Greetings everyone, i want to buy a creatine powder but i have some questions that need to answered fist..

1. For what should i watch for when buying a creatine?
2. Should i use it in circles?
3. When should i take it? Before eating? After eating?
4. And last, i am thinking about buying the Monohydrate Creatine Powder of the ON's company. What do you think, is it a good choise?

Thank you for your time.

John

If you really decided to take creatine.. then it's okay, but I would like to remind you that in taking creatine you should take only 5 grams daily.. that's the safe recommendation or usage for that. Do not use the loading or cycle option. And in taking creatine remember that you should drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration. You should be wise while using that.. because if you don't it will have a side effect/risk to your kidney.

Base on what I read in most creatine instruction.. you should take creatine with empty stomach ( 30-40minutes before workout). Yeah it's true that creatine will boost your strength..it will give you an additional strength you need. ON creatine or BSN are both great choices.

And another thing, here is some statement that you should read before taking creatine. This is came from a well educated Super Hermanites here ( from jmboiardi ). It will cover everything that you need to know.

http://scotthermanfitness.com/forums.php?pageAction=POSTS&subForumID=53&threadID=226&searchText=creatine

http://scotthermanfitness.com/forums.php?pageAction=POSTS&subForumID=53&threadID=227&searchText=creatine

Everybody has different opinion with creatine. I'm not so good in this matter. You can also ask Captain Scott about this. I hope it help you a little.

Is it so risky taking a creatine?? Knew that should drink lot of water, but didn't knew that creatine has side effects on kidneys and generaly it is unsafe...

imo there is nothing wrong with taking creatine. Everyone has their own opinions and it works well for some and not so well for others. Creatine is natural in the body and this just gives you a bigger store of it. It helps with protien synthesis, strength and recovery which is what they state. Creatine has been scientifically proven over and over to be one of the best supplements with hardley any side effects. I'd state links but it's pretty easy to research it(lots of info out there). Of course you want to drink plenty of water to help stay hydrated and help your body process it just like anything else. I'll take it for a couple months and then go off of it for a while and then later randomly take it for another couple months. You will retain water which is another reason to drink plenty of it. You will probably gain 4lbs or so of water weight but when you stop taking it you will lose that. You won't lose any gains in size or strength other than the added water weight and little bit of strength you may gain from the creatine. Any of the Creatine Monohydrate Powder will work, they are pretty much all the same.

Make sure to cycle it. Take creatine no more than 8 weeks straight then take 6-8 weeks off. Just because a supplement is natural or is based on a substance already in the body doesn't mean it is safe in higher dosages than the body is used to or for longer periods of time. Steroids are based on naturally occuring substances in the body and we all know what happens when they are used continually and excessively.

Long term use of creatine over extended periods of time (longer than 8 weeks) have the potential to stress the kidneys and liver. Everyone's body and body chemistry is different so how someone reacts to long term creatine is different. While this may be the case, it is still adviseable to give your body a break. Taking exogenous creatine is still force feeding your body more than it normally produces on its own just like if you sat down and drank too much water in one sitting your kidneys would shut down. I am not suggesting excess creatine will shut down your liver or kidneys but sometimes people think if a little of something "natural and safe" is good then a lot more must be better :-)

John

@jmboiardi I disagree, if you are not eating a meal plan which consists of a lot of red meat or fish, you are "naturally" not getting as much creatine in your system as someone who does.

5grams a day is enough to see a difference and there is no need to cycle a dosage that low.

But that is my opinion on the subject. You know I also value yours as well!

Above all else, just make sure you are definitely drinking enough water! #HTH

Scott,

Agreed but if one has a sufficient meal plan, then the use of supplements becomes secondary. I am assuming that individuals choosing to use creatine have a solid meal plan in place already. Using supplements as a "crutch" to fill in for an insufficient meal plan is not the way to go and I know we both agree on that :-)

John

Tones of advice here!!! Thank you all! I have to admit though i am pretty confused.. Sooo many different opinions about creatine!

I am just 19 years old so i am going to wait and learn more things about creatine before using it. I don't want to do anything that i may regret in the future.. So it seems that i will keep using my whey and BCAAs that are harmless...!!

I'm not an expert but I think I've never seen any legit evidence showing that creatine harms kidneys or liver. The worst thing that I've heard about creatine is probably "it doesn't work". It's supposed to work on everyone but many people (including me) don't feel the difference taking creatine. I take whey protein, BCAAs and creatine (although I don't feel the difference but I like to believe that it works because it's one of the most proven supplements and it's dirt cheap!).

I'm not saying that creatine is risky.. as long as you drink a lot of water and monitor your meal plan there is no problem with that. Based on what I read about creatine.. if you don't drink a lot of water...it will have a risk to your kidney. I used creatine before a year ago.. yes it really help me with my intense workout but I decided to stop it and focus more on strength program exercises. Creatine exist in the food we eat such as red meat.

As you can see from the other comment that everybody have their own opinion in creatine.

Thank you for the advice John. And when should i take the creatine? Which exact time of the day ?

That does not matter. As long as you take 5 grams a day it is fine. It is like meal timing, it does not matter when you eat / take your supplement as long as you get it in your system. As for the cycling part I am all for it. I belive that you need to rest from the added creatine to your system, why ? Because I know someone who did not care about cycling it and he ended up having to quit it due to a strong recommandation from his doctor. Which means he got the kidney problems that can be a result of to much creatine in the body. I would personally use it for 3 months (maybe even less) and take at least 1 month off.

I 've reas that u must mix it in warm water in order to be mixed better, because other wayes will not be digested well by the body. Is that true?

It's a micronized powder so it will mix quite easily. It is also fast absorbing so I like to take it 20-30 mins before my workout which I feel is best but as long as you take it daily your body will store it for use.

Can i take it with cold water or with my whey after workout???

I would simple not mix it in with water. Take a spoon of 5 grams, jam it in your mouth and swallow. (you can drink some water to get it down your throat). Now you are insured that all of the 5 grams ends up in your system and have nothing to worry about.