Creatine is a bit more complex than the good old prot' shake.
The general rule of thumb is stick to the 'Monohydrate' type. Also, its best to stay away from the cheap brands from China (look up brands that use "Creapure", probably your best bet and have been using it myself for some time). From what i can tell, the more you spend, the better. 1kg will cost about $55-60AUD (not sure of USD conversion)
Creatine is used in two phases. I could get the following wrong so i do apologise just in case.
The first stage is the "Loading phase"
For 4-7 days take between 30g & 50g of Creatine.
After the loading phase, we step into what I believe is called the "Maintenance phase"
Everyday after the intial 4-7 days for loading (whatever you choose, I was on 6 days @ 40g) take no more than 15g for the next 5 weeks, everyday.
At the 6 week mark, Reload (Loading phase) and go all over again.
1kg will get about 200 servings.
Take about an hour before your workout if you like but i get fantastic results when i drink it whenever, im yet to see any benefit taking it before the workout as silly as that sounds......
Sometimes the prot' shakes can get a bit to much (3 times a day) and lets face, they are not the best tasting (5x whole eggs and milk with a tiny bit of sugar taste tens times better!!!) where as creatine can come in flavourless or some nice tasting flavours such as orange/grape. Be warned, it doesnt disolve so easy. I give it a quick stir just before each mouthful, it makes it slide down more easier.
Creatine can be consumed with any amount of liquid you like, i usually mix it up with 400ml of water. But i have heard fantastic results with it mixed with grape juice or any non acidic juices.
As for the watery effect, yes it does get watery. You will notice this when the diarreah sets in
. Let me know if you wish to know more about it haha!
Creatine is not for everybody but its worthwhile giving it a go if you have had no prior kidney issues (this is a long story, but basically Creatine is still in the "experimental" stage, but considered safe)
Id like others to shed some light on the subject and correct any mistakes ive made.
Cheers,
Steve.
PS: Creatine has no fat content, so it wont pack on the fatty pounts like the prot' shakes do
, this could be an issue during bulking (or maybe not?)