Suppliment Question

[hecad84]

I have been lifting for about eight months now, and can finally see bumps of muscle starting to form. I am beginning to think it is time to start taking suppliments, but this is an area I know almost nothing about. The clerk at my local GNC store suggested taking whey protein, then in a month start taking both whey and creatine. He said then to take creatine for a month, off a month, on a month, off a month, etc., but to take whey all the time. I was just wondering if this sounds right to you guys. Just looking for a second opinion I suppose. Thanks for your time.

[brent]

Both of these are good, but I am confused about the on-again off-again method with the creatine??? Why not use it all the time?

[wrestlejock646]

Some data using creatine suggested that a one week loading phase, taking 5 grams, 3 to 5 times per day was appropriate when starting out with creatine. Some additional research has suggested that the loading phase is unnecessary and a single 5 gram serving is adequate. Creatine is cleared from the body over time--taking up to about 4 weeks to go from the levels that build up during a loading phase to below baseline, depending on diet and exercise.

Possibly, the salesperson at GNC has read some of that information about creatine's clearing rate and some of the controversy about creatine's use. Many people over the years have believed creatine would cause liver or kidney damage if used as directed--another reason to take it over a less sustained period. So far as I know, such fears have been unfounded in the decade plus that creatine has been on the market as a supplement. There is one real consideration, however, that you should keep in mind. Athletes using creatine should up their daily intake of water substantially, perhaps doubling the amount recommended, as muscle cramping and, less frequently, muscle tears have been documented from inadequate hydration among creatine users.

You could also take just the single dose without the one week loading phase and, according to a more current study, accomplish just as much. Overall, creatine is one of the few supplements on the market that actually does what it's claimed to do in most people.

[hecad84]

I appreciate and thank you for the information. So the reason to only take creatine for a month and then stop for a month is to let the levels in the body return to normal? By following this month on, month off approach, would a loading phase be required everytime I started taking it again?

The area of supplimentation is new to me, and I sure don't want to blindly trust the claims that the manufacturers make in their ads. Thanks again for your info!

[wrestlejock646]

More research has been conducted on creatine in university studies than just about any other single bodybuilding supplement.

Obviously, the manufacturers of creatine products want to sell as much as they can. The manufacturers' original suggestion that a week long loading phase be included has been investigated and some research suggests that you're just as well off skipping the loading phase and just taking the maintenance dose from the beginning.

Other esearch done by the USOC about 5 years ago suggested that you could do the loading phase for a week, then not take creatine for 4 weeks, since their study found that the body clears creatine gradually over time. According to their study, it took about 4 weeks for creatine levels in athletes to return to their pre-loading, baseline levels when no creatine supplementation was being administered. Oddly enough, whether you do just the loading phase (15-20 grams/day) followed by 4 weeks of no creatine supplementation, or just the daily maintenance phase (5 grams/day) for the entire month, you're using approximately the same amount of creatine.

I'd try cycling the creatine loading phase to coincide with your heaviest, most intense weight training periods. The most recent research I've read found that creatine is most beneficial during periods of intensive strength and power training. It doesn't have as much benefit for activities such as running or swimming. There's no evidence (that I've seen) suggesting that overloading creatine constantly is going to provide constant increases in training results. However, if you feel at some point when you're not supplementing creatine that your performance is suffering, you could always start up again.

There have been hundreds of studies performed on creatine supplementation and the one thing you can feel comfortable with is that creatine hasn't been found to be dangerous or toxic in any dosages that athletes are taking. So long as you keep yourself well-hydrated, there hasn't been much of any downside to creatine supplementation published in a decade of research on the subject.

[Mdlftr]

Guys,

thanks for this thread. I've had the exact same Qs.

What I got out of this: bottom line


use whey protein, supplemented with 5 gm (tblsp) of creatine. Use Creatine with whey protein. Stop Creatine after 1 month.
Keep the Whey protein going.

GET HUGE!

Mdlftr

[hecad84]

Thanks again wrestlejock646 for all the information. For people reading this thread who also have questions about creatine, I would suggest visiting the website www.absolute-creatine.com. I just came across this site last night and found it to be very informative.

So I have come to the conclusion to start taking whey and stick with it. Then cycle a month on/a month off with creatine without following a loading phase. Of all the many, many suppliments out there, are there any others that should be considered a necessity for building muscle?

My appreciation goes out to those who responded to this thread!

[wrestlejock646]

Glutamine is a really important supplement to include...some protein powders already have it mixed in, but you can also buy it independently.

[hecad84]

I have heard of glutamine. When and why should it be taken? If I take a protein powder with glutamine already in it, will that give a sufficient supply, or should glutamine be taken on its own?

[brent]

I remember hearing all about the wonders of glutamin 3 or 4 years ago, but haven't in the last few years. Is it good? Where did it go, when creatine maddness is still here? Also, from that timeframe: what about andro?

[hecad84]

Hello Brent. Your questions about glutamine and andro got me curious about them too, so I started looking into them, and this is what I have read. I am by no means an expert mind you, I'm just repeating the info I have come across.

First, glutamine. I read alot of big fancy scientific words associated with glutamine that I couldn't possibly spell correctly if I tried, so in a nutshell, this is my understanding of it. Glutamine comes into play when doing cardio activities. It is another of the body's energy sources. Because glutamine is stored in the muscles, that means that doing cardio can actually result in the body breaking down muscle to burn as fuel. Taking a glutamine suppliment gives the body a source of glutamine so that it can leave the muscles alone. Therefore, glutamine is usually taken when a bodybuilder is in his fat loss stage trying to get ripped. Most protein powders also have some glutamine in them which should be sufficent during normal training. When I first went to my local GNC and asked about suppliments, and was told about whey protein and creatine, I did ask about glutamine, and was told simply "That comes later". Now I think I know why.

As for andro, it is a compound that is just one step away from testostrone. When andro hits the liver, it is converted into testostrone, which then increases testostrone levels in the body, and aids in muscle building. None of the reviews that I saw for andro called it a must-take suppliment, so I guess it is another item out there like Myoblast, NO2, etc, that one could try when he feels his gains are not what they used to be.

Again, I am not an expert in these matters, so if anyone can come forward with additonal information, or can correct something that I said here, please let us know.

[buffdoc]

The most important supplement is protein--you can't make something out of nothing. I like Whey protein (ideally 1 mg/lb) of desired lean body weight. You can get a big 10 pound bag w/added glutamine for about 50 beans if you go with the 100% Whey from Optimum Nutrition which recently became the "On Protein" brand.

[wbhunk]

Basically, to delve a bit deeper, your body, being the energy-efficient machine that it is, tries to get the maximum output of energy for the minimum amount of input. Glutamine is the most widely-circulating amino acid in the body (not surprising, since it's "nonessential" -- meaning your body can make it and it's not required in your diet).

During a cutting cycle, we tend to lean way back on the carbs, which, as you pointed out, sends your body looking for alternate sources of energy. Since your brain and internal organs run on glucose, your body has to make it, one way or the other, if you aren't consuming it. Glutamine, because of its chemical structure, can be converted easily into glucose via a process called gluconeogenesis (glucose -- neo, new -- genesis, creation), which can then be used to fuel your brain and such. If sufficient glutamine is available, your body -- more specifically, your liver -- will not go looking for protein from other sources.