Anyone else use creatine?

[CleanGSR]

I have always been the skinny hard gainer type and about 4 months ago I finally got fed up with it. I've been about 5'9" and 120lbs for the last 12-13 years (I'm 28 btw) and have put on 14.5 pounds in 4 months....I'm at 134.5 as of yesterday. It's a ridiculously hard road and slow progress. So far I've been doing it with workouts 4 days a week, eating as much as possible and 2 500 calorie protien shakes (Universal Real Gains).....one in the morning and one at night.


I've seriously been considering adding some creatine to the mix to get more gains and to get some faster. I just fear the whole "quick fix" thing. I'm hoping to hit my target goal of 145 and then drop my protien shakes and maintain with a good diet and excersize combo. I'd hate to hit 145 then drop my creatine and be back at 135.

[ZaneO]

Creatine has been proven over and over and over. IMO, it's one of the most basic and functional supplements one could take - protein, creatine, multi-vitamin. One of the most important buidling blocks to buidling muscle and endurance.

[Accumulator]

ZaneO- Yeah, what you said

CleanGSR- I've 5'10" and when I started exercising in my 20s I weighed 125 lbs, and that was with some extra bodyfat, so I know how you feel. (FWIW I've managed to add nearly 50 lbs of muscle over the years while decreasing my bodyfat to well below what it was when I was younger..if I can do it so can you).

Note that when you get into your 30s your metabolism will probably slow down at least a little bit and then you might actually have to start thinking more about staying lean.

At some point you should find a "happy set point" where you can stay with minimal hassle...a point where you won't gain/lose much unless you do something pretty radical.

Regarding the creatine- you don't need to quit taking it, and if you do quit you'll lose the water-weight but not the added muscle it'll almost certainly help you build. It's not like you go back to square one. The last time I cycled off it I only lost a few pounds...I was eager to get back on it primarily because of the way my (intense) cardio was so much more difficult, not because I was losing mass.

Just don't do the huge doses it sometimes says on the container. I don't think you really need to do the "loading" phase either, though I did get a nice quick benefit from (very) frequent mini-doses when I tried loading that way. It's a huge hassle though and not worth it IMO as you'll get "loaded" after a few weeks of small doses anyhow.

Note that there area other supplements that can be very beneficial, at least when you're starting out (they seem less beneficial once you've been at it for a while, at least in my case). I'm thinking of stuff like HMB. This was back in the day, and I bet that more modern supplements as per Showroom Shine's recommendations are probably even better.

[CleanGSR]

Thanks Accumulator. I'm sticking with it, just looking at a way to kick it up a little since my gains have been pretty slow to this point. From the research I've done in the past day or two it seems that creatine also helps you lift more or gives you that extra edge in the weight room too which would be good at building muscle. I'm going to be ordering some more Real Gains in the next couple of days and will order some mono creatine as well and give it a shot.

[1 high bald guy]

sure does work. i did a cycle of creatine mono and was a day and night difference. right now im trying green mag by controlled labs which isnt too bad either.

[Tripperfx3]

Not trying to jack the thread, but I'm wondering if anyone can give me some pointers or some supplements that I should take to reach my goals.

I'm 5' 10 23 years old and 190 pounds. I'm not fat by any means, but I have a bit of a deformity know as Excavius Pectorum (sp?). Basically I have a ditch in my chest and it pushes my organs down, so I look heavier than I really am, but on the plus side my chest is naturally large.

I go to the gym 3-4 times a week (run for about 30 min. and light lifting and a ton of ab workouts, but probably need to do some more) and do Capoeira classes 2 times a week. I'm basically looking to slim down a bit and get cut. Not build a sh!t ton of mass. Those that know what Capoeira is knows that Caopeiresta aren't necessarily huge, but very cut with nice muscle tone. Any help with either supplements or changing my workout routine would be much appreciated.

[Accumulator]

Tripperfx3- I dunno if it'd address your specific situation, but IMO most people trying to get leaner:

- don't do their cardio with nearly sufficient intensity

- do their ab work with *FAR* too much volume/frequency and not enough intensity (sometimes they worry about their abs "growing too big")

- don't do intense enough leg work (the cornerstone of *any* exercise regimen)

- don't work their diet right (amount, composition, or timing)

- are too concerned with "not gaining too much mass", which isn't likely to happen

IF at all possible, do your cardio at extremely intense levels of difficulty *first thing in the morning*, on an empty stomach. If you've eaten anything prior to doing it, losing bodyfat will be a whole lot harder.

You really don't need to do zillions of reps/etc. for your abs. Don't pay attention to the "experts" who claim to do a hundred/thousand/million crunches or whatever, it simply doesn't take much. Abs are just muscles like all your other ones, primarily fast-twitch muscle fibers. Doing slightly-higher-than-normal reps for a few sets of *strictly performed*, effective exercises will be plenty (as you'll notice once you burn a bit more fat off of them).

[dirtdiggler]

This is a great topic.. which creatine would be more beneficial ? creatine alone or mixed with a transport ? what brand would someone suggest ? I am currently using the EAS, but would try some other brand if there are benefits. i have heard that creatine is mixed with fillers and not as pure as advertised.

thanks.

i will adding Beta alanine to the mix.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by dirtdiggler

This is a great topic.. which creatine would be more beneficial ? creatine alone or mixed with a transport ? what brand would someone suggest ? I am currently using the EAS...

I got good results with plain creatine back in the day, but these days I take one with some sugar/flavor. IIRC the argument is that you need at least 75g of sugar to trigger the insulin response for presumably better uptake and a lot of creatine/sugar mixes don't have that much. But hey, I'll readily admit that if I simply prefer the taste of something I'm more likely to stick with it.

My carb-sensitive wife takes straight creatine and it works fine for her.

Which EAS are you using? Phospagen HP is tasty I used their Fruit Punch flavor for ages (currently using MuscleTech's Celltech Elite).

[dirtdiggler]

Accumulator,
I am currently EAS Phosphagen.. I was a MT celltech user and will probably return. I am also on MT's Leukic supplement. I found a site on the Beta Alanine facts and looks promising.

Thanks

[Tripperfx3]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Tripperfx3- I dunno if it'd address your specific situation, but IMO most people trying to get leaner:

- don't do their cardio with nearly sufficient intensity

- do their ab work with *FAR* too much volume/frequency and not enough intensity (sometimes they worry about their abs "growing too big")

- don't do intense enough leg work (the cornerstone of *any* exercise regimen)

- don't work their diet right (amount, composition, or timing)

- are too concerned with "not gaining too much mass", which isn't likely to happen

IF at all possible, do your cardio at extremely intense levels of difficulty *first thing in the morning*, on an empty stomach. If you've eaten anything prior to doing it, losing bodyfat will be a whole lot harder.

You really don't need to do zillions of reps/etc. for your abs. Don't pay attention to the "experts" who claim to do a hundred/thousand/million crunches or whatever, it simply doesn't take much. Abs are just muscles like all your other ones, primarily fast-twitch muscle fibers. Doing slightly-higher-than-normal reps for a few sets of *strictly performed*, effective exercises will be plenty (as you'll notice once you burn a bit more fat off of them).

Thanks for the tips and I'll try to start getting to the gym 1st thing in the morning on days I have late classes. As far as intensity with cardio, do you mean doing it faster for as long as I can? The reason I ask is because I ran distance in high school and was on the heavy side when I started and they told me to just run a steady rate and try to keep my heart rate below 160 and go for over 20 minutes. Obviously doing what your saying, or how I'm interpreting it, would mean getting my heart rate quite high and doing a lot less time than I'm doing now (roughly 5 miles per hour according to the treadmill for around 25-30 min averaging out to be about 2-2.5 miles).

Also because of my condition I already have rather large ab muscles (pushes my organs down), which is why i stated that I look fatter than I am lol, but my Dad has the same condition, but he's not near as broad as me and he's much taller, but does have a fairly flat stomach. I guess I'm just asking you to clarify on what you mean by intensity.

Finally I was taking Vitamin Worlds equivalent of Hydroxycut Hardcore. It did make me feel very hyped up and went from running an average of 2 miles to 3 miles with just one usage, but didn't feel it offered as much benefit as it should have, so would the real Hydroxycut Hardcore be something to look into?

[Way2SSlow]

Originally Posted by Tripperfx3

Thanks for the tips and I'll try to start getting to the gym 1st thing in the morning on days I have late classes. As far as intensity with cardio, do you mean doing it faster for as long as I can? The reason I ask is because I ran distance in high school and was on the heavy side when I started and they told me to just run a steady rate and try to keep my heart rate below 160 and go for over 20 minutes. Obviously doing what your saying, or how I'm interpreting it, would mean getting my heart rate quite high and doing a lot less time than I'm doing now (roughly 5 miles per hour according to the treadmill for around 25-30 min averaging out to be about 2-2.5 miles).

Your cardio sounds kinda similar to mine. I run for 20 minutes 4-5 days a week, depending on how sore my legs get from leg day....so usually 4. I do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I run a program on the treadmill that is in intervals and takes me all the way up to 7.5 mph. I usually end up covering about 2 miles and burning 200-220 calories and 60-70 grams of fat (according to the treadmill computer). I broke the heart rate monitor that I used to hook up to the mill...it's old.

I guess I'm just asking you to clarify on what you mean by intensity.

I'm not Accumulator, but IMO, you can just kinda tell how much you're putting in by how much contraction in the muscle you're feeling. You can do 1000 fast crunches and not even feel them, or you can really CRUNCH (flex) your stomach while lifting your shoulders straight up until it hurts, hold and then go back down slowly. 10 reps of HARD crunches are better than 1000 half-assed fast crunches. Your muscles will let you know how much you're putting into the exercises. I do weighted crunches on a decline bench myself.

Finally I was taking Vitamin Worlds equivalent of Hydroxycut Hardcore. It did make me feel very hyped up and went from running an average of 2 miles to 3 miles with just one usage, but didn't feel it offered as much benefit as it should have, so would the real Hydroxycut Hardcore be something to look into?

You have to be careful with fat burners. Some people's bodies just dont like them. It seems like yours is OK with them, and I've done a few of them and never had problems. That said, I strongly advise you to buy the small bottle until you know that your body will accept them without side effects. I did Hydroxycut back when it had ephedra in it, and my system was fine with it, but I know people who have bought the big bottle and weren't fine with it. The stuff is expensive, and they either have to throw (or give) away the bottle they just spent the money on or they take it and it not only makes them miserable, but negatively effects their workouts. Currently, I've got some Universal Animal Cuts that I am holding off on using. I did one cycle of it last month and it worked well, so I am saving this one for a little while before I use it. I've got a trip planned, and I'll probably do it leading up to the trip.


As for Creatine, right now I'm using Universal Animal Pump (which is supposed to have a full day serving of creatine in it) and I haven't gained any weight, but my muscles are looking more full.