May 6th, 2012
Okay, so you finished Part 1. You learned what Creatine is and why you should take it. But now the question is, how do you take it? There's quite a few different Creatine products on the market today, but the one I want to cover the most is Creatine Monohydrate. Why? Because it is easily the most used and widely studied form available, and it has been around for quite a few decades as a supplement. Often times however, there is confusion as to how it is used. I will cover how I feel is the best way to supplement it, using science and anecdotal evidence for my reasoning why.
I will briefly talk about other Creatine products and their pros and cons, that way you can decide what is best for you.
So again, here is what I will cover today.
- How to supplement Creatine
- The different types of Creatine
- The potential side effects of Creatine supplementation
How do you supplement Creatine?
Creatine Monohydrate is the trickiest form to take, but granted that it is taken correctly, it will yield the most results as far as energy production and muscle gain. Other forms are taken before your workout to assist ATP production which isn't bad, but as you remember from Part 1, Creatine taken after your workout will help increase muscle synthesis by lowering myostatin levels. So what is the optimal way to take Creatine Monohydrate? It should be understood that it can come in a pill form or a powder. I recommend the powder for what should be considered obvious reasons:
- It's A LOT cheaper
- It's surprisingly more convenient (swallowing 5 pills two to four times a day can be somewhat obnoxious)
- No gelatin capsule involved. Gelatin is basically ground up animal bones, usually that of a Pig. Pigs wallow in their own shit (which arguably is what I do on my days off from work.)
So yeah. The powder is better. Powders can also be "micronized", which means the particles are extremely FINE, and finer particles absorb better - it's that simple. I don't get too hung up about buying Micronized vs. Non-Micronized, I've tried both and can't say I've noticed a difference worth mentioning. I do know people who swear that micronized absorbs better, and that Creatine didn't work until they tried micronized. Having said that, and the fact that it would absorb better in theory, if you have the few extra bucks, go for it. If you don't, I think the regular stuff is fine.
Creapure® is trademarked form of Creatine Monohydrate hailing from Germany. (Leave it to the Germans...) It is manufactured to certain standards by a company who specializes in manufacturing Creatine, so there is a certain level of "trust" involved with buying Creapure. It could cost a little bit more money, so again, budget is a factor here. Personally, I wouldn't go crazy and insist on only taking Creapure, but there is something to be said for the quality assurance and manufacturing standards it must go through. This is up to you. If you feel better with it, go for it.
Alright so you bought a Creatine Monohydrate powder. How do we take it? Before anything, it's important to take note of what your fitness goals are at this point. Are you looking to build a ton of muscle mass? Do you just want some energy for the gym? Are you looking to get a "shredded look" for Summer? How you answer these questions will determine how you take Monohydrate.
Creatine Monohydrate has a half-life of about 3 hours. Remember this. It is very important.
Mass Building Protocol
You want to get big. Whether you're a hard-gainer, or just a regular dude looking to pack on muscle, your dosing will be similar or the same depending on body weight. The best way for you to take Creatine Monohydrate would be the following.
Week 1 (Loading Phase)
5 Grams upon waking with Fruit Juice.
5 Grams four hours later, with Fruit Juice
5 Grams four hours later, with Fruit Juice
5 Grams four hours later, with Fruit Juice
That's 20 grams over 12 hours. At this rate, you will constantly have some Creatine in your bloodstream and it will be finding residence in your muscle tissue. Continue this protocol for about a week, and then do the following for maintenance:
Weeks 2 - 8 (Maintenance Phase)
2.5 Grams upon waking, with Fruit Juice
2.5 Grams four hours later, with Fruit Juice
2.5 Grams four hours later, with Fruit Juice
2.5 Grams four hours later, with Fruit Juice
It should be noted that while on Creatine Monohydrate, drinking A LOT of water is not only important, but required. Monohydrate has the ability to pull in extra water to your muscles, so supplying your body with A LOT of water is necessary for Creatine to maximize its muscle volumizing potential. Also, while you may not necessarily dehydrate while taking Creatine, the rest of your body still needs it's ample supply of H2O, so don't skimp on the water intake.
During this cycle, you should see your body weight go up, as well as your strength. You may also notice you look "fatter" or more "puffy". Heavier guys, (like myself) tend to really look loaded n' bloated, whereas skinner people just look a little watery. This obviously varies from person to person. Overall, you should feel more stamina in the gym and more energy. When supplemented this way, you should get a real solid boost from the Creatine that you should most certainly feel. You will feel stronger than you normally do and move more weight as well.
Also of note is the fact that this was an eight week program. Creatine isn't required to be cycled, but I find that eight weeks of anything is good enough to see results from, and not too long where your body gets too comfortable with it. It's always good to throw your body for a loop. Feel free to experiment on that aspect.
When you finally come off of this regimen, you will immediately notice a few things.
- You will probably start urinating more due to excess fluids being removed.
- You will probably lose quite a few pounds (mostly water weight)
- You may feel weaker or notice a decline in strength.
The last part is to be expected. As I explained in Part 1, your ATP production will be vastly slowed down. Overall, your numbers should be quite a bit higher than when you started your cycle.
If you are a heavier lad and are worried that you gained too much water weight and look too fat, you can do a couple of things to encourage the excess water to leave.
- Take an herbal diuretic for a week or two and drink a TON of water. (You will be pissing all over the place)
- Stop eating carbohydrates for 7-10 days.
Both of these will encourage excess water to leave your body.
Pre-Workout Boost
If you just want some "no-strings attached" energy production for the gym, but are a little worried about water retention, the following would be something to consider.
About 1 to 2 hours before the gym, have about 5 grams with some Gatorade or Fruit Juice. By the time you get to your lift, your serum levels will be peaking and you will get a slight boost in stamina and strength. Retaining water-weight is very unlikely, as a 5 gram dose will be fully utilized and eliminated during your training session. If you are worried about bloating just stop taking it for a couple of days. It will be flushed out by then.
Post-Workout Recovery
If you just want to take Creatine purely for it's recovery aspect of lowering myostatin levels, but are somewhat concerned about water retention, just throw some in your shake after training. 5 grams, with a simple carbohydrate such as Gatorade is sufficient. This would probably not be as effective as constantly taking Creatine throughout the day, as muscle repair is an on-going process that occurs long after a work-out is completed. Taking some earlier in the day to sustain levels longer could help too. It all depends on how concerned you are with water retention. Clearly, the "Mass Building Protocol" outlined above is the most effective way to keep Creatine in your bloodstream and in your muscles.
If looking "shredded" for beach season is your main concern, taking Creatine Monohydrate during the Summer probably wouldn't be the best idea. I personally don't think that 2.5 to 5 grams an hour before a work-out a few times a week will make someone look bloated per say, but we all know how the placebo effect is - as soon as that person feels a little more "puffy", the Creatine will get blamed. Meanwhile they probably had six beers Saturday night.
That doesn't count though. Burgersfortheboys.
Other Types of Creatine
So what does that person looking for the six-pack during beach season take as far as Creatine? They don't want any water retention, because lets face it, if that six-pack becomes a four-pack, there's gonna be a problem. Non-loading, non-bloating formulas are pretty new to the scene in context to how long Creatine Monohydrate has been around. They have not been as vastly studied in comparison to Monohydrate as far as safety and effectiveness, so I can't really say I'm a huge fan.
Creatine Hydrochloride is a Creatine salt, with the Hydrochloride (HCl) molecule greatly increasing absorption rate by the body. Currently, it is the most popular NON-MONOHYDRATE formula on the market. It's claim is that it is MUCH more soluble than regular Creatine, which makes it a "super-concentrated" dose. Personally, I've never tried it by itself. I've used a popular pre-workout drink which contained Creatine HCl it, so I can't really say in fairness just how effective it may or may not be. However, people who buy it seem to keep buying it which means it's doing something.
Creatine HCl is ideal for people who don't want the bloating or the loading involved with regular Creatine Monohydrate. It may not yield the same results long term as far as muscle production and recovery, but as a pre-workout Creatine to give you a boost of energy, it's a good choice.
Kre-Alkalyn
Kre-Alkalyn is a form of Creatine that claims to be "pH buffered", created with the idea being that the harsh and acidic environment of your stomach won't cause the Creatine it contains to break down into the waste material known as Creatinine. The manufacturers of this product claim Creatinine is the cause of any and all side effects of Monohydrate supplementation. Kre-Alkalyn's manufacturers also claim that plain Creatine Monohydrate will start breaking down and producing Creatinine in an acidic environment within minutes. The problem with that claim however, is that Creatine Monohydrate supplementation only minimally effects Creatinine levels, as demonstrated by the following study.
Even with long term supplementation of Monohydrate, it still has a limited effect on Creatinine levels. I personally don't buy the hoopla with Kre-Alkalyn, and I don't really recommend it. I've taken it before, and don't notice a difference.
It's usually taken pre and post-workout, and also claims "no loading" and "no bloating." These are essentially glorified Creatine Monohydrate pills.
Creatine Ethyl Ester
This really is not a good form of Creatine. An awesome study that I will link completely OWNS it.
Basically, the study done compared Monohydrate, a placebo, and CEE. Not only did Monohydrate outperform CEE, the placebo did in some areas as well. Monohydrate also yielded better results as far as absorption rates, and less Creatinine production, which ironically, the manufacturer claimed the opposite. This is a Creatine to stay away from.
Potential Side Effects
Really, there isn't anything to worry about with Creatine supplementation as far as serious side effects. Again though, with Monohydrate you need to consume more water to replenish what is absorbed into your muscles to avoid cramping. Gaining water weight and looking puffy is a side effect of Monohydrate supplementation as well. Creatine HCl is pretty safe so far, but it's relatively new and can't boast the same safety reputation as Monohydrate. Kre-Alkalyn is basically Monohydrate. I would definitely avoid Creatine Ethyl Ester though, because it is shown to raise serum Creatinine levels, which means less of the Creatine you ingest is actually being utilized, and more of it is being wasted.
Also of note, if you have kidney or renal disease, or your kidneys just aren't functioning correctly, (which if this is the case, taking Creatine to pack on some muscle should be the least of your worries) you should avoid Creatine. Creatine supplementation does put a very limited amount of stress on the kidneys, but no worries - those of us without kidney problems will have absolutely no issues taking Creatine as directed.
So if you couldn't tell already, I'm a little biased towards Creatine Monohydrate. Big whoop. I have an opinion. Like I said, and have stressed before, it's VERY IMPORTANT to find something that works with YOU. I can sing and dance all day about how Monohydrate is awesome, yields more energy, reduces myostatin levels, yadda yadda yadda, but you could buy Kre-Alkalyn tomorrow and swear it's the greatest shit since sliced bread. I just respond particularly well to Creatine Monohydrate, whereas some people do respond to it at all.
In the history of dietary supplements, many have come, and many have gone. Stuff gets banned, reformulated, and discontinued countless times, only to come back five to ten years later with a new name and a new "partitioning technology." I can guarantee though, as long as there is a supplement industry and athletic competition, whether it be sports, bodybuilding, or fighting, plain old Creatine will still be around. As one of the most studied dietary supplements in history, it truly has, and always will, in my opinion, stand the test of time.
Matty D
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