Creatine....yes or no?

[googoo]

Vegan here...currently in the gym training to gain some mass. I eat a great diet,etc., and was hoping to get some feedback concerning creatine. I took it a few years back with great results. I heard it is good to take as a vegan because there isnt a source for it in vegan foods. Any advice? Thanks

[cubby2112]

Take it and go for monohydrate.

[Marcina]

I use creatine. It rox!

[dechrist]

oh yes.

[kjari]

I would say no.

It does have a noticeable effect, but based on my own experience, things will work out better in long term when one doesn't do it.

Sure, doing six 12-rep sets instead of 3-5 sets felt quite awesome, but it turned out that I never fully recovered from my exercises, resulting in smaller lifts!

[roid_rage]

you can give it a try, but dont expect too much from it... it wont move mountains

[johnnyfive]

I took creatine last summer, and I did notice a pretty big difference.

and almost everyone I ran into told me how much bigger I looked.

 

But when I stopped taking it, I deflated, and went back to normal.

 

..so its good for temporary results.

[MikeDaniels]

I've used creatine for years and personally, I've found that it really helps with strength and endurance while in the gym. Having said that, I don't believe I'll be using it (or other similar supplements) from here on out. As I've started to learn more about the benefit of whole foods along with the negative impact that many chemicals and supplement manufacturing processes can have on your body long-term, I've made a decision to eliminate them from my diet plan.

 

Mike

[LoganKost]

I think most people who lose the results from creatine probably weren't eating enough after taking it. If you gain muscle on it, just eat like mad when your down with the cycle.

[cubby2112]

You are going to lose some strength when you go off it. It gives your body more phosphocreatine to create ATP when you are lifting. When you go off, your body will slowly go back to normal levels of creatine storage, and you won't have as much energy available. This does not mean you've gained nothing from using it. I see no reason to cycle off anyway.

 

The beauty of creatine is that is allows your type 2 muscle fibers to fire longer, and sustain more damage, with less total volume. This keeps CNS fatigue at bay, but still allows plenty of muscle damage to occur. Type 2 fibers are the best hypertrophy fibers. If your intensity is below about 85% of your 1RM (usually for sets greater than six reps), your type 2 fibers don't start firing heavy until a few reps in. Just for an example (I am pulling this out of my ass), you normally do a set of bench presses for 10 reps. You magically saturate your muscles with creatine instantly and now you can do 12 reps at that weight. If your type 2 fibers start firing hard after the 5th rep, that basically gives you 7 reps hitting them hard versus 5. Quite a big difference. Yes, I do know that type 2 fibers do fire earlier in the set, but not maximally.

[snivelingchild]

If you supplement with creatine, there are a few things you should know:

 

1. When combined with acids, creatine is turned into creatinine which is a form that will not give you the results you're looking for, and damages your liver as it is very hard for it to metabolize. That means, DON'T combine creatine with fruit juice, and only take it in an enteric coated capsule that protect it from the acids in your stomach and ensure absorption in the intestines.

 

2. Creatine monohydrate does not absorb well, and can lead to digestive issues. Look for a creatine malate or hydrochloride. It also does not need a loading phase.

 

3. You must cycle creatine or your body will not be able to produce it on its own as well. Usually a month on, and a week break, or something similar.

 

4. Personally, given the problems with taking creatine correctly, and the fact that most creatine isn't vegan, I'd suggest supplementing with the amino acids that your body needs to produce creatine: arginine, glycine, and methionine.