows that use of creatine could help the brain recover from concussions and other injuries commonly suffered by professional and amateur athletes (the study was published in the Annals of Neurology - 11/2000). Brain damage was reduced 21% when creatine was given to mice three days before injury and 36% when given five days ahead of time. Rats given a diet with creatine for four weeks had 50% less brain damage than rats who did not receive creatine. This may explain why pro football players can recover so quickly from concussions - they take creatine.

So, if you play a contact sport you may want to take creatine everyday for the possible prevention of brain damage. Of course, more research needs to be done - but just another factor to consider when you decide if you should use creatine on your off days.

What do we do? Most of us take a half dose of creatine on off days and a full dose on days we work out.


<B>TYPES OF CREATINE:</B>

There are three basic types of creatine supplements - creatine monohydrate, creatine phosphate and creatine citrate. Let's take a quick look at each one:

<B>Creatine Monohydrate</B>

Creatine Monohydrate is basically creatine bound with water. Each molecule of creatine monohydrate is made up of 88% creatine and 12% water. Or to put it another way - 1 gram of creatine monohydrate has 880 milligrams of creatine. This means that if you take 5 grams of creatine monohydrate you will really be putting 4.40 grams (5 * .88) of creatine in your body. Creatine Monohydrate is by far the most common form for a creatine supplement. The majority of studies and research have been conducted using creatine monohydrate.

<B>Creatine Phosphate</B>

Remember that in order for creatine to be effective it needs to bond with a phosphate group and become Creatine Phosphate. For this reason, you may think that directly taking Creatine Phosphate would be better than just taking Creatine Monohydrate. The fact is - taking a creatine phosphate supplement has never been shown to be more effective than just taking creatine monohydrate. Creatine Phosphate has only 62.3% creatine and 37.7% phosphate. This means that 1 gram only produces 623 milligrams of creatine. In addition, creatine phosphate is more expensive than creatine monohydrate.

<B>Creatine Citrate</B>

Creatine Citrate became popular because it is more water soluble than other forms of creatine. Simply put, it dissolves better when you mix it up. The problem is that Creatine Citrate has only 400 milligrams of creatine per gram of creatine citrate. In addition, it is more expensive than Creatine Monohydrate.

Quick review - here is the yield of "free" creatine if you take 5 grams of each creatine supplement

Creatine Monohydrate yields 4.40 grams of creatine
Creatine Phosphate yields 3.12 grams of creatine
Creatine Citrate yields 2 grams of creatine

Great, so everyone agrees Creatine Monohydrate is the best?
Of course not - nobody ever really agrees on anything (except hating taxes). The problem comes from the fact that just getting the most creatine into your body is not the end of the story. How the creatine is absorbed plays a key rule. People who defend Creatine Citrate claim that it has a 90% absorption rate while Creatine Monohydrate has only a 40% rate. This means that while Creatine Citrate delivers less creatine per gram - a much higher percentage is absorbed by the muscles.

This debate could go on forever. Our feeling is that since almost every major study has been done with Creatine Monohydrate - it would be our choice for a creatine supplement. We believe a lot of the marketing claims that some new form of creatine is superior - are often just that - marketing claims. When you look at the science it is not there to back up the claims.

<B>The Safety of Creatine:</B>

There have been hundreds of studies done on creatine that all show that it is a safe supplement. There are really very few side effects reported with creatine use but they include: upset stomach, muscle cramping, diarrhea and dehydration. Most of these side effects can be minimized by drinking plenty of water when taking creatine. In addition, Some people tend to have more side effects when taking the powder as opposed to a more direct delivery method like serum or effervescent powder.

It is important to understand that creatine does not effect your hormone levels. This means you do NOT get side effects like bad skin and mood swings. It is also important to note that everyone is different. While 95% of the people may have no problems with creatine - it may just really bother your stomach. In the end if you find that creatine causes you problems then it makes sense not to take it. Many scientist agree that when taken within normal dosage, creatine in theory should pose no long term health risks. In fact some studies have shown that creatine can help reduce your chances of heart disease and adult on-set diabetes.

. Your decision on whether to take creatine should be done with your doctor. It may be that you have an existing condition that could be harmful if you took creatine. You may be taking a drug that would have a negative interaction with creatine. There are many variables that come into play.

In the end, everyone can interpret studies in a different way. From our view, nothing is out there to indicate that creatine has long term negative effects. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion - but that is the way we feel.

<B>WAYS TO TAKE CREATINE:</B>

What forms of creatine supplements are there?
Creatine can come in powder, liquid (serum), pill, gum or effervescent powder form. Let's take a quick look at each one:

<B>Creatine Powder</B>

Powder creatine is by far the most popular form of creatine supplements. You mix the powder up in some juice and drink it down. While this is the most popular - and cheapest form of creatine supplementation, it does have some problems.

For starters many people find creatine powder has a very gritty taste. This can be helped by "micronized creatine powder". This is just very finely ground creatine powder that dissolves better in liquid.

The other major problem is that creatine powder is not very effective when you look at absorption rates. The powder passes through the stomach and the acids in the stomach start to digest the creatine. This is not what you want, since you want the creatine to reach your muscles. Studies have shown that as much as 40-50% of the creatine powder you take is lost before it ever reaches your muscles.

Finally the powder tends to absorb more water - which can lead to an upset stomach and possible dehydration. If you drink enough water - these should not be major problems.

All that being said - creatine powders still remain the most popular form for supplements. Some of the main reasons are that it is relatively cheap and easy to make creatine powder. If you are looking for the best value - powder is the way to go. In addition, most of the studies were done using powder - so it is very well tested.

<B>Creatine Liquid or Serum</B>

You can also take creatine in liquid or serum form. In theory there are many advantages to liquid creatine over powder. It is a more effective delivery mechanism so much more creatine is absorbed. This means you can take less creatine in liquid form and still get the same results. In addition, you don't need to leave as much time between when you take your creatine and when you can start working out.

The major down side to liquid creatine is it is very hard to make. If creatine is just mixed in a liquid it starts to breakdown into a waste product (creatinine) after about 20 minutes. So, to make liquid creatine effective the creatine must be stabilized. If the creatine is stabilized it will not break down into a waste product - and it will remain as creatine monohydrate.

<B>Creatine Pills</B>

Pills really just work the same way as the powder. They are easier to take because you don't have to mix up anything. What we really don't like about the pills is that it is very hard to vary the dosage. If you decide you only want to take 4 grams a day - and the pills are 5 grams each - your stuck. At least with the powder you could just use one less teaspoon.

<B>Creatine Gum</B>

The idea behind the creatine gum is that as you chew the gum the creatine is released. The fact that it is absorbed in your mouth should yield better absorption rates. We don't have any real experience with the gum and it is not that popular among athletes.

<B>Effervescent Powder Form</B>

This is the stuff that drop into a glass of water and it fizzes up. In the end it works on the same principle as the liquid - trying to increase absorption rates. There have been some preliminary studies that show that effervescent powder may be an effective delivery mechanism. The down side is that they come in pre-measured individual packets - so it is very hard to vary the dosage.

<B>So what is the best form?</B>

You know there is no easy answer to this right? If price is your prime concern we would go with the powder. If ease of use and maximum absorption are most important you may want to look at the serum. Whatever form you choose - make sure you are getting pure creatine monohydrate.

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Hopefully this information can help a few people make a more informative decision on creatine usage :)

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Either You Worked Out Today or You Didn\'t
sbroyhill
sbroyhill
Posts: 442
Joined: 2005/04/06
United States
2007/01/11, 08:17 PM
You ommitted Creatine Ethyl Ester.....
BIGKATT
BIGKATT
Posts: 82
Joined: 2006/12/19
United States
2007/01/11, 08:50 PM
For those who don't know what CEE is, I'll post some info on that as well.


Creatine ethyl ester, or simply creatine ester or CEE, is a substance used to aid muscle development in bodybuilding.

It is a molecule of creatine bonded synthetically by the addition of a hydrochloric acid molecule. The ethyl alcohol allows for easy absorption in the intestines and is taken directly into muscle cells through the cell's walls.


References
Muscle and Fitness Magazine, September 2006


Regular creatine monohydrate has been shown effective at increasing lean muscle mass, muscle strength and athletic performance.

However, regular creatine monohydrate is absorbed poorly by the body - and its effectiveness is dependant upon the cells ability to absorb it. The poor absorption rate of regular creatine monohydrate requires the creatine user to ingest large dosages of creatine to achieve desired effect.

Because creatine draws water to the cell, and because most ingested creatine monohydrate is not absorbed, unabsorbed creatine will sit outside of the target cell with the water, and this will result in the "creatine bloat."

Long-term clinical studies have proven that creatine monohydrate is safe for use by persons free of medical complication but why would you want to ingest more creatine monohydrate than you have to simply because your creatine is inefficient?

Creatine ethyl ester is creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. The attachment of an ester is significant, because esters are found in the fat tissue of animals. But, why is this important? What role does this have in the absorption of creatine?

All substances that you put into your body will affect its operation. There are three ways that substances can affect a cells operation. They are:

Ligand binding to protein receptor sites.
Secondary messenger / metabotropic systems
Passive permeation of the cell wall via lipids

When a substance enters the body and affects the bodies operation, it is known as a ligand. The soma and dendrites of the cell have protein receptor sites to which ligands can bind. The process of a ligand binding with a receptor site is akin to a lock and key: only keys of a certain shape work with certain locks. When they work and cause the cells stimulation they are called agonists. When they block the cell from functioning they are called antagonists.

When a ligand binds with the receptor site of a target cell, the cell, in the simplest of cases, changes its shape, opens up its ion channels and changes its function. In so-called "secondary messenger" or metabotropic cells, the ligand binds with the receptor site and an internal protein known as a g-protein is released. This released protein then binds to an internal site inside of the cell, and then the cell changes its behavior by opening its ion channels. Cells that operate in this way are known as metabotropic cells because their operation requires metabolic energy.

Passive permeation is a process that describes the diffusion of a substance across a cell membrane through the use of lipids as transport mechanisms. Because no "work" is being done by the cell in this model, this model is called passive permeation.

Creatine monohydrate utilizes lipids to permeate the cell wall and enter the cell. Because of this, the esterification of creatine, and the presence of esters in animal fat tissue, becomes significant.

Creatine monohydrate is semi-lipopholic. This means that it inefficiently uses fat as a transport mechanism. The esterification of substances will increase their lipopholic abilities, and thus esterified creatine will use fat more efficiently to permeate the cell wall and exert its effects upon cellular function than its unesterified creatine monohydrate counterpart.

This means, simply, that not only will dosage requirements be lower, but the absorption of esterified creatine will be increased and the infamous "creatine bloat" will be eliminated!


Kasper
Kasper
Posts: 153
Joined: 2002/08/30
United States
2007/01/18, 04:40 AM
awesome post man its just waht i was looking for
Kasper
Kasper
Posts: 153
Joined: 2002/08/30
United States
2007/01/20, 12:29 AM
since CEE is absorbed faster than monohydrate, and as you recommended you should be taking Creatine 1 hour before workout(using monohydrate), does that mean taking CEE should be under 1 hour before workout?
BIGKATT
BIGKATT
Posts: 82
Joined: 2006/12/19
United States
2007/01/20, 12:36 AM

1 hour to 45 minutes would still be ideal:cool:
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Quoting from kasper:

since CEE is absorbed faster than monohydrate, and as you recommended you should be taking Creatine 1 hour before workout(using monohydrate), does that mean taking CEE should be under 1 hour before workout?
=============
Velasca
Velasca
Posts: 441
Joined: 2006/10/26
United States
2007/01/20, 07:49 AM
if Im not getting the bloaty feeling am i doing something wrong? or am i just lucky? hehehehe and how soon do you start to feel a difference? i believe i am already and i just finished loading.. but not sure if im just working out harder this week than i usually do...
BIGKATT
BIGKATT
Posts: 82
Joined: 2006/12/19
United States
2007/01/20, 01:25 PM
If you're working out harder then it probably is due, in part, to the creatine allowing you to push your muscles harder than usual. Gotta give yourself some credit too...for being dedicated and pushing yourself to the next level.:dumbbell:
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2007/01/20, 05:44 PM
CEE 1/2 hr. before your workout would be fine.

============
Quoting from kasper:

since CEE is absorbed faster than monohydrate, and as you recommended you should be taking Creatine 1 hour before workout(using monohydrate), does that mean taking CEE should be under 1 hour before workout?
=============


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"If it ain't broke, you aren't trying."

Kasper
Kasper
Posts: 153
Joined: 2002/08/30
United States
2007/01/21, 11:41 PM
thanks everyone for the help
GOWAR
GOWAR
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Joined: 2001/10/24
United States
2007/01/22, 05:18 AM
wheres' buffered creatine bro???
Velasca
Velasca
Posts: 441
Joined: 2006/10/26
United States
2007/01/30, 07:42 PM
omg..i am loving this stuff...makes me feel good..i work out harder...do i *have* to cycle off?..any offer the pros and cons of cycling or not cycling?...im not bloated or anything..its awesome stuff..cant wait to try CEE..
Kasper
Kasper
Posts: 153
Joined: 2002/08/30
United States
2007/01/31, 12:05 AM
ive started to use NO-Xplode Cellmass and Opt 100% Whey, so now isntead of taking cellmass before my workout i should just take it post workout and after 20-30 minutes my whey right?
Velasca
Velasca
Posts: 441
Joined: 2006/10/26
United States
2007/01/31, 12:12 AM
Just a recap below on a few parts......hehehhe...and umm..i think i read around here on FT somewhere...that if you do take both afterwards you should wait 30 mins after your pwo shake.... as you already said...I personally am finding i like taking the creatine before my workout i think its a matter of personal preference and how it works for you..good luck!

<B>So, with Creatine powder - should I take it before my workout or after?</B>

Here is our advice - take the powder about 1 hour before your workout. Here is our reasoning...

It can take about 1 hour for the creatine to be absorbed into the bloodstream - and from that point you have about 1.5 hours to use the creatine or lose it. So, let's say you workout at 10am - here is our logic. At 9am you take the creatine powder. By 10am the creatine is in the blood stream. Your muscles are probably mostly saturated with creatine from the supplement you took the day before. So, some of the creatine you took at 9am may be absorbed into the muscles - but the rest is still in the blood. At 10am you start working out and depleting the creatine in your muscles. Your muscles then replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in the blood stream. Your workout ends at 11am (you really should not workout more than 1 hour - but that is a topic for a different day). Remember, you took creatine at 9am - but it was not absorbed into the blood stream until 10am. This means it will stay there until 11:30am (1.5 hours). So, now you have another 1/2 hour where your muscles can replenish their creatine supply if depleted. In a way you are getting the best of all worlds - you have creatine available before, during and after your workout.

Since creatine supplies us with energy when working out - it is important we have creatine available during our workout. Creatine as a recovery agent is much less clear, so taking it after a workout to help with recovery is not proven.

<B>Why does my bottle say take it after a workout?</B>

Good question - there are a few reasons for that. The first is that they have a different opinion than us on how creatine works. If this is the case, I would call and ask them to explain exactly why they think after a workout is better. A second reason is that your supplement has other ingredients besides creatine. Many companies have tried to improve on creatine by adding all types of other supplements. It may be that some of those other supplements do much better if taken after a workout. After a workout is a great time to take a protein supplement because your body is in a growth phase (anabolic).

Taking creatine after a workout is not a terrible idea - it is a great time to get the creatine absorbed into the muscles. We just feel, it is important to have creatine available to the muscles during your workout if their creatine supply is depleted. Again, if the manufacturer can provide a clear explanation of why to take it after a workout - fine.

<B>What if I have been taking creatine after my workout?</B>

Don't worry you have still been getting most the benefits of creatine. What is probably happening is the creatine you take after your workout on Monday is what your body will use during your workout on Tuesday. I know - we said creatine only lasts 1.5 hours in the blood stream. However, creatine can last for days once it is trapped within your muscles. So, the creatine you take after your Monday workout is pulled into the depleted muscles where it will stay for days until you use it up. The only problem is that if you deplete your creatine stores during a workout you will not have any other creatine available. This is why we think taking it before a workout is better.

What about liquid, serum, effervescent or creatine gum?
These forms of creatine are absorbed more quickly by the body. For this reason, we still recommend taking them before a workout - but only about 20 minutes before a workout. Again, the creatine will stay in the blood stream for up to 1.5 hours - but it will only take 20 minutes for the creatine to get into the blood stream.
Kasper
Kasper
Posts: 153
Joined: 2002/08/30
United States
2007/01/31, 12:21 AM
well its cause NO-Xplodei s a Nitric Oxide suppplemnet, a few of my buddies take it and they say HOLY SHIT DO YOU GET A PUMP when they take it preworkout, i think if i takeb oth creatine and no before workout ill probably dieh aha
Velasca
Velasca
Posts: 441
Joined: 2006/10/26
United States
2007/01/31, 05:40 AM
ahhhh...okies..makes sense...lol...
engl4nd34
engl4nd34
Posts: 17
Joined: 2007/06/13
United States
2007/06/13, 05:28 PM
I have taken creatine for about a month, and I have gained about 10 pounds. Wonderful stuff.