Q: How exactly does Creatine Apply to An Athlete?
A: Simple, it does so by enhancing your creatine phosphate energy system. This does a number of things:
1. Increases explosion - Most athletes notice more explosiveness after utilizing this supplement
2. Allows yourself to push yourself harder and longer. This leads to not only more endurance, but also forces the body to adapt to a greater stimulus, which leads to greater gains in every area!
Note: Interestingly enough, creatine in some studies has been shown to buffer lactic acid. If this be true, then one can see how it can enhance any sport that requires one to run.
Q: What are the side effects of Creatine and in General how safe is it?
A: As stated above, creatine is not, and I repeat not a hormone. Therefore it does not have the side effects associated with any prohormone or illegal steroid.
There have been hundreds of studies done on creatine that all show that it is a safe supplement.
To further prove its safety two an a half million kilograms of creatine were consumed in the United States alone in 1999! That statistic alone speaks volumes about the safety and efficiency of this supplement! Not only that, but creatine has been the number one supplement on the market for almost a decade and no one has reported any adverse side effects from it. ( aside from the ones I listed above. )
Q: I don't workout, but do you think that creatine will build muscles and help me to lose fat?
A: No! If you don't workout I cannot imagine what supplement would help you. Creatine provides your muscles with more short term energy - but that is wasted if you do not exercise them. 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.
Q: Since Creatine makes you gain weight should I not take it on a cut?
A: Yes, creatine causes your body to hold water, but that is a good thing! The fact that your muscles are super hydrated even on a cut is fantastic. I see absolutely no correlation between taking creatine and our body storing fat. If anything, creatine will assist us in maintaining more lean mass while dieting. In my mind there is no point to discontinuing the use of creatine while trying to burn fat. Except, you will want to stop taking it 2 weeks before a show, so that you are not holding water. Besides that it will only benefit you during a cut!
Q: Can I take Creatine and Protein at the same time?
A: Firstly, protein is a food product. If you couldn't take creatine and protein at the same time, then you would have to be a strict vegetarian and still you would end out consuming around 40 grams a day just from normal foods. To top this off, creatine is not much use without a significant protein intake. What is the point of pushing your muscles further than they are used to, if you are not going to provide the amino acids necessary for their repair?
Q: Which supplement is Better Creatine or Protein?
A: ( I probably get asked this question at least once a day through email.) Amino acids are the building blocks of our muscles. If you do not get enough than there is no point to working out. Creatine is an outstanding supplement, but if you have to choose from getting at least 1 gram a day of protein or getting your creatine then opt for the protein. However I do want to stress that creatine is an excellent supplement. In fact for assistance in muscular gains I would rate it second only to whey.
Q: I just got myself some creatine. Now I only started with half the dosage, because creatine fires me up and I don't want too much of a buzz in the weight room! So how should I up the dosage?
( Yes I know what you are thinking ( LOL ). I get these kinds of questions everyday though. I answer them because I was a rookie at one time too. )
A: Ummm, their are two things that come to my mind.
1. Your creatine has been spiked with caffiene or ephedrine
2. Your creatine has gone rotten and is causing you to have hallucinations ( LOL ). Or a " Buzz " before your workout.
Creatine is not and I repeat not a stimulant! It should not make you have these feelings. Read my article next month on the subject and you will see why. Until then, if your container of creatine really gives you a buzz, then. throw it away immediately!
Q: I am breaking out, is it because of the creatine?
A: ( Again ) Creatine does not effect hormone levels in any way. So the answer is no.
Q: I am a woman and I was thinking about taking creatine, but I don't want to become huge and veiny like a man.
A: If that is the case, then I would suggest that you do not eat like the " huge and veiny " men that you do not want to look like. Creatine will assist you in your workout, but only calories will make you grow. Yes, creatine is an excellent supplement for mass, but only if you are eating for mass. However creatine does make you hold water and could make you a bit bloated. If you are sensitive to those effects then don't use it.
Q: Do you feel that creatine is cheating? I want to earn my muscles the hard way and don't want to cheat to get them.
A: ( I can't stand these types of questions!!! ) Yes, you would be cheating. You would be cheating yourself out of great gains by not supplementing with it!
Q: Is there anything I can take to make creatine a more effective supplement?
A: Excellent Question!
a. The first thing I would like to emphasize is that creatine will not work if you are not properly hydrated! It relies heavily on this, so you must drink tons of water, if you want optimal results from it. Super hydrating your body will also improve your weight room pumps tremendously!
b. Have you ever heard of a stack? The definition is two supplements that when combined actually increase each others effectiveness. For example, ephedra is actually more effective at burning fat when combined with caffiene. So too is creatine when combined with glutamine. Both cell volumize, but they do so through different pathways. Together they cell volumize within and outside of our muscle cells. I cannot stress the importance of hydrated muscles. Or should I say, I cannot stress how catabolic a dehydrated muscle is!
C. Creatine also is good stacked with high glycemic carbs, because they both superhydrate you. This is recommended for your post workout meal.
Q: What is the best method, dose wise, of taking creatine?
A: For creatine to produce optimal results, muscle stores must be topped off or saturated with it. To accomplish this you need to load the creatine for 5 days at 20-25 grams, spread out throughout the day into 4-5 servings. This is the quickest and in my opinion the " best " way to saturate your muscles with creatine. Following this phase, all you need is to take 5-10 grams a day to maintain your saturation levels. After this, any creatine you take will be excreted as creatinine.
Q: Do I need to take my creatine with carbohydrates to make it effective?
A: Whenever we digest carbohydrates our pancreas secretes the hormone known as insulin. The simpler the carb, the higher a burst of insulin our pancreas releases to deal with them. The good thing about insulin is that it actually drives nutrients into our muscles to assist them in recovery. If you take creatine with fast burning carbs, it will increase the absorption rate in your muscles. However, insulin is also responsible for fat storage. Therefore my suggestion to you would be to only use a sugar spike like this with breakfast and your post workout meal. This is because these are the least likely times that your body will store fat. If you are prone to storing fat or dieting then save the insulin spike for your post workout meal and just take the creatine after your normal meals. Insulin control, is a massive subject and you might consider reading 13 weeks to burning fat, to become better acquainted with it . Furthermore, if you use the spike, I would recommend drinking a protein shake also. Your muscles will get a threefold benefit from this.
a. replaced glycogen stores
b. quicker saturation of creatine
c. a first class delivery of precious amino acids
Just be careful because too much sugar can easily be stored as fat!
Q: Do I need to Cycle Creatine?
A: My recommendation is to load for 5 days, followed by a 5-10 gram maintenance dosage for 4-6 weeks. Following this, there are two particular strategies:
1. You can take one to two weeks off and then start the cycle over. Many athletes attest to receiving a better results this way.
2. However, several athletes will never come off of it. They will load it for 5 days, maintain for a few weeks and then reload again. This is increasingly becoming the more popular method of usage.
Conclusion
Creatine, like a classic novel has stood the test of time and yet so many people have picked it up without reading it. My intent in this article was to fill this void and if I answered just one of your questions than it was worth writing. If there was something that I did not cover, than feel free to ask about it in our forums. Until then, indulge yourself in perhaps the most revolutionary, natural supplement to ever hit the athletic market!
Jacob Wilson (
Trainer@abcbodybuilding.com )
source:
http://forum.athletes.com/showthread.php?t=53