How To Use Creatine
Strength, Size, Muscle & Results
Creatine Monohydrate (CM) is naturally found in the human body. In all humans, 95% of all creatine is found in the muscle which is synthesized from the three amino acids: Glycine, Arginine, and Methionine. Creatine stores the essential source of energy (ATP) for all your muscles. The more saturation of Creatine in your muscle, the more energy (ATP) your muscle has, which translates to more power and endurance, more POWER usually equals “more muscle growth over time” depending on your training program.
In other words, for a muscle to work, molecules called ATP are required. This is the fuel of the muscle. The more ATP available to the muscle, the more strength, power and endurance it will have. When the muscle is required to work, the available ATP is used up very quickly. This is when (CM) becomes very important to use. The more creatine available to the muscle, the more energy (ATP) there will be available to allow the muscle to do more work. This is why it is so important that you saturate your muscles FIRST with a (CM) loading phase so you get your (ATP) levels high, and then CONTINUE after with an (CM) maintenance dosage phase to keep the (ATP) levels spiked. Creatine enters your blood stream and get soaked up immediately like a sponge by your muscle cells. The muscle cell then absorbs the creatine, as well as any extra water into the inside of the muscle cell. (called cell volumizing) which instantly makes the muscle more round, fuller and bigger – NO THIS NOT WATER RETENTION! Water retention is when water is retained on the outside of the muscle (A smoother, puffier look, or better yet called “the ROID LOOK”). When you bring water inside the muscle cells (which already are 75% water) you will not only get an excellent pump when you train, but it will accelerate the cell to synthesize new protein, to increase muscle development and growth!
Fact or Fiction: Creatine and Muscle Cramping?
Some research shows you should consume extra water (our H2O friend) during creatine use because some people, including some high performance sports athletes, have experienced muscle cramping while on creatine. Adding higher amounts of water consumption to your daily intake, or including high water content type foods into your diet, such as sweet potatoes, cucumbers, apples, melons, berries, leafy greens and grapefruit to name a few have showed some good results in trying to eliminate this cramping problem. Fact or fiction? At least we have a hopeful remedy!
The end proven results of creatine are rapid strength increases, increases in endurance and acceleration, faster recuperation times between workouts, decreases of lactic acid build up in the muscle, and increases of rapid muscle size, all due to the increased protein synthesis and increase cell volumization.
This end result is promising for almost anyone who tries creatine = MUST TRY - MUST USE SUPPLEMENT!
Creatine Monohydrate LOAD-ER UP FACTS:
When using Creatine Monohydrate, you must go on a 5-7-day loading phase to saturate your muscle tissues, dosage goes by body weight. If you weigh less than 170 lbs, you would use 5g / 4 times per day. If you weigh between 170-220 lb, you would use 5g / 5 times per day. If you weigh over 220 lbs, you would use 5g/6 times per day.
Now after your 5-7 days of your loading up phase, you must go on a maintenance dosage phase. Your bodyweight doesn’t really matter here on the maintenance dosage phase because your muscles are already saturated with (CM). For your maintenance dosage phase take 5g before your workout, and another 5g after you work out. On your training off days take 10g. On your off days your serving can be taken at any time.
It is also very important to keep all your servings of Creatine Monohydrate to at least 2 hours apart (if you don’t, you’ll either get an upset tummy or you’ll crap a lot!). Servings should always be taken between meals and most importantly a serving should be taken before training and another one right after training –ALWAYS!
For the absolute best results and“the ultimate creatine monohydrate stack”it should be mixed “in a highly glycemic simple carbohydrate, zero protein drink combination” such as, with a grape juice, apple juice, or grapefruit juice, combined in warm water with any high maltodextrin carbohydrate powder or the most popular product to stack (CM) with is pure dextrose. Dextrose is very cheap to buy and is always your best option!
Creatine Mixing TIP:
Warm water is used to melt the dextrose or maltodextrin powder, so it does not stay gritty, similar to mixing Jello. Mixing your (CM) in this ultimate stack form may increase your results almost 300%!
CREATINE Builder FACT:
Taking Creatine Monohydrate with a meal or in a protein powder has never been proven to give (CM) less of an effect, however, taking (CM)“in a highly glycemic simple carbohydrate, zero protein drink combination”has been a winning stack for many-many old school years, unless you’re on a lower carb diet, then take it with a suitable drink per your diet and/or supplement program.This stack is like a “religion supplement stack” for supplements!
Most of your gains right off the bat, while using Creatine Monohydrate are usually immediate strength gains, which then gradually start producing into some decent muscle size gains. Remember, mostly all your gains with (CM) should come immediately in your first month. Results after your first month will be minimal and mostly just maintaining them. We suggest going on an 8-week cycle, go off it for no longer than two weeks, reload again and go on a regular maintenance dosage like you did before – repeat as often as your training and supplement warrants it, (CM) is 100% safe! One negative effect with Creatine Monohydrate is you will lose some of your gains if you do go off creatine for a long period of time. Another suggestion is if you find your first brand of (CM) does work for you, do not switch brands. No matter the brand, always remember that your first bottle of (CM) will always work the best – we hear it all-ALL the time from people who switch brands into the second month and right away they blame the new brand of creatine. Your second month is most of the time just for maintaining your opening gains in the first month, it would be nice to get those same strength and size gains every month, but it just doesn’t work that way!
Impressive or not “it has not been unrealistic for a person to gain anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds” and upwards of good weight in one month while using Creatine Monohydrate. We do not like selling any products by telling people how much weight they are going to gain or lose from a supplement, but this supplement has proven these kinds of results time and time again for many people over the last 25 years!Creatine Monohydrate is the REAL-DEAL!
Today, creatine comes in many-many ways, the most popular are in a “pure creatine monohydrate powder form”, in a higher quality pure “HCL powder form” or in a “Kre-Alkalyn form”, others are Creatine Ethyl Ester and Creatine Nitrate to name a few more, but these last two have fallen off in the past years. All come in either powders, capsules and even some liquid forms, as singular or even in combinations of all three. Every supplement brand is hunting for the right formulations, because creatineDOES WORK!Now “realistically”, and taking out all the smoke and mirrors, research has always showed Creatine Monohydrate in a pure powder form has the most proven results, we agree 110%, not saying the others don’t give you the same benefits, they could, and at times it could be just simply preference between a type, powder, capsule or a liquid, however we always like to stick to the proven supplement products, it makes things less complicated!
Creatine HCL Fact:
HCL means hydrochloride, it is simply “a creatine molecule bound with hydrochloric acid”, due to its superior solubility and pH alignment with the human digestive tract. Creatine HCL has been shown to have superior properties and absorption to other forms of creatine, specifically Creatine Monohydrate. Creatine HCL usually comes in a powder form. Dosage is lower than normal Creatine Monohydrate, plus most recommend no loading phase. Usual dosage can be up to 3000mg daily divided up into 3-4 servings a day, which would include a serving before and after training, and anytime during your off days. It can be taken with water, but we would still suggest in a similar highly glycemic simple carbohydrate, zero protein drink combination like you do for Creatine Monohydrate, but if on a lower carb diet take with suitable drink per your diet and/or supplement program.
Creatine Kre-Alkalyn FACT:
Kre-Alkalyn is a “buffered compound of creatine”, this means creatine may get absorb better and faster in this type of formulation without a normal creatine loading phase. Some studies show Kre-Alkalyn does not convert the creatine into creatinine, creatinine is the waste part of creatine, this is the creatine that is not absorbed and pissed out of you.Creatine Kre-Alkalyn usually comes in a capsule form (purple capsules most often) and is a “licensed patent type product” by the supplement company EFX.EFX does make their own Kre-Alkalyn product, as well they do license Kre-Alkalyn out to other supplement company brands to use. If you are not using either the EFX brand or using a supplement brand that is using the licensed Kre-Alkalyn, we would suggest not purchasing that Kre-Alkalyn product. Dosage varies per product, the normal dosage is around the 3000mg daily dosage mark before and after training, as well as on off days, no loading is needed. It can be taken with any type of drink; however, we still recommend taking it with a highly glycemic simple carbohydrate, zero protein drink combination like you do for Creatine Monohydrate, but if on a lower carb diet take with suitable drink per your diet and/or supplement program.
So, what are the best Creatine Monohydrates or Creatine’s to use?
Keep up to date with our “Supplement Award Winners”! Creatine continually gets better and better, purer and purer, however overall, we always like to recommend Creatine Monohydrate (CM) as the proven choice for decades. Any other type of Creatine is “of choice” through your own research and development or trial and error, just make sure your getting the absolute best of best products that are essential to YOU AND ATTAINING YOUR GOALS FASTER!
H2O IS SUPPLEMENTS BIGGEST SECRET - THE WATER RANT!
We consider H2O (water) as a supplement by itself, its needed 24-7-365 by the human body and essential for any physical results and in life “as overall smart health”. If you’re not drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day, and “especially throughout your workout”, then you are not serious about your gains and your overall health. People are always asking for “the best fat burner”, “the best anti inflammatory”, the “best source of energy”, “the best anti aging product”, we can go on and on, the fact is water provides you all these results. Most people don’t really understand the human body and the “power and benefits” of proper daily water intake, especially when looking for physical results and solutions. Let’s make you a believer in water, READY…… an estimated 66% of the adult human body is made of water, our brain is estimated at 80% water, our muscles (including your heart) are estimated at 75% water, our blood is estimated at 83% water, our lungs are estimated 90% water, our skin is estimated at 64% water, and even our bones are estimated at 30% water…..are you a believer now - WATER IS ONE SUPPLEMENT THAT IS FREE FOR YOU - USE YOU!
SUPPLEMENT LABEL ALERT:
Please understand with the popularity of Whey Protein, Creatine Monohydrate, Glutamine and Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) and other middle level powdered products from weight gainers to singular amino acid products. These top products are becoming the easiest and most commonly cut products right now on the market, not in a harmful way, just by lower quality ingredients, extra flavouring, etc.With the rapid growth of many supplement companies coming out onto the market worldwide the biggest misconception consumers are having is believing what the product name label states, and what the actual ingredient label says - 100% this and 100% that for this low price. Some labels can mean sweet shit nowadays, and at times just good for a quick sell!
For example, today we see some major supplement brands confusing the shit out of the end consumer with “similar looking products” in grocery (super markets) then the actual real product in a sports nutrition or health food store (specialty market).This is a “fools’ game”, with the customer “being the fool”.These supplement brands are just reeling in the consumer “for simple sales growth” of their similar lower inferior product compared to their actual real product in the specialty market, in our eyes it’s not ethical! These grocery type products (from name, label, ingredients, servings and serving size, etc.) look very similar, but if you really check the actual profile of the whole product, they are quite different products. The end result is the customer is buying a lower cost product, a lower quality product that could possibly produce limited results compared to the actual real specialty market product! This just gives the supplement industry a bad rep in many ways, but mostly for the end customer (user).
BUYER BEWARE - DON’T BE FOOLED AND BUY THE REAL-DEAL PRODUCT EVERY TIME!
Health Canada does a decent job, but ongoing there are just too many new lines and products. Its better than many-many years ago, but even today you should always be concerned about what your buying, and what the hell does that actual full label state?
ALWAYS-ALWAYS-ALWAYS check the labels! Don’t just purchase the lowest price on the shelf - do the research FIRST it’s going into your body! This is definitely no sales pitch – it’s only the truth!
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