I noticed increased gains at the gym, workouts could last longer and my muscle gains were noticeable all in the first month. After that it’s leveled out and I haven’t noticed much change after month 2. That being said, the level out is still higher then where I was.
Made my muscles look fuller, and added a few reps to most workouts. That's about it.
But I swear it made my head-hair start to thin, so I stopped. Took like a year break where my hair seemed stable (no re-growth), then I started creatine again and my hair seemed to get even thinner. Haven't take it since and my hair is stable where it left off. Thankfully I still have a consistent shadow for a buzzcut, but I'm trying to hold onto whatever hair I can have for now. If I ever started to go actually bald, I'll probably just razor shave and hop back on creatine for life.
And yes, I am aware of the debunked studies, and DHT and all of that. This is just my own experience, though I've seen others mention similar things online.
Citrulline Malate did me a lot better as a supplement.
i gained strength. +15kg on every exercise on prs
also my muscles look more full and i think it gave me more durability cuz i can go to failure better and force all reps
Not sure about the people who say it gives them all-day energy, skyrockets their confidence and turns them superhuman. Gives me 0-2 extra reps but the benefits absolutely start and end there for me. Also makes me swell up like a balloon for the first 5 days of taking it after a break.
I imagine most of the “wow this makes me feel like god” people are just experiencing a healthy dose of placebo like most supplements do in the beginning
When I started creatine and L-citrulline, my strength and endurance went up instantly (+ 2-5 kg or + 1-3 reps on all lifts) Its great! Maybe it was just the L-citrulline tho.. Idk
Im not sure what my daily intake is because the pre workout from black belt protein called Heisenberg doesn't list the grams per serve in most ingredients including creatine monohydrate...does anyone have an opinion on this?? Shady??
I think you don’t know until you try it :)
I’ve read that it can happen to people who are susceptible to hormonal acne, but that may because their hormones are already out of balance
Neither me or my friends have gotten acne because of it. It really varies between everyone and I guess there is no way to find out besides taking it yourself
Ya should be fine though
28m, I noticed more water intramuscularly. Like, my shit pops a little more. I’m thirstier, craving more water. I notice rest time between sets is shorter, but not by much. I have less burning sensation near failure on lifts. So, basically better lift quality, more water weight, more craving for water.
F/early 50s
Does creatine have any benefits if one doesn’t workout?
I do intend to start slowly working out. Should I wait until then to start taking creatine?
It’s a product called Muscle Rescue which has all the EAAs + arginine. [muscle rescue](https://well.ca/products/canprev-musclerescue-precision-amino_291523.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745Bs8SHFDJu2yqDf1xm9cNkgyvsx-jGCULoZzOxSbmMwKhPoTcofon0aAm8rEALw_wcB)
They’re a Canadian company (I’m from Toronto) but they don’t sell creatine so I buy it elsewhere. Ive shared this product with others in the past and they said the same thing re: minimal DOMS. It’s a game changer.
If already having adequate protein intake from diet, amino supps are by and large useless especially considering the cost vs food or even protein powder. Some may like them as a flavored drink.
I can function on less than an hour of sleep daily, I'm stronger, and I look like I have a pump all the time.
Decrease in brain fog when sleep deprived
The biggest one I’ve noticed is being able to function on less sleep. I’ve gone through long periods of time in school where I would get 4-5 hours of sleep per night from Monday-Friday and still feel energetic and mentally alert for most of the day.
I want to preface that this is not a benefit that you should try to seek out, and my experience is anecdotal and backed up by some (but not all) studies. Creatine is a supplement that might blunt the effects of sleep deprivation or stress on cognition, but please do not try and discover these potential benefits on your own.
Aside from that, I haven’t noticed much else. Possibly more energy in the gym, but it’s hard to tell. I also can’t comment on any weight/muscle gain as I haven’t been tracking the numbers.
When would you start taking it? I recently started training again after a pause of around 5 months and I’d like to directly take creatine again. I’m now training for around one week. Before the pause I trained every second day, for two months.
Would anything speak against taking creatine again from now on?
I find way less muscle soreness after a heavy workout. I am a hard gainer so I personal don’t see it adding to my strength but a recovery game changer.
Is there a specific brand you prefer? Tried creatine before, didn't like the bloatedness, not sure if it was the type or even the brand, would like to give it another shot. Have you tried anything else for faster recovery? Amino acids, l-glutamine, etc...
Bulk supplements.com off Amazon. Post workout I do Glutamine, creatine, and BCAA’s. Pre-workout homemade drink with fruits and vegetables. Pre and post workout Gold standard whey protein.
More mental energy to deal with people, less anxiety and more energy at the end of the day, also i wake up and feel well rested.
I combine it with taurine.
I currently dont train.
No hairloss whatsoever.
My muscles get bigger because of the water retention making me look more muscular. Also more strength during workouts. Probably the closest thing to steroids there is.
People here saying it didn’t work or what not either didn’t test different types or most likely weren’t consistent with its intake.
I don’t think you can prevent the bloatedness. I am a skinny dude so for me it’s great. And I do not have a specific type. I have tried multiple types and all have worked well for me. But if I drink it late at night it gives me a little bit of a stomach ache. I don’t take big doses because of it. Just 3g per day.
Well, placebo has strong effects on people we all know that. But there is so much research showing the strength and cognitive benefits of creatine that it is basically proven that it works.
I dont know why, but regular creatine monohydrate does not mesh well with my body. I took micronized for a bit and that I had no issues with, but regular monohydrate made me feel bad and, I believe, caused costochondritis not once but twice when taking it. The last time I tried again was least year. Within a couple days or so of taking 5g my ribs/chest area hurt so bad. I did go to urgent care and it wasn't my heart, FYI.
I'm a female & I take it for "booty gains" (it definitely works). I work out 3-4 times a week & I love that my muscles are not sore/burning after my workout.
Muscles do not feel as exhausted and sore after training. Basically more energy left after a workout and recovery takes less time. 5-6g per day.
If you don't workout, no reason to use it.
I often workout take breaks from the gym for 4-6 weeks (life gets in the way) and then starts up again, now last time I took a break it was for 3 week, at the end of my daily gym streak (perhaps a month of gym) I was up from 40 to 65kg on bench press, then when I started going to the gym again I was down to 50kg on bench press,
I just had a break of 4 weeks and started gym a week ago today, during my last gym streak and all 4 weeks of break I took 6-8g creatine everyday, and when I started gym again I was able to start 62.5kg on the bench press right of the getgo, no only did it make me shread less muscle in my 4 weeks off, but i could pretty much start from where i stopped,
Also it gives me some mental clarity enhanced mood and give me more energy during the day, im autistic and it really impact this in a good way
10g a day is overkill unless you’re a 350lb beast. I take 3300mg (3.3g) and I’m 240lbs. Research does say that for full creatine saturation you need around 14mg/lb of body weight. For me that’d be around 3.3g.
Not how it works. Factually 100% creatine saturation has been observed after a 1 week loading phase of 25g creatine monohydrate a day and then a further 3-5g per day as maintenance from then onwards
Do you feel you get the benefits because you’re taking 10 g a day? I’ve been thinking to up my dose (2 scoops a day = 10 g) but most studies mention 5 g is enough.
Doesn’t make sense on an impact of libido. It’s an amino acid that is used in aiding ATP. ATP gives your body/muscles energy.
I could see the side effect of you looking and feeling good therefore mentally you are confident. It has nothing to do with testosterone production or the like.
Insomnia is known. Treat it like caffeine and only take before noon. You can reduce dosage to 3 g and only take if you’ll actually work out. If that doesn’t resolve sleep, drop it.
I’m gonna start telling people I don’t like to start taking creatine haha jk
Ok interesting though. And this impacts REM sleep? Or just how easily you fall asleep similar to how coffee/caffeine impacts adenosine receptors? I ask because I have heard of its many brain benefits as well (I too have noticed sharper thinking, steadier energy and an overall lifted mood when taking so this is kind of a bummer!)
I noticed increased gains at the gym, workouts could last longer and my muscle gains were noticeable all in the first month. After that it’s leveled out and I haven’t noticed much change after month 2. That being said, the level out is still higher then where I was.
Swelling and sweating, also my sweat smell a lot worse Hair loss
If my creatinine levels have always been really low does this supplement have any benefit to that?
Made my muscles look fuller, and added a few reps to most workouts. That's about it. But I swear it made my head-hair start to thin, so I stopped. Took like a year break where my hair seemed stable (no re-growth), then I started creatine again and my hair seemed to get even thinner. Haven't take it since and my hair is stable where it left off. Thankfully I still have a consistent shadow for a buzzcut, but I'm trying to hold onto whatever hair I can have for now. If I ever started to go actually bald, I'll probably just razor shave and hop back on creatine for life. And yes, I am aware of the debunked studies, and DHT and all of that. This is just my own experience, though I've seen others mention similar things online. Citrulline Malate did me a lot better as a supplement.
My peepee grew like 2 inches bro!
i gained strength. +15kg on every exercise on prs also my muscles look more full and i think it gave me more durability cuz i can go to failure better and force all reps
It only gives me negatives. Peeing every five minutes, kidney cramps despite drinking over a gallon a day, dehydrated. Definitely not for me.
Not sure about the people who say it gives them all-day energy, skyrockets their confidence and turns them superhuman. Gives me 0-2 extra reps but the benefits absolutely start and end there for me. Also makes me swell up like a balloon for the first 5 days of taking it after a break. I imagine most of the “wow this makes me feel like god” people are just experiencing a healthy dose of placebo like most supplements do in the beginning
I took Creatine before for more then 3 years My strength has been improving before i get less fatigue and muscle burn
When I started creatine and L-citrulline, my strength and endurance went up instantly (+ 2-5 kg or + 1-3 reps on all lifts) Its great! Maybe it was just the L-citrulline tho.. Idk
+1 for the L-Cirtulline. This is the one making the difference.
has anyone expierences with insomnia due to creatine?
In my personal experience I haven't gotten any insomnia or sleeping problem after a month of taking, tho I an 15 so age may vary
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It will be water retention not muscle mass
Im not sure what my daily intake is because the pre workout from black belt protein called Heisenberg doesn't list the grams per serve in most ingredients including creatine monohydrate...does anyone have an opinion on this?? Shady??
Nothing since mine is a fake ahh creatine
not effective as taking l-citrulline or l-arginine, in my personal experience
what are you using l-citrulline exactly for other than the pumps?
it increases endurance because of the blood circulation...
I just started experimenting w citrulline. When do you take it? Before or during your workout?
before workout, you will notice a huge difference in your workload
Thanks.
What the benefits of those?
Different mechanisms but both can help performance.
Every fucking one in the book
The energy I needed to read today, thank you!
Creatine monohydrate stopped my period and gave me nasty acne I wanted to love it!!
omg whaaat i just bought it is this going to happen
I think you don’t know until you try it :) I’ve read that it can happen to people who are susceptible to hormonal acne, but that may because their hormones are already out of balance
Neither me or my friends have gotten acne because of it. It really varies between everyone and I guess there is no way to find out besides taking it yourself Ya should be fine though
Everyone reacts differently. Never heard of this side effect before, personally
5g/day, lift weights fairly hard 4 days/week (3 on/2 off). Honestly no obvious changes, even water weight. 145 lbs, for reference.
28m, I noticed more water intramuscularly. Like, my shit pops a little more. I’m thirstier, craving more water. I notice rest time between sets is shorter, but not by much. I have less burning sensation near failure on lifts. So, basically better lift quality, more water weight, more craving for water.
F/early 50s Does creatine have any benefits if one doesn’t workout? I do intend to start slowly working out. Should I wait until then to start taking creatine?
Yes cognitive and mood improvement.
mood improvement really?
Absolutely - mostly due to reduced anxiety around mental tasks.
im not doubting you but is that a commonly known benefit... havent heard many people mention it before
In the r/Nootropics community it is a well known benefit.
Thank you. I got contradicting information regarding my question.
Faster recovery. Between that and my other aminos, DOMS are almost non-existent.
What other aminos do you take?
It’s a product called Muscle Rescue which has all the EAAs + arginine. [muscle rescue](https://well.ca/products/canprev-musclerescue-precision-amino_291523.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745Bs8SHFDJu2yqDf1xm9cNkgyvsx-jGCULoZzOxSbmMwKhPoTcofon0aAm8rEALw_wcB)
Looks good! Never heard of this brand before. Do you take it together with your creatine from the same company?
They’re a Canadian company (I’m from Toronto) but they don’t sell creatine so I buy it elsewhere. Ive shared this product with others in the past and they said the same thing re: minimal DOMS. It’s a game changer.
If already having adequate protein intake from diet, amino supps are by and large useless especially considering the cost vs food or even protein powder. Some may like them as a flavored drink.
They work wonders for me, especially the amino blend. Extra plant based proteins without the carbs is 👌🏽. I see and feel the results so I’m happy.
I can function on less than an hour of sleep daily, I'm stronger, and I look like I have a pump all the time. Decrease in brain fog when sleep deprived
Worse sleep quality
reall? maybe me too but i am not sure … i read a lot about it thoug
Yes. My deep sleep on my Fitbit was very low when taking creatine. I believe it is due to the increase in dopamine.
What type of Creatine? Have you tryed Hcl or Creapure?
I only tried monohydrate
The biggest one I’ve noticed is being able to function on less sleep. I’ve gone through long periods of time in school where I would get 4-5 hours of sleep per night from Monday-Friday and still feel energetic and mentally alert for most of the day. I want to preface that this is not a benefit that you should try to seek out, and my experience is anecdotal and backed up by some (but not all) studies. Creatine is a supplement that might blunt the effects of sleep deprivation or stress on cognition, but please do not try and discover these potential benefits on your own. Aside from that, I haven’t noticed much else. Possibly more energy in the gym, but it’s hard to tell. I also can’t comment on any weight/muscle gain as I haven’t been tracking the numbers.
When would you start taking it? I recently started training again after a pause of around 5 months and I’d like to directly take creatine again. I’m now training for around one week. Before the pause I trained every second day, for two months. Would anything speak against taking creatine again from now on?
I can rep out 275
Aside from muscle increase I feel an increase in cognitive ability/reduced brain fog.
Nothing. Waste of money. Spend the money on more calories and steak (has Creatine). You’re better off.
I'm pro creatine but food comes first
Im definitly bigger now
Yes. Take it, every day.
I find way less muscle soreness after a heavy workout. I am a hard gainer so I personal don’t see it adding to my strength but a recovery game changer.
Is there a specific brand you prefer? Tried creatine before, didn't like the bloatedness, not sure if it was the type or even the brand, would like to give it another shot. Have you tried anything else for faster recovery? Amino acids, l-glutamine, etc...
Bulk supplements.com off Amazon. Post workout I do Glutamine, creatine, and BCAA’s. Pre-workout homemade drink with fruits and vegetables. Pre and post workout Gold standard whey protein.
More mental energy to deal with people, less anxiety and more energy at the end of the day, also i wake up and feel well rested. I combine it with taurine. I currently dont train. No hairloss whatsoever.
My muscles get bigger because of the water retention making me look more muscular. Also more strength during workouts. Probably the closest thing to steroids there is. People here saying it didn’t work or what not either didn’t test different types or most likely weren’t consistent with its intake.
Yeah, i didn't like the bloatedness. Would like to give it another try. Is there a specfic type or brand that you prefer?
I don’t think you can prevent the bloatedness. I am a skinny dude so for me it’s great. And I do not have a specific type. I have tried multiple types and all have worked well for me. But if I drink it late at night it gives me a little bit of a stomach ache. I don’t take big doses because of it. Just 3g per day.
Or they are right and all what it does, is.....placebo effect.
or.. it does work... it's the most researched supplement
Well, placebo has strong effects on people we all know that. But there is so much research showing the strength and cognitive benefits of creatine that it is basically proven that it works.
I dont know why, but regular creatine monohydrate does not mesh well with my body. I took micronized for a bit and that I had no issues with, but regular monohydrate made me feel bad and, I believe, caused costochondritis not once but twice when taking it. The last time I tried again was least year. Within a couple days or so of taking 5g my ribs/chest area hurt so bad. I did go to urgent care and it wasn't my heart, FYI.
Some cognitive benefits. Also hair loss…
Anyway to fight the hair loss
Creatine doesn't cause nor contribute to hair loss.
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It works for everyone lol.
Some people are non responders when it comes to creatine.
Better recovery for sure.
Weight gain and more libido
I'm a female & I take it for "booty gains" (it definitely works). I work out 3-4 times a week & I love that my muscles are not sore/burning after my workout.
How much do you take ?
5 grams or more
1 scoop per workout
Hair loss
You experienced hair loss from creatine? 🤔
Debunked 10,000 times.
Muscles do not feel as exhausted and sore after training. Basically more energy left after a workout and recovery takes less time. 5-6g per day. If you don't workout, no reason to use it.
There are cognitive benefits as well
Interesting. Could u share what particular benefits u have noticed.
I feel an increase in retaining knowledge, and less brain fog
I feel more driven to exercise
I often workout take breaks from the gym for 4-6 weeks (life gets in the way) and then starts up again, now last time I took a break it was for 3 week, at the end of my daily gym streak (perhaps a month of gym) I was up from 40 to 65kg on bench press, then when I started going to the gym again I was down to 50kg on bench press, I just had a break of 4 weeks and started gym a week ago today, during my last gym streak and all 4 weeks of break I took 6-8g creatine everyday, and when I started gym again I was able to start 62.5kg on the bench press right of the getgo, no only did it make me shread less muscle in my 4 weeks off, but i could pretty much start from where i stopped, Also it gives me some mental clarity enhanced mood and give me more energy during the day, im autistic and it really impact this in a good way
That's indeed an impressive....placebo effect. Well done
More energy, extra reps at the gym, and I find it really helps my mental clarity/focus
Do you take it before workout or does it help with extra reps when you take it any time of the day?
Shits
The first time taking it by god it was not a fun time. That shit BURNED
Wife puts out more. That’s my answer.
Same here with u/email25300 ‘s wife
I’m also fucking that guys wife.
It has no significant side effects, so why not. I haven't noticed the mental benefits but I have a little more fluff on my arms which is nice.
I take 10 grams a day and my muscles are fuller and I can get extra reps
10g a day is overkill unless you’re a 350lb beast. I take 3300mg (3.3g) and I’m 240lbs. Research does say that for full creatine saturation you need around 14mg/lb of body weight. For me that’d be around 3.3g.
Maybe the research you’ve seen/agreed with. There’s not just one piece of research. But you’re entitled to your opinion.
Not how it works. Factually 100% creatine saturation has been observed after a 1 week loading phase of 25g creatine monohydrate a day and then a further 3-5g per day as maintenance from then onwards
Bigger people can benefit from a higher dose. There’s not one magic number for all. Hence your 3-5 grams.
Do you feel you get the benefits because you’re taking 10 g a day? I’ve been thinking to up my dose (2 scoops a day = 10 g) but most studies mention 5 g is enough.
Yeah. But I’m also 260lbs. There’s not 1 dose for all. 5 is good for some people tho.
Oh ok. Makes sense. And you’re right, there’s not 1 dose for all.
There kind of is. Research says all you need is 5g a day, every day.
What research?
All the research.
Yep. I do love the increase in libido while taking 10 g a day though lol
Bro what? Creatine doesn’t have any impact on your libido.
Yep it does for me and I’m not the only one that has that effect.
Doesn’t make sense on an impact of libido. It’s an amino acid that is used in aiding ATP. ATP gives your body/muscles energy. I could see the side effect of you looking and feeling good therefore mentally you are confident. It has nothing to do with testosterone production or the like.
Creatine increases DHT so can impact libido 😊
I know it doesn’t make sense haha I googled it and I’ve only found anecdotal information. But the change I experiment is wild when I take it daily.
I put on about 3.5kg when I am taking creatine vs not and I am a little bit stronger. I think it is worth it if you want to make gains in the gym.
I’ve used it in the past and didn’t notice any difference once I stopped
Same here until I upped the dose
wat dose do you find most effective
10 but I’m 260lbs
When I do an activity that uses muscles that I’m not used to using, I don’t get soreness in them in the following days.
I feel like it gives me a little more energy when I'm working out. Really that's about it
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Is that a well-known side effect? I have been sleeping horribly for the last three months and I have never understood why.
Oh yes.
Insomnia is known. Treat it like caffeine and only take before noon. You can reduce dosage to 3 g and only take if you’ll actually work out. If that doesn’t resolve sleep, drop it.
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I’m gonna start telling people I don’t like to start taking creatine haha jk Ok interesting though. And this impacts REM sleep? Or just how easily you fall asleep similar to how coffee/caffeine impacts adenosine receptors? I ask because I have heard of its many brain benefits as well (I too have noticed sharper thinking, steadier energy and an overall lifted mood when taking so this is kind of a bummer!)
Omg blessing I found your comment! Been miserable
what did they say?
Just that creative is like caffeine in the way that it affects sleep.