Indications of Creatine Supplementation

You might ask, "Why not take a supplemental form of CP or ATP instead of creatine?" Well, as with many nutritional supplements, CP and ATP are destroyed by the gut. In fact, there are CP and ATP supplements on the market, but they go unnoticed because, quite frankly, they don't work. Not only that, consuming CP or ATP is more expensive than supplementing creatine.

So just how exactly should athletes supplement creatine? Well, we don't exactly know for certain, but evidence suggests that starting out by saturating muscle tissue by consuming 5 grams of creatine 4-6 times daily, with meals, for 3 days, followed by a maintenance does of 5 grams 1-2 times daily may prove to have positive effects.

(my additions again:)

The general consensus amongst those using creatine supplementation is that the loading phase should be of 20-30g daily for 5 days, split up into 4 portions daily. Also, some say it should be taken with sugar and just before a protein meal for best absorption. You also need to drink more water, particularly during the loading phase. Creatine has a cell volumizing "side effect", and so the muscle cells do retain water. After supplementation is stopped, much of the initial weight gain may be lost. During the course of the supplementation, the muscles look more bigger, harder, and pumped.

Evidence shows that creatine stores in muscles can be elevated by between 25 and 40% during the loading phase. These levels can then be maintained with a lower dosage of 5-15 grams daily. Creatine monohydrate is a naturally occurring substance, found in red meat. Generally a person only requires one gram daily, however, additional supplementation has been shown to be of great benefit to strength athletes, especially powerlifters. 5 grams of creatine monohydrate would typically amount to about a kilo, or 2.2 pounds of fresh steak.

As aforementioned, for best absorption creatine should be taken with sugar. It can be mixed with water or juice, with a high gylcemic juice such as grape being more favourable (to cause an insulin spike for greater uptake). It dissolves a little easier in warm water, but is destroyed by high temperatures so care should be taken.

Finally, creatine monohydrate supplementation is safe, legal, and has no known negative side effects.

NOTE: Personally, I didn't gain any benefit from using creatine, except for perhaps a slight decrease in the need for heavy breathing after a set (from a reduction in ammonia levels). It is possible my creatine was partially destroyed by temperatures when imported from the U.S. - can anyone support or refute this theory? I didn't even gain any weight from creatine (no water retention, despite drinking more). I followed the loading phase very closely, despite some saying it isn't needed. My maintenance dosage was 5-10g daily.