You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Creatine On Days You Dont Work Out?
- Thread starter Roc Solid
- Start date
I take them on my off days, figure that your growth is occuring between days so they are needed then. I do not take them during my week off every few months though.
my experience with creatine :
There is no such thing as a loading stage...
your body will only hold absorb a minimal amount at any one point in time.
Taking the recommened creating doses will only make you crap alot, and will put some strain on your liver.
My results :
I took one non-heaping teaspoon ( the small one ) with water or a fruit juice 45 mins before a work out.
My results were impressive. I gained mass and strength.
When I went off creatine, I lost a lot of the water weight - and retained a higher level of strength. However, you lose strength at the same time as well, because you don't have that "extra" push on your last 2 reps...
I have worked out with MANY different people over the years ( 7 years ) and I have witnessed both the supporters of the loading stages and people like myself. The results have always been the same.
My advice : take small doese on the days you work out.
Better advice : eat great, and work HARD! You get back what you put in.
There is no such thing as a loading stage...
your body will only hold absorb a minimal amount at any one point in time.
Taking the recommened creating doses will only make you crap alot, and will put some strain on your liver.
My results :
I took one non-heaping teaspoon ( the small one ) with water or a fruit juice 45 mins before a work out.
My results were impressive. I gained mass and strength.
When I went off creatine, I lost a lot of the water weight - and retained a higher level of strength. However, you lose strength at the same time as well, because you don't have that "extra" push on your last 2 reps...
I have worked out with MANY different people over the years ( 7 years ) and I have witnessed both the supporters of the loading stages and people like myself. The results have always been the same.
My advice : take small doese on the days you work out.
Better advice : eat great, and work HARD! You get back what you put in.
Creatine is not a "steroid type of thing". Steroids are hormonal. Creatine is a substance found naturally in the muscle. It's very safe and widely used. The purpose of creatine loading/maintenance is to increase baseline levels of creatine in the muscle - i.e., increasing muscular energy.
For this reason, creatine should be taken as directed, and consistently. This is the most important part. The creatine you ingest isn't likely to be used during a workout (and this is why they recommend taking your creatine AFTER a workout rather than before) - it exists to make more creatine available to your body so your body thinks "Oh, I have more creatine in my system, I guess that means I can store more in the muscle."
The reason there's a loading phase with basic creatine is so you increase these baseline levels within the first two weeks, then from then on, you maintain the levels with a lower amount of supplementation. Some say that with buffered creatine monohydrate (Kre-Alkalyn) there is no loading phase, but this has more to do with its absorption rate than creatine's function in the body.
As far as why you can't take it forever, it's a liver thing. Your liver filters out impurities from the blood, and creatine supplementation - because it's converted to creatinine (a waste product) in the GI tract - can put a strain on the liver if it's taken for prolonged (2+ months) period of time. The way to avoid this is cycling:
You have three options:
1. Only take creatine 4 out of every 7 days of the week. This will give your liver enough time to filter out any impurities. On this scheme, you should be able to take creatine weekly without a break - though of course it won't be as effective as daily supplementation.
2. Take a 2 week break after a month of daily use.
3. Take a buffered creatine like Kre-Alkalyn that isn't going to create much waste to filter out.
So to answer your question: Take it consistently. Plan the days when you're going to take it, and take it, even if you miss a workout. You want to increase the baseline levels of creatine in the muscle, and missing days will lower this availability. Consistency is the most important part.
For this reason, creatine should be taken as directed, and consistently. This is the most important part. The creatine you ingest isn't likely to be used during a workout (and this is why they recommend taking your creatine AFTER a workout rather than before) - it exists to make more creatine available to your body so your body thinks "Oh, I have more creatine in my system, I guess that means I can store more in the muscle."
The reason there's a loading phase with basic creatine is so you increase these baseline levels within the first two weeks, then from then on, you maintain the levels with a lower amount of supplementation. Some say that with buffered creatine monohydrate (Kre-Alkalyn) there is no loading phase, but this has more to do with its absorption rate than creatine's function in the body.
As far as why you can't take it forever, it's a liver thing. Your liver filters out impurities from the blood, and creatine supplementation - because it's converted to creatinine (a waste product) in the GI tract - can put a strain on the liver if it's taken for prolonged (2+ months) period of time. The way to avoid this is cycling:
You have three options:
1. Only take creatine 4 out of every 7 days of the week. This will give your liver enough time to filter out any impurities. On this scheme, you should be able to take creatine weekly without a break - though of course it won't be as effective as daily supplementation.
2. Take a 2 week break after a month of daily use.
3. Take a buffered creatine like Kre-Alkalyn that isn't going to create much waste to filter out.
So to answer your question: Take it consistently. Plan the days when you're going to take it, and take it, even if you miss a workout. You want to increase the baseline levels of creatine in the muscle, and missing days will lower this availability. Consistency is the most important part.
photo312 said:Read the label. Its pure chemistry. Do the loading stage. Whether you miss a day or two - you will not see major differences. Unless you are a bodybuilder, dont worry about missing a dosage or two.
When I took creatine - I did the Nitrotech from muscletech. IT did wonders.
But since you cant take creating forever, I would discourage you from doing it, since it will do what you want it to do temporarily. Its a stereoid type of a thing..
the label is there to sell more bottles! the loading stage is completely useless - studies hav proven it conclusively!
I keep hearing about these studies but I haven't come across them yet. Can you direct me towards one?toby1986 said:the label is there to sell more bottles! the loading stage is completely useless - studies hav proven it conclusively!
Both true and false. The label is there to sell bottles, but the dosages are usually kept much lower than what many people can handle - mainly for safety reasons (some people are sensitive and can get harmed at lower dosages). You can probably take over the recommended dosage listed on your bottles, especially if you're young. They would sell more supplements this way -- but it's safer to err on the side of safety.toby1986 said:the label is there to sell more bottles!
Of course, it's still a money issue because they'd get sued or hurt their industry if people were to start getting sick from their products -- but it's true: do as the bottle says and you usually can't go wrong.