Creatine

[Girlintheframe]

Hello, I'm interested in peoples experience of taking this supplement. What are the pros and cons of taking it in your opinion?

I take it. It can help you build muscle and there aren't really any downsides. I read a bit into it checking the research before doing so.

People sometimes make all sorts of grand claims for it I find. People act like it's going to do the same as steroids. It's not. It just means you can eek out a few extra reps so if you work hard it gives you an extra edge. But 99% of it is the hard work in the first place.

It's also got brain benefits which I can do with in peri.

Pro's:

Helps with strength and power - eeking out an extra rep(s) per set, hill climbs and surges for endurance athletes.
May help older adults reduce muscle loss with age.
Some evidence of improvements in cognition.
It's really cheap for a supplement.

Con's:

Immediate weight gain due to water retention.
The loading phase (first 5 days or so of taking it) can lead to getting the shits.

I've taken it on and off for years and haven't noticed any benefits! But, I still take it :)

There is some evidence that women have higher baseline levels and get less benefit from supplementation, but there's individual variation.

Thanks both

Is water retention/weight gain a real thing? Just asking because I coincided re-starting creatine with starting a calorie deficit and I'm feeling a bit disheartened after my first week and the scales staying static!

I'm not actually bothered about the number on the scale but I am hoping to get leaner, and I'm wondering if water weight might have hidden some fat loss. Aware it's only been a week of course and will keep going.

(I know its not likely to be muscle gain and fat loss, because I'm not someone who naturally adds a lot of muscle so it seems unlikely I'd be adding while in a deficit, though of course I'm hoping to hang on to what I've got)

Yes, it’s real! Expect to gain roughly 1% of body weight due to water retention.

Thank you, feel a bit better now! Will keep persevering, I'm certainly eating better (less junk) so hopefully it'll make a difference eventually!

Hi - browsing the weights room and came across this thread - should creatine be taken every day or can I take it only when I am planning to workout? I generally lead quite an active life but work out only on specific days, 2-3 days a week. I am 56 and quite interested in using it as I get older. Thanks.

You need to take it every day as it works by loading into your muscles. It takes about 30 days to actually get to the saturation point where you'll notice a difference. That is, unless you take loads in the first few days but then you could also get the runs..!

Creatine is excellent for your brain health as well so it's really a supplement a lot of people should be taking these days.

There’s an interesting recent podcast interviewing one of the leading creatine researchers if interested: https://podcasts.apple.com/se/podcast/inside-exercise/id1631457776?i=1000638125741

Thanks, I just got some and will start taking daily.

You need to drink loads of water on it. That was the only pain for me. I didn't care about anything else. You expect the scales to move upward.

It's excellent for brain fog during peri though.

How much should you take?

3-5g a day

Thanks!

Some additional points on what people have said...

You need to load first, i.e. taking 3-5 g per day may help, but you won't see the full benefit. Some sources say to take about 20 g for 3-7 days, then drop down to the 3-5 from then on.

Secondly, if you stop taking it, it will take about a month to unload... so if you forget for a couple of days, add say a gram to your next dose for every day you missed. So if you miss four days and you usually take 5 g daily... take 9 g for the day you go back on it and then drop to 5 g from them on.

It doesn't matter how you spread it out. You can take 5 g in the morning, or five lots of 1 g through the day.

Some people assume that because it's an energy source (per se), it could take towards calories. It doesn't. You can take it on gym, rest and diet days.

Creatine is MASSIVELY OVERPRICED. Five years ago, before covid, you could buy a kilogram for £8. Now the main sites like Myprotein and Bulk, (even with their pseudo-discounts) you're looking at now at least £35-45 per kg.
Do a bit of shopping around (ebay etc) and you can generally get it for £20-25.

You do not need to load and the side effects of doing so are an upset stomach.

Is the water retention permanent? And where is the water retained i.e. in the muscles so you should get bloating just extra scale weight or would it be like usual water retention in the stomach area?

It's not permanent. It will take a few weeks for the water weight to drop back off, though, depending on how much you've used.

Taking a few grams a day won't cause a lot of retention, it's when you've 'loaded' your muscles (as is recommended if you're taking it seriously) that you'll notice a bit of bloating (see my comment above).

And the retention is strictly in the muscles, not in the stomach, so overall, you'll look slightly bigger. Serious gym goers are also likely (and are meant to) drink a lot more water anyway, so you'll probably have a slightly bigger belly after working out anyway as a result of simply more water in the stomach. Don't worry though, that's natural. Use your appearance first thing on the morning as your guide, as that's when you'll have peed it all out.

Brill, thanks for that, really interesting.

Hello also just picking up on this thread and wondering if anyone has experienced a receding hairline or loss of hair?

I have had that but assumed it was down to my age. I have a lot of hair in the first place so it wasn't enough to bother me.

I've been taking 5g a day for about a month and I haven't noticed any water retention really at all. If anything, I think its making me wee more because I drink plenty of water with it. I feel good.

The weights I can lift are increasing, and particularly have noticed increased strength in my back and legs, but I'm not sure if that's down to the creatine or just the effect of continued progressive overload exercise. Either way, I think I will continue taking it.

From the creatine you mean?
I lost so much hair due to bleach last year, but my hair is really thick now so I don't feel like the creatine has had an impact on it

I thought it had been pretty widely disproved that you need to load creatine now?

OP, i've used it for a year and seen huge strength gains (alongside consistent progressive overload training) and no negative effects. It also helps with recovery.

Not sure if it's a coincidence, but I started taking it about a month ago, and last week I did my 1st pull up.

I’m 41 and yet to see/feel any mental improvements 🙈😂