Not trying to start a discussion of the merits or dangers of creatine... but are there any guidelines as to when it should be taken in regards to meals or workouts? For example, if it's being taken three times a day, is it best to space it out evenly (as in 7am, 12noon, and 5pm, for example) or to focus it around workouts (either an hour before or an hour afterward as examples)? Does it matter if it is taken along with meals, or should it be taken on an empty stomach, or spaced in between meals, or even in place of meals?
It DOES have a lot of high GI carbs... mostly dextrose, from what I can tell, as a "delivery system"... so it's tricky to keep the ratios in sync. I had to tweak my diet (I know Chappy... too much tweaking and I'll go blind... and now my kidneys will turn to crystals from the creatine too), and I'm now at 45%/45%/10%... we'll see how that goes for the next three weeks. I'll definitely be cycling on and off the creatine (three weeks on, one week off).
Any advice about the timing thing would be helpful... like I said, I'm not really interested in arguing the merits or dangers of the stuff... just when to take it.
Im of the opinion that it doesnt really matter.
Ive tried a variety of ways:
(1)once in the am, then again right before a workout
(2)half right before, half right after a workout
(3) All of it right before
(4) all of it right after.
None of those variations seemed to affect results at all. Now i just take it all after my workout in my post shake for conveniance sake.
Hey Philly - I did read some research that the loading is crap, you only need a "normal dose" The loading is designed by the Mfr to sell more product. I would try this between meals several hours prior to the workout. I have to say with your appluication and your goals this may be a worth while supplement for you. Watch for a very fast atenuation and usually the first "cycle" yields the best results.
Thanks for the advice, Chaps... right now, I'm taking it first thing when I wake up (7a), again between my mid-day meals (12n), and again a few hours before my workout (5p). The first and last I'm taking with my vitamin stack. Today is only day two, so I'm not "feeling it" yet, although I did add plates to my workouts again last night and this morning.
I've also read the "no need to load" discussion, which is why I'm doing 3x on my lifting days (which right now are Mon-Tue and Thurs-Fri), 2x on my non-lifting day (Wed), and not at all on the weekends (when my focus is more endurance running/cycling).
A question for John though... did you get "no different results" from the creatine at all, or did you just get no different results from changing the timing of the intake?
Nope I've been fine... th "recommended" dosage is actually 5x per day for the "loading" phase... then 3x per day after that... so I'm well below the guidelines.
