The Supplement thread- your questions answered here

[Augustus Lucifer]

I currently take multivitamins, green tea extract, fish oil, BCAAs, and some other supplements. I've had Creatine recommended to me in the past, but I always see mixed reviews. Some places/people say it is one of the few tested and proven supplements, while other places state that the long-term adverse effects are still not apparent enough to gauge, and while they aren't suspected to be severe, ruling them out would be wrong.

So, what do you think about it? Do you use it? Does it work?

Cheers

[Sosobra]

Look Creatine has been around for 20 years, and there have been no direct likes to kidney failure , the early bug a boo. I personally have taken it of and on for about 13 years and never have anything but good things to say about. Just follow guidelines and drink lots of water, don't do a loading phase because its not neccarry and try to take it with some kind of carbs and protein,.

I reccomend going to the body building .com forums and reading articles there.

[Shaun]

I've used Creatine monohydrate before in cycles and it's good stuff. I've found it to also aid with strength and energy during workouts too.

[vizi]

I use creatine as well, many workout buffs I know take it as well. You do not need it. But I guess I can just agree with the previous posts. Good stuff overall, drink lots of water.

[MarcusCorneliusMarcellus]

AL,

do you lift weights? The primary purpose for most athletes using Creatine is for increased muscle size and performance based on muscle volume increases. Weightlifters experience more effective muscle 'pumps' using it, and that has its advantages for a variety of sports.
Strongly recommend though that if used, the daily intake of water be increased, as using any of these supplements regulalry puts an increased stress on your kidneys.

Cheers!

MCM

[vizi]

And regardless, if you are exercising hard, their is no reason you should not be drinking lots of water anyway. Cut out the soda, bring on the agua!

[veteran hawkeye]

I generally don't take anything other than vitamins, but a couple of my friends take it. Their opinion of it is good, but I'm physically stronger than both of them, and I don't take it. I don't know if this is a strike against Creatine or them though.

[Shaun]

It's because you most likely have either been training longer than them, better than them, or are genetically stronger and bigger than them.

[Augustus Lucifer]

Alright, thanks for the reviews all. And yeah I lift, wouldn't dream of supplementing a non-HIT workout with something like this.

[Sharpe]

I try to steer clear of supplements, but that said my older brother used to take creatine and the results were quite impressive, albeit he seemed to be sleep deprived when breaking into the routine. To be honest if i took a supplement it would have to be flavourless, I don't like milkshakes. Could anyone reccomend a supplement to someone who wants to build muscle but stay lean? UK based.

[Shaun]

Creatine is generally flavourless, as you take it in very small quantities compared to other suppliments like protein powder.

[Sharpe]

But does creatine build muscle, or just give you the energy to build muscle?

[MarcusCorneliusMarcellus]

I try to steer clear of supplements, but that said my older brother used to take creatine and the results were quite impressive, albeit he seemed to be sleep deprived when breaking into the routine. To be honest if i took a supplement it would have to be flavourless, I don't like milkshakes. Could anyone reccomend a supplement to someone who wants to build muscle but stay lean? UK based.

I have asked a friend/ fitness/SD instructor in the UK, and will get back to you with some links a little later

PS- I have re-named the thread to something more general and appropriate

[MarcusCorneliusMarcellus]

I try to steer clear of supplements, but that said my older brother used to take creatine and the results were quite impressive, albeit he seemed to be sleep deprived when breaking into the routine. To be honest if i took a supplement it would have to be flavourless, I don't like milkshakes. Could anyone reccomend a supplement to someone who wants to build muscle but stay lean? UK based.

An answer for you Sharpe- with some questions for you'

I used to use be pretty random in my supplementation. At this stage i have a pretty simple strategy. I have a protein drink most mornings . In that i include glutamine, BCAAs and Creatine.

Building muscle and staying lean is all about the combination of diet and exercise. Low reps, heavy weights and low carb is usually a pretty good combo.

It would be interesting to know what your friends end objective is and if there is a time scale involved. What kind of training does he currently do? Can he tell you what a typical days worth of eating consists of.

Supplements are exactly that, supplemental, so an idea of where's he's at will make this an easier question to answer.

FYI I use MyProtein in the UK. Good value, good quality and all verifiable.

[Sharpe]

Wow thanks for the effort MCM!

My goals are to gain and maintain lean muscle for summer, I would also like to build up my functional strength. I currently weigh in at around 220 pounds, but I would like to push up to about 240/250, while keeping my bodyfat low, maybe even losing some bodyfat. (My bodyfat is around 9/10% at the moment).

Here is a typical days eating for me.

5:45am - Wake up

6:00am- Have Breakfast (4 Wheatabix, 2 slices of toast and some fruit juice, maybe a pint of water)

8:00am Cereal Bar.

12:00pm Lunchtime (3 cheese and ham sandwiches and a chocolate bar. A pint of water)

3:00pm Gym for one and half hours.

5:00pm Dinner ( Beef stew with boiled potatoes, maybe a dessert)

9:00pm Snack (Sandwich)

12:00am Cereal (4 Wheatabix before bed) Wierd habit I have since I was little.

Im quite a big guy so meals tend be large, with plenty of other food stuffed between. Subconcioussly I think this would help my muscles grow, but maybe thats a niave belief.

[veteran hawkeye]

Well it's true gaining more bodymass allows you to build more muscle, and your diet, although a little odd , seems okay. Perhaps cut down on the midnight weetabix. I know it's healthy food, but I'm really not a fan of eating late at night.

[Sharpe]

Yeah my diet is a little wierd. Typical student.

[Wild Bill Kelso]

A tip for people using milk based protien powder. I know that most protein powders come with some digestive enzymes included. However, for me taking it sometimes upsets my stomach. I suspect this is due to the huge amount of milk protein in relation to the amount of digestive enzymes. An easy way to remedy this situation is to ingest a kiwifruit or two. This fruit contains actinidin, a milk digesting enzyme. It also contains a lot of anti-oxidants and other vitamins. Another food you can eat is pro-biotic yogurt. This yogurt will contain active bacteria and many milk digesting enzymes. I find that I don't have an upset stomach when I eat either of these foods before taking protein powder.

[Sosobra]

A tip for people using milk based protien powder. I know that most protein powders come with some digestive enzymes included. However, for me taking it sometimes upsets my stomach. I suspect this is due to the huge amount of milk protein in relation to the amount of digestive enzymes. An easy way to remedy this situation is to ingest a kiwifruit or two. This fruit contains actinidin, a milk digesting enzyme. It also contains a lot of anti-oxidants and other vitamins. Another food you can eat is pro-biotic yogurt. This yogurt will contain active bacteria and many milk digesting enzymes. I find that I don't have an upset stomach when I eat either of these foods before taking protein powder.

Nice bit of knowledge THanks!

[veteran hawkeye]

A tip for people using milk based protien powder. I know that most protein powders come with some digestive enzymes included. However, for me taking it sometimes upsets my stomach. I suspect this is due to the huge amount of milk protein in relation to the amount of digestive enzymes. An easy way to remedy this situation is to ingest a kiwifruit or two. This fruit contains actinidin, a milk digesting enzyme. It also contains a lot of anti-oxidants and other vitamins. Another food you can eat is pro-biotic yogurt. This yogurt will contain active bacteria and many milk digesting enzymes. I find that I don't have an upset stomach when I eat either of these foods before taking protein powder.

Yeah, great bit of information, nice one.