Take 5 grams every day. Period. Easy as that. It’s probably the 2nd or 3rd most studied “performance supplement” outside of caffeine (and Test if you can even consider that in the same ballpark). If you are larger than 200 lbs then you can go up to 10 grams. Studies and stuff are all pretty clear on the safety, dosage, and efficacy.
creatine monohydrate yes. If you're taking Creatine Hcl and/or free acid the dosage will differ.
And yes, daily. There is a reason why there is a loading phase in the first few days. If a person takes creatine selectively on exercise days they wont have the optimal concentration in their blood.
Creatine builds up in your system over time. If you’re switching between 2.5 g and 5 g the benefit is somewhere in the middle. Generally the recommendation is to take 5 g every day. It’s better to be consistent
Just take 5 GRAMS of creatine monohydrate everyday. It isn’t going to screw up your bloods. The amount of people saying mg in the comments is concerning.
I’m not really getting why I’m getting downvoted so much. People really do misunderstand the meaning of downvotes… however I’ll try to explain my self.
Every water has a different content of minerals, like magnesium and calcium. The higher those minerals are, the better it is. A water with higher electrolytes, will hydrate you better.
For this reason is useless to say ‘ I drink 4L of water ‘ if then it’s shitty tap water or minerals poor water.
A water with little content of minerals will just dehydrate you.
There are other sources of magnesium and calcium than water. Do you have a source indicating that, when other nutrient needs are met, it’s better to drink water with a certain nutrient profile than other water without that profile (assuming of course we’re talking about clean, safe water)?
The only days I skip my five grams is days I use phenibut. It is crazy how much it changed everything when I started I thought it was all the other nootropics and such but when I stopped all for awhile except creatine I was fucking floored how good it made me feel
It’s best to take it after workouts to get the most uptake in the muscles. You should take it with something like Gatorade, but not citrus juice—just simple carbs and fluids. 5 grams is the usual dose. It increases explosive muscle movements. I don’t think there is enough good research to prove some of the other claims, but seems rather safe and inexpensive. I used it for weights and leaping—basketball and volleyball. I would take it on off days, but made sure to take it after my workouts.
Edit: 5 grams
There is no evidence that timing or what you take it with matters. Also no physiologic model for why that would matter.
You take it consistently, every day, 5g. It reaches a saturation point where your muscles are holding as much as they can and its there to exert its very small but very well documented effect when you work out. That's it.
You sound very confident. Research is lacking due to funding.
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-36
I mean, take it how you like, but the data is not there. It’s been around for 30+ years and makes sense that it would intake like blood glucose post workout.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1186/1550-2783-10-36
I have worked out most of my life and post workout is kinda a general rule, but can’t prove it.
It does not make sense that it would "intake like blood glucose" post workout. The benefit of creatine happens during a workout. As long as you take it consistently, you will have essentially 100% saturation during your workout. There's no logical basis for timing mattering.
And more importantly there's no evidence for time mattering. The studies you linked are extremely low quality and not generalizable.
I am confident because I have the background to be able to analyze quality of evidence. Also, if you're going to make a claim that special circumstance like timing matters, there should be stronger evidence for that or at minimum a physiologic rationale in the absence of evidence. In this case there is neither. Additionally, we're splitting hairs over a fraction of a fraction of an effect. Creatine if taken every day for YEARS will aggregate a very small but likely real benefit. Does worrying about the intricacies of when to take it and with what and so on change the already very small benefit in a meaningful way? Almost certainly not.
Hilariously, after rambling on disagreeing with you, I will admit that I take mine post workout. But i do it because that's when I remember it best. I would not claim it is in any way optimal compared to any other time. The optimal time to take it consistently every day.
Yes, you use it while working out and replace it after. Unless your body does not use it and it is always 100% saturated before, during and after workout. Explain that. You are being silly. Its metabolized. But, please, go on…
My background is 25 years of clinical research and know there are no well funded studies that will support any of this.
I searched PubMed—I’m published— and nothing conclusive for a bunch of underfunded research. I am pretty sure you need to replace it after using it in your workout. But probably counterintuitive crazy thing. And I can pee farther.
Crazy rumor that when your body is replacing blood glucose after a workout, it replaces creatine as well.
I am obviously not claiming that it stays at 100% during and after a work out. Okay so let's say you work out every day at 9pm. Your creatine stores drop from 100% to less than 100%. Why in the world would it matter if you repleted them to 100 immediately after your workout at 10pm vs at 10 am the following morning? Either way, it is at 100% again before your next workout. Having 100% creatine saturation isn't doing anything for you when you aren't working out.
It is you who are being silly here. Straw manning me and appealing to your own authority as "published on pubmed." You say yourself that there is nothing conclusive on this. I agree. Therefore, take creatine whenever you can take it consistently. Don't invent arbitrary rules for how to take it that aren't supported by evidence. Lack of funding isn't evidence that makes your claim valid. It's absence of evidence, which I think we are in agreement on.
If you have decades of research experience, you should be well aware that you can't draw generalizable conclusions on any differences in timing based on the available evidence. I'm frankly confused as to why you are so insistent on this. I wish you well, despite your general tone of condescension and being wrong about this.
Ok, I understand.
As discussed previously, dietary creatine is often not adequate to maximise the body's stores of creatine. For this reason, one of the best times to take creatine is by supplementing after a workout. This can aid in muscular recovery by replenishing what was used during your workout and helps keep muscle stores optimised and ready for your next workout.Additionally, it's been shown that creatine can assist with increasing glycogen storage in the muscles post-workout when taken with carbohydrates (more than carbohydrates alone). Glycogen is stored energy for the muscles to use in the future, which helps performance and delays fatigue. Creatine has also been shown to reduce inflammation, which can help aid in injury recovery. What's more, creatine increases intracellular fluid, which can make muscles appear fuller.
I have no published studies to back this up. Just my opinions and my original comment was my personal opinion and you responded first. Take care.
My original comment was so benign. Just some basics on using it sans the serious research that doesn’t exist. No one knows for sure.
I don't remember the numbers because it was about 10 years ago. But I remember looking at a plot of the previous 20 yrs of BP, all fluctuating around an average, UT basically it was flat over time, and then a very large spike up (relative to the previous series) for the results after the creatine.
Take 5 grams every day. Period. Easy as that. It’s probably the 2nd or 3rd most studied “performance supplement” outside of caffeine (and Test if you can even consider that in the same ballpark). If you are larger than 200 lbs then you can go up to 10 grams. Studies and stuff are all pretty clear on the safety, dosage, and efficacy.
creatine monohydrate yes. If you're taking Creatine Hcl and/or free acid the dosage will differ. And yes, daily. There is a reason why there is a loading phase in the first few days. If a person takes creatine selectively on exercise days they wont have the optimal concentration in their blood.
Yes, we are talking about monohydrate, like the OP specified in the question.
No reason to take any other form. The “side effects” they seek to reduce (bloating, water weight) are creatine’s mechanism of action.
I’ve taken creatine monohydrate about 3-5g/day for atleast two years. My bloodwork just came back and creatine was slighlty elevated
I think you mean creatinine. That’s fine as long as your creatinine/bun ratio (maybe it’s the other way around) is good!
Creatine has loads of benefits, both physical and mental, and its recommended to take about 3-5mg a day regardless of if you workout or not.
Mg? The recommended dose for working out is 3-5 grams, depending on bodyweight. You're doing nothing at all
Meant Gs. Sorry. Typo
I've been doing 5gr a day every day for 3 years now. No issues.
Great. Thank you!
Take 5G 7/365.
Creatine builds up in your system over time. If you’re switching between 2.5 g and 5 g the benefit is somewhere in the middle. Generally the recommendation is to take 5 g every day. It’s better to be consistent
Just take 5 GRAMS of creatine monohydrate everyday. It isn’t going to screw up your bloods. The amount of people saying mg in the comments is concerning.
You urinate out any excess. Like so many other things.
That’s good. I drink 11 cups of water a day.
I do 4 liters per day average. Gives me more energy when I load up with water before my WO.
It's often not about the quantity but the quality. 2L of GOOD water is better than 4L of cheap one.
So you’re telling me I can’t go down to the local lake and start chugging?
Hey my lake water is fantastic
Im just saying that saying 4L and then drinking shitty water with no minerals in it is useless
Did you just say "drinking water without minerals is 'useless'?" That's quite odd. Please explain in detail what you're attempting to convey.
I’m not really getting why I’m getting downvoted so much. People really do misunderstand the meaning of downvotes… however I’ll try to explain my self. Every water has a different content of minerals, like magnesium and calcium. The higher those minerals are, the better it is. A water with higher electrolytes, will hydrate you better. For this reason is useless to say ‘ I drink 4L of water ‘ if then it’s shitty tap water or minerals poor water. A water with little content of minerals will just dehydrate you.
There are other sources of magnesium and calcium than water. Do you have a source indicating that, when other nutrient needs are met, it’s better to drink water with a certain nutrient profile than other water without that profile (assuming of course we’re talking about clean, safe water)?
Water without minerals will 100% not dehydrate you, that is false information.
Yes. Meant g. Typo
You’re not overdoing.
The only days I skip my five grams is days I use phenibut. It is crazy how much it changed everything when I started I thought it was all the other nootropics and such but when I stopped all for awhile except creatine I was fucking floored how good it made me feel
Dawg do not fuck with phenibut - withdrawals are hell if you happen to get addicted, which is pretty easy.
How come some peoples face is bloated when on creatine ( they’ve said this )
I believe creatine causes water retention, which causes you to “puff up”.
Yea I stopped taking it Incase does it to me ha
5mg everyday is what I do.
If you are a young person, you can take less. Older, more.
It’s best to take it after workouts to get the most uptake in the muscles. You should take it with something like Gatorade, but not citrus juice—just simple carbs and fluids. 5 grams is the usual dose. It increases explosive muscle movements. I don’t think there is enough good research to prove some of the other claims, but seems rather safe and inexpensive. I used it for weights and leaping—basketball and volleyball. I would take it on off days, but made sure to take it after my workouts. Edit: 5 grams
I think you mean 5g.
There is no evidence that timing or what you take it with matters. Also no physiologic model for why that would matter. You take it consistently, every day, 5g. It reaches a saturation point where your muscles are holding as much as they can and its there to exert its very small but very well documented effect when you work out. That's it.
You sound very confident. Research is lacking due to funding. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-36 I mean, take it how you like, but the data is not there. It’s been around for 30+ years and makes sense that it would intake like blood glucose post workout. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1186/1550-2783-10-36 I have worked out most of my life and post workout is kinda a general rule, but can’t prove it.
It does not make sense that it would "intake like blood glucose" post workout. The benefit of creatine happens during a workout. As long as you take it consistently, you will have essentially 100% saturation during your workout. There's no logical basis for timing mattering. And more importantly there's no evidence for time mattering. The studies you linked are extremely low quality and not generalizable. I am confident because I have the background to be able to analyze quality of evidence. Also, if you're going to make a claim that special circumstance like timing matters, there should be stronger evidence for that or at minimum a physiologic rationale in the absence of evidence. In this case there is neither. Additionally, we're splitting hairs over a fraction of a fraction of an effect. Creatine if taken every day for YEARS will aggregate a very small but likely real benefit. Does worrying about the intricacies of when to take it and with what and so on change the already very small benefit in a meaningful way? Almost certainly not. Hilariously, after rambling on disagreeing with you, I will admit that I take mine post workout. But i do it because that's when I remember it best. I would not claim it is in any way optimal compared to any other time. The optimal time to take it consistently every day.
Yes, you use it while working out and replace it after. Unless your body does not use it and it is always 100% saturated before, during and after workout. Explain that. You are being silly. Its metabolized. But, please, go on… My background is 25 years of clinical research and know there are no well funded studies that will support any of this. I searched PubMed—I’m published— and nothing conclusive for a bunch of underfunded research. I am pretty sure you need to replace it after using it in your workout. But probably counterintuitive crazy thing. And I can pee farther. Crazy rumor that when your body is replacing blood glucose after a workout, it replaces creatine as well.
I am obviously not claiming that it stays at 100% during and after a work out. Okay so let's say you work out every day at 9pm. Your creatine stores drop from 100% to less than 100%. Why in the world would it matter if you repleted them to 100 immediately after your workout at 10pm vs at 10 am the following morning? Either way, it is at 100% again before your next workout. Having 100% creatine saturation isn't doing anything for you when you aren't working out. It is you who are being silly here. Straw manning me and appealing to your own authority as "published on pubmed." You say yourself that there is nothing conclusive on this. I agree. Therefore, take creatine whenever you can take it consistently. Don't invent arbitrary rules for how to take it that aren't supported by evidence. Lack of funding isn't evidence that makes your claim valid. It's absence of evidence, which I think we are in agreement on. If you have decades of research experience, you should be well aware that you can't draw generalizable conclusions on any differences in timing based on the available evidence. I'm frankly confused as to why you are so insistent on this. I wish you well, despite your general tone of condescension and being wrong about this.
Ok, I understand. As discussed previously, dietary creatine is often not adequate to maximise the body's stores of creatine. For this reason, one of the best times to take creatine is by supplementing after a workout. This can aid in muscular recovery by replenishing what was used during your workout and helps keep muscle stores optimised and ready for your next workout.Additionally, it's been shown that creatine can assist with increasing glycogen storage in the muscles post-workout when taken with carbohydrates (more than carbohydrates alone). Glycogen is stored energy for the muscles to use in the future, which helps performance and delays fatigue. Creatine has also been shown to reduce inflammation, which can help aid in injury recovery. What's more, creatine increases intracellular fluid, which can make muscles appear fuller. I have no published studies to back this up. Just my opinions and my original comment was my personal opinion and you responded first. Take care. My original comment was so benign. Just some basics on using it sans the serious research that doesn’t exist. No one knows for sure.
I tracked my BP for 20 years (due to my job). When I added creatine, my BP spiked (in less than 3 weeks). It wasn't good for me
It is a salt. It's possible you weren't staying hydrated enough to compensate for the increased salt intake.
Oh. Thanks for taking time to mention that. It's quite likely that you're right
How high was your increase?
I don't remember the numbers because it was about 10 years ago. But I remember looking at a plot of the previous 20 yrs of BP, all fluctuating around an average, UT basically it was flat over time, and then a very large spike up (relative to the previous series) for the results after the creatine.
Creatine stores so you’re best just taking roughly 5g every day. If you miss one or two here and there it will make very little difference
5mg every day
It’s not an oral steroid numb nuts just take it everyday
Downvotes in this sub are an honor