How important is creatine?

[BBiceps]

I know about all the studies but what about real life results, do you guys really feel a big difference when you take it or not?

It’s cheap and all but I starting to find it harder to justify why I take it...

 

[TheSuppGuy]

No need.... I've med some very very impressive results without it all naturally. I bench more than 335 at 20 years old weighing 170 pounds

 

[jrock645]

Your mileage may vary. I can never tell if I actually get anything out of it or not.

 

[danielmoo]

It's not going to make or break anything but worth adding in daily.

What needs to be justified? It's extremely inexpensive as you said, highly backed-up by data, and very safe for healthy individuals to supplement.

 

[jameschoi]

No need.... I've med some very very impressive results without it all naturally. I bench more than 335 at 20 years old weighing 170 pounds

Just plain creatine mono?

 

[TheSuppGuy]

Just plain creatine mono?

Yeah.
Tried it several times, does not seem to affect me

 

[TheSuppGuy]

Believe me, supplements are not that important. Eating more frequently, spending money on foods and getting high quality protein, focusing on strength progress and numbers in the gym, with a good non stressful life, with alot of rest and sleep, will get you soooo much results you wont believe your eyes

 

[muscleupcrohn]

No need.... I've med some very very impressive results without it all naturally. I bench more than 335 at 20 years old weighing 170 pounds

That doesn’t mean it can’t help. It’s not NEEDED, but it’s cheap, safe, and proven to help in the majority of people,so why not?

 

[_Endure_]

Only used it a couple times. Never liked the water retention or felt like it helped enough to justify. Some people don't respond as others to it.

 

[Aleksandar37]

Believe me, supplements are not that important.

Dude, your name is literally TheSuppGuy lol

 

[Aleksandar37]

If it works for you, keep doing it. If you don't think it's worth it, stop. It's one tool in the toolbox.

 

[TheSuppGuy]

Dude, your name is literally TheSuppGuy lol

Hahaha true.... I've used almost everything out there, and lerned alot of lessons!

 

[BBiceps]

Believe me, supplements are not that important. Eating more frequently, spending money on foods and getting high quality protein, focusing on strength progress and numbers in the gym, with a good non stressful life, with alot of rest and sleep, will get you soooo much results you wont believe your eyes

Lol, didn’t you just say you were only 20? You have no idea what life is about yet ;P jk, I know about everything else, I just looked at my supplements and really had no idea why I take creatine and after seeing most replies here not many ppl do, more than it’s “supposed to be good for you”, it probably is but it won’t make or break you so to speak.

 

[muscleupcrohn]

Lol, didn’t you just say you were only 20? You have no idea what life is about yet ;P jk, I know about everything else, I just looked at my supplements and really had no idea why I take creatine and after seeing most replies here not many ppl do, more than it’s “supposed to be good for you”, it probably is but it won’t make or break you so to speak.

If you’re on a supplement forum and using any supplements, I see no real reason not to use Creatine TBH. It’s something like $4/month, has perhaps the best safety profile of any supplement known to man, and the most research supporting its efficacy as well. Plus it’s actually good for the brain and cognition. No supplement is going to make or break you, they’re SUPPLEMENTAL by definition; it’s in their name haha.

 

[jameschoi]

Hahaha true.... I've used almost everything out there, and lerned alot of lessons!

Being only 20, start your own youtube channel and make bank like Jeff Cavaliere. Then start selling your own supps line and really make bank.

 

[Old Witch]

Well, if you haven’t gained that 5-10 lbs of creatine weight yet... no reason to deny yourself...

 

[spoorti1509]

Creatine is an amino acid compound found mostly in your musculoskeletal system in the form of phosphocreatine. It works with Adenesine Triphosphate (ATP) to help prolong your ability to perform high exertion activities.

When your muscles do work, they use ATP. One phosphate molecule is broken off and spent in the process of making the myosin grab the actin and constrict

The Pros:

1)An extra few reps per set if taken 30 minutes before a workout
2)An extra puffy look from the extra water that creatine sucks into your muscles.
3)It's perfectly safe.

The cons:

1)The puffy look will go away when you stop taking it (this could be a pro too...)

2)You're spending money on a supplement that may or may not be terribly helpful. You can figure this out pretty quick by recording your workouts with and without the supplement.

 

[Chamaan]

From my personal experience the more i take the stronger i am. Not even trolling

 

[Young Gotti]

now that it's a staple product for me, I can't say I notice anything or not from it....it's cheap enough and data backs it up

however I notice a big difference if I take an extended period of time off creatine and then add it back in

would be kind of fun if a bunch of us on the forum went off creatine for a month or so....then went back on just to see the creatine results again...because they are real

 

[muscleupcrohn]

Creatine is an amino acid compound found mostly in your musculoskeletal system in the form of phosphocreatine. It works with Adenesine Triphosphate (ATP) to help prolong your ability to perform high exertion activities.

When your muscles do work, they use ATP. One phosphate molecule is broken off and spent in the process of making the myosin grab the actin and constrict

The Pros:

1)An extra few reps per set if taken 30 minutes before a workout
2)An extra puffy look from the extra water that creatine sucks into your muscles.
3)It's perfectly safe.

The cons:

1)The puffy look will go away when you stop taking it (this could be a pro too...)

2)You're spending money on a supplement that may or may not be terribly helpful. You can figure this out pretty quick by recording your workouts with and without the supplement.

If by pretty quick you mean at least a month, since if you don’t load, it’ll take about a month to reach saturation. Until then you can’t really judge if it’s working.

 

[LeanEngineer]

If you’re on a supplement forum and using any supplements, I see no real reason not to use Creatine TBH. It’s something like $4/month, has perhaps the best safety profile of any supplement known to man, and the most research supporting its efficacy as well. Plus it’s actually good for the brain and cognition. No supplement is going to make or break you, they’re SUPPLEMENTAL by definition; it’s in their name haha.

This. At the price of creatine monohydrate it's worth just using daily for the potential benefits you can get from it.

 

[Nutrex]

Overall it’s not needed. If you eat a good amount of meat then you are getting some creative. For building the body it is handy.

 

[muscleupcrohn]

Overall it’s not needed. If you eat a good amount of meat then you are getting some creative. For building the body it is handy.

No supplement is ever “needed.” It’s in the name; supplements are supplemental by definition. Also, while eating meat provides sufficient Creatine for cognitive benefits (as evidenced by it increasing cognition in vegans/vegetarians but not meat eaters), it’s usually not sufficient to achieve muscle saturation. So for the <$5/month, I don’t see a reason NOT to use it really.

 

[jameschoi]

Creatine
Carbs
ALA
http://www.ergo-log.com/alpha-lipoic-acid-boosts-effect-of-creatine.html

Creatine overload make you like Arnold.

 

[muscleupcrohn]

Creatine
Carbs
ALA
http://www.ergo-log.com/alpha-lipoic-acid-boosts-effect-of-creatine.html

Creatine overload make you like Arnold.

Will this increase muscle Creatine levels above normal saturation, or just get them there faster?

 

[jameschoi]

Will this increase muscle Creatine levels above normal saturation, or just get them there faster?

I'm gonna order the ALA and see if it works.

 

[BBiceps]

I was running out of creatine and was just asking myself “do I really need a new tub?”, interesting to hear that most ppl just take “because”. I take some time off from it and see if I miss it, thanks for the replies!

 

[kisaj]

Hands down the best supplement available to this day, not only for physical benefits but cognitive. The only thing that comes close is epicatechin.

 

[muscleupcrohn]

Hands down the best supplement available to this day, not only for physical benefits but cognitive. The only thing that comes close is epicatechin.

Can you find me some epicatechin for $4/month?

 

[aaronuconn]

Hands down the best supplement available to this day, not only for physical benefits but cognitive. The only thing that comes close is epicatechin.

Are we sold on epi?

https://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplements/308733-epicatechin-supplementation-inhibits.html

 

[kisaj]

Are we sold on epi?

https://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplements/308733-epicatechin-supplementation-inhibits.html

I definitely am.

 

[BloodManor]

Most supps out today already have creatine in them so don’t even have to dose extra daily unless you are like me and notice a difference taking 10g a day than the normal 3-5g daily.
This is my own personal experience of using creatine ^^ after 30 days of 10g daily my reps increase by 2 for almost every lift.

 

[Chamaan]

Most supps out today already have creatine in them so don’t even have to dose extra daily unless you are like me and notice a difference taking 10g a day than the normal 3-5g daily.
This is my own personal experience of using creatine ^^ after 30 days of 10g daily my reps increase by 2 for almost every lift.

Same here. The more I take the strongest I am as I said but my creatinine is wack

 

[carguy123]

Took it for years, went off it for about 6 months, noticed no difference what so ever. Never went back on it again. This was about 2 years ago.

IMO no matter how much data is out there, if I noticed no real tangible difference I do not see a need. This is just my 2 cents, and my n=1 experiment results.

 

[kisaj]

Same here. The more I take the strongest I am as I said but my creatinine is wack

It's going to be, especially if you are carrying a lot of muscle mass. We naturally will have higher creatinine levels and in turn, lower GfR. Any knowledgeable doctor won't care too much about this unless it is really skewed.

 

[Young Gotti]

Are we sold on epi?

https://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplements/308733-epicatechin-supplementation-inhibits.html

i'm not, I have yet to really see any benefit from it