Creatine
- Thread starter accius
- Start date
accius said:
Yep, tried it a few times about 2 years ago. Took it according to the loading schedule and avoided caffeinated drinks during the loading phase in order for it to be effective.....well, I can't say I noticed much, if any, effect (except maybe a placebo effect??
)So, no, IMO, it doesn't really do much of anything. It's not cheap, either. And, it's completely legal to use....which should tell you something...namely, that it probably doesn't have any perceptible physiological effects, otherwise it would be banned.
Do lots of sprint training instead!
BikingBrian said:Yep, tried it a few times about 2 years ago. Took it according to the loading schedule and avoided caffeinated drinks during the loading phase in order for it to be effective.....well, I can't say I noticed much, if any, effect (except maybe a placebo effect??
So, no, IMO, it doesn't really do much of anything. It's not cheap, either. And, it's completely legal to use....which should tell you something...namely, that it probably doesn't have any perceptible physiological effects, otherwise it would be banned.
Do lots of sprint training instead!
Stuff like this is why people get confused about creatine.
You can go to pubmed and find plenty of studies supporting creatine's use for what it is intended. Creatine is cheap. Less than a few dollars per month. Caffeine need not be avoided during the "loading phase" (which is also unnecessary), but there are conflicting studies about whether caffeine negates the benefits of creatine if caffeine is consumed immediately before, or during the exercise session. Tough to ban something that could be nearly duplicated by consuming lots of food sources of creatine. Maybe they will ban creatine when they also ban Vitamin C.
WarrenG said:
"....for what it's INTENDED"....the studies I've read seem to say that are is no evidence creatine is of any benefit to endurance athletes. As far as avoiding caffeine when taking creatine, that advice comes from Friel's Training Bible....not saying he is absolutely right, but if I may paraphrase, the text said basically that while creatine use in endurance athletes was of questionable value, IF you wanted to experiment with it, it was advised to avoid caffeine.
You are correct about food sources of creatine. However, the amounts that are naturally present in foods, ie red meat, are nowhere near the amounts that are typically taken in supplement form.
Basically speaking creatine can contribute to intramuscular fluid retention, which can produce a leverage effect. This is how lean mass and strength is increased by using anabolic / androgenic steroids. By increasing intramuscular fluid retention.
Muscle cells appear to increase in size because of fluid retention and may gain in explosive strength due to fluid retention. Therefore it may be beneficial to those who are in sporting events that are not endurance related, are not typically effected by increased body mass and can benefit to short explosive strength requirements even short track sprints.
The only side effects that I have heard personally and have experienced is an upset stomach and I have found relief by using creatine with a simple sugar like 6 ounces of grape juice or similar.
Like steroids the fluid retention will return to normal after discontinued use. Unlike steroids there are no recorded lingering side effects for men or women.
Muscle cells appear to increase in size because of fluid retention and may gain in explosive strength due to fluid retention. Therefore it may be beneficial to those who are in sporting events that are not endurance related, are not typically effected by increased body mass and can benefit to short explosive strength requirements even short track sprints.
The only side effects that I have heard personally and have experienced is an upset stomach and I have found relief by using creatine with a simple sugar like 6 ounces of grape juice or similar.
Like steroids the fluid retention will return to normal after discontinued use. Unlike steroids there are no recorded lingering side effects for men or women.
BikingBrian said:
The typical Western meat-containing diet provides about 1 g/d of creatine. While research studies have frequently used a "loading dose" of 20 g/d, others have shown that you can achieve the same increase in muscle creatine and creatine phosphate levels by ingesting as little as 2-3 g/d.
I have found this to be true for my own personal experiments.acoggan said:
Each time I tried the traditional loading phase I would get an upset stomach (not everyone experiences this). I have found that not going through the loading phase I would not end up with an stomach cramps and diarrhea and I would gain some of the positive effects from the creatine. Because of the difficulty of creatine digestion loading creatine will only compound the problem for those of us who are sensitive and besides if a smaller dose is effective it may be just financially wasteful to load anyway, which is exactly what the supplement companies would like for people to do.
I always get the upset stomach for the first few days. I did notice a difference in my training when I got off my cycle. I used it mainly for gym gains which I am happy I saw. What's odd is that I haven't lost a single pound since I have been off of it (over 3 weeks).
What's odd is that I haven't lost a single pound since I have been off of it (over 3 weeks).
Strange.....me either, but that is not typical for me.Meek One said:I always get the upset stomach for the first few days. I did notice a difference in my training when I got off my cycle. I used it mainly for gym gains which I am happy I saw.
I've been off for about 3 weeks as well and my bodyweight has not decreased. I am expecting fluid loss any day now.
No, recovery after the session, the next day I feel stronger than when I'm not taking it. I take creatine before, during and after riding. Can't be 100% sure that it's the creatine that helps the recovery, but it's cheap enough and said to be harmless and worst.WarrenG said:
I only know of 2 supplements that I can say I am certain work for me. The first is Glucosamine for my knees, I certainly notice when I am on or off this.
The second is quite weird and came about by accident. Believe it or not it's "Berocca". I'm not sure if it's available world-wide but is essentially just a fizzy tablet high in vitamins B and C. I dropped one into my bottle one day (can't even recall why) and noticed quite a difference that ride. I started experimenting with using it or not (generally by forgetting and the recalling the ride later, so I guess a semi-blind study). Weird I know, but definately works for me.
886014 said:
"Semi-blind study", I like that. Somewhere on Pubmed there's a study that shows decreased performance when creatine was taken right before exercise. It has to be _IN_ your muscles for it to help, so what you took yesterday or during the days/weeks before is what helps.
One B vitamin, niacin can dialate your blood vessels. C is a strong anti-oxidant. You might find similar results from taking them as tablets before your rides.
