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Creatine...worth it?

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Djhoon90

Djhoon90

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Apr 2, 2009
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Hi! Forgive me if this has already posted but I am on a long trip and don't have access to a computer and I'm using my phone to post this.

Anyway, I'm starting this P90x workout, along with my regular cardio and I'm wondering if I should give creatine a shot. I've heard that you lose all the gains when you stop taking it is this true?
That you may appear fatter because of water retention, and all sorts of other things


So I'm asking to creatine users, do you find it worth it?
 
If you're doing P90X, no creatine is not worth it. Creatine is used in the metabolic cycle that really lasts from 3-5 seconds. It's used slightly in the glycolytic cycle which lasts longer, but that's not its primary usage.

Creatine is great for pure strength training, but P90X is really more endurance than strength.
 
Creatine is ALWAYS worth it. Like choline, it's an endogenous nutrient that your body can definitely use excess dietary intake of very efficiently to improve your performance.
 
"Gains" are difficult to define. It helps increase ATP which will be of benefit no matter what physical activity you do. You will gain some water weight which will be lost when you come off it. Any muscle gains will definetly remain.

Some people gain LOTS of water which may make you appear fatter- for most people it is not noticeable. Make sure you drink lots of water whilst on it which should stop you reatining too much...

Is it worth it? I think so and so do lots of other people. Its pretty cheap. Try it and see...
 
as an endurance athlete, it can actually be counter-productive. I remember using creatine when I was a climber (and ignoring the stregth:weight ratio that it messes up), and on long climbs it would give me the most intense pumps (bad for climbing) and mess up my endurance in bursts that would require 30-90 second sustained effort. It was great for short climbing moves like 5 seconds of intense effort, but more than that it became counterproductive.

I have noticed ONLY benefits from lifting, but I usually never go beyond 8 reps lifting so I don't do cappillary work or whatever with lifting.
 
Thanks guys for all the info. I'm doing p90x and also lifting on my own on the side so I suppose I will try it and see what happens
 
I say use it. It's one of the few supplements that are "worth it."

Good luck with your training.
 
fish oil is the other supplement I feel like I couldn't go without. In fact I'd dump creatine long before I dumped fish oil.
 
EPA and DHA from healthy oils are something nobody can go without, ultimately. Too much arachidonic acid (found in mammal fats) to EPA and DHA can exacerbate inflammatory disorders, autoimmune conditions and set the stage for some cancers. There is a sort of balance between AA, EPA and DHA that keeps the body synthesizing the different types of prostaglandins (hormonal growth factors) in the right ratio. The high incidence of autoimmune disorders and heart conditions as well as some types of cancer in western societies in my opinion can be partly attributed to an excess of AA from mammalian foods and not enough alpha and gamma linoleic acid from fish or vegetable sources (flax and hemp oil together are almost ideal). I don't eat meat at all and generally avoid stuff like eggs or milk, so I tend to get my AA from peanuts, one of the only vegetable sources having it in a sizeable amount and make sure to eat a lot of hemp and flax. People who aren't willing to eat meat or fish should keep this in mind, and eat some peanuts from time to time.

I guess that was sort of off topic. But yeah, healthy oils are SUPER IMPORTANT! They play a vital role in metabolism and immune response.
 
Nibiru said:
EPA and DHA from healthy oils are something nobody can go without, ultimately. Too much arachidonic acid (found in mammal fats) to EPA and DHA can exacerbate inflammatory disorders, autoimmune conditions and set the stage for some cancers. There is a sort of balance between AA, EPA and DHA that keeps the body synthesizing the different types of prostaglandins (hormonal growth factors) in the right ratio. The high incidence of autoimmune disorders and heart conditions as well as some types of cancer in western societies in my opinion can be partly attributed to an excess of AA from mammalian foods and not enough alpha and gamma linoleic acid from fish or vegetable sources (flax and hemp oil together are almost ideal). I don't eat meat at all and generally avoid stuff like eggs or milk, so I tend to get my AA from peanuts, one of the only vegetable sources having it in a sizeable amount and make sure to eat a lot of hemp and flax. People who aren't willing to eat meat or fish should keep this in mind, and eat some peanuts from time to time.

I guess that was sort of off topic. But yeah, healthy oils are SUPER IMPORTANT! They play a vital role in metabolism and immune response.
Click to expand...

Woah! I'm gonna start taking oils with my multivitamin now! Thanks!
 
sunyata said:
fish oil is the other supplement I feel like I couldn't go without. In fact I'd dump creatine long before I dumped fish oil.
Click to expand...

QFT.

Honestly IME, I've had better results not buying creatine and just spending that money on more quality foods.
 
I see there is a "sub-thread" here about creatine vs fish oil.

I think I'm especially sensitive to creatine, because no doubt, when I take it, I can probably do 4 x 10 on an exercise with the same weight that I would otherwise do 3 x 8. Could be psychological.

Fish oil makes my joints feel "loose and fresh", improves recovery, helps with injuries, and yields good body composition results.
 
^ imo saying creatine vs fish oil is somewhat non-sensical. They serve different purposes. Its like saying which is better, fruit or veggies? Well, both are great of course! Same with creatine and fish oil.

Roger&Me said:
QFT.

Honestly IME, I've had better results not buying creatine and just spending that money on more quality foods.
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well you can get a kilogram of creatine (about 200 doses) for about 20 dollars. So its not really cost-prohibitive.
 
Creatine is ok, but in the end all it is for me at least, is an energy boost. Some ppl say for energy just use some caffeine pills.
 
Creatine is just an energy boost, except in your muscle tissue instead of in your nervous system like caffeine.
 
I used creatine for awhile my senior year of high school, when I was in weight training + working out every day.

It definitely helped me gain mass, but made me look too "bulky". I strive more for the toned look and it didn't seem like creatine worked very well in that regard.
 
No matter how much water, and how little sodium I consume, I always retain water in my face with creatine. BAd. I seriously look like John McCain. I'm with Roger...I'll spend the dough$ on food.
 
KStoner6tb said:
No matter how much water, and how little sodium I consume, I always retain water in my face with creatine. BAd. I seriously look like John McCain. I'm with Roger...I'll spend the dough$ on food.
Click to expand...

I was just going to post something regarding the "face bloat" i always get from using creatine...weird...

Creatine Monohydrate tends to make people retain more water and appear bloated, so make note of that...

I'm personally done with buying solely creatine and creatine matrix formulas and adding them to my supplement regimen...When I was a beginner, creatine definately was a pretty important staple, but now it just makes me bloated...

However, I always make sure my pre-workout nitric oxide supplement has some creatine in it...I just don't like taking it post-workout...I can deal without...

It's very affordable though...so I say go for it.
 
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