Dear dailymuscle,
I just bought myself some advanced protein and creatine pills as creatine powder is too troublesome for me (got it from EGOnutritions). A small bottle of 60 capsules cost me RM100 … gulp! And it is recommended on the label that one should take 6 capsules DAILY every friggin day! Yes daily, 3 before my workout and the remaining 3 AFTER workout. At this rate I will finish it in 10 days tops!
Do I need this much? Or maybe I can start slow? I already took 6 this morning… err… man supplements ARE expensive. Hope you can help me out with your experience? Thanks!
I need more information. How much am I to take, etc?
SSkl
Dear SSkl,
I love creatine. Creatine is the best-selling sports supplement of all time mainly because of great marketing and the fact that the supplement actually does have benefits! For both elite athletes and untrained individuals, creatine supplementation increases fat free mass and improves anaerobic and possibly aerobic performance. So, well done in purchasing some creatine.
Now, to answer your question – Creatine comes in many forms (powder, effervescent powder, liquid, serum, capsules) and they all have their ‘so-called benefits/claims‘ made by the advertisers. Its up to you if you want to pay a bomb and get the really fancy stuff, but if you ask me – plain Creatine powder (creatine monohydrate) works just fine, and is what I’m using. Creatine pills (capsules) really just work the same way as the powders. They are easier to take because you don’t have to do the scooping and mixing. In fact, the creatine pills you bought are actually just powder in a capsule but priced way more for that convenience.
The powdered form (creatine monohydrate) is by far the most popular and cheapest form. You simply mix the powder in some juice and drink it! Why do you say that it’s troublesome? If you have an office job and need to carry your creatine around, consider scooping out servings of creatine into individual water containers which you can just add juice into, mix, and drink. Or on workout days, scoop a serving into your protein powder and consume it together post-workout.
As for the dosage required – I would follow the manufacturer’s recommendations if you wish to see results. Normally, 5 grams of powder is the right amount for an average person. Also remember that for creatine, taking double the dosage will not produce twice the effect as you’re just most likely to piss out the excess creatine into the toilet bowl.
Should you do a loading phase?
You may have heard of trying a ‘loading phase’ to yield better results with creatine. That would mean an intake something like below:
20 g / day for 5 – 7 days (“loading phase”)
5 g / day for remainder of cycle (“maintenance phase”)
Is this really necessary? I would say probably not. Everyone who sells creatine wants you to do a loading phase where you take 20 grams a day for the first 5 days (for them – the more you take – the more they sell!).
Unless you are in a hurry to gain muscle mass, loading is not necessary. Studies have shown that people who load do indeed have greater gains than people who take just 5 grams a day after the first 2 weeks. However, after 4 weeks, both groups are at an equal level as both have saturated their muscles with creatine by then.
So, my advice to you:
Finish up your existing creatine capsules (its gonna be a very expensive 10 days), and then invest in something like EAS Phosphagen 1000grams. For RM195, you’re getting 1KG of creatine powder. Thats 200 servings of creatine and would easily last you for AT LEAST 5 months. Also, you will want to immediately continue your capsules with the powder (don’t leave a gap or else the accumulated results will diminish).
P.S: That small bottle of 60 caps would have cost you so much more elsewhere too.
Your friend and coach,
DM
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This post was written by...
Noel Chelliah, ACE-CPT, ACE-LWMC, has been recognized as one of the Top Transformation Experts in Malaysia. No stranger to being overweight himself, Noel has gone through a life-changing transformation himself, from fat, to fit. In 2010, Noel founded the DailyMuscle Body Transformation Camp, which today helps hundreds of individuals exercise and practice healthier habits. In his spare time, Noel serves the community with various programs that promote a healthier lifestyle, and enjoys playing with his dogs.
My name is Noel Chelliah, and I’m a Transformation Specialist and founder of the 
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
hi, just wanted to share how creatine really works after taking it…. my workout s much more.. how shall I say… intense, and recovery improve a whole lot. This could also be due to the advanced whey protein I am taking as well. Just wanted to share… perhaps next round I will buy powder form creatine as it absorbs much faster and effective.. not to mentioned much cheaper too!
steveneleven: thanks for sharing. Here are some benefits I’ve personally experienced with Creatine:
- increased strength
- increased bodyweight
- more ‘satisfying’ workouts due to a better ‘pump’
- muscle hardness
Also, another thing to take note is to ensure that you are getting sufficient protein before considering a performance enhancer such as creatine. Sufficient protein is the most important thing to you and everything else, comes after that.
uik, creatine can increase bodyweight, huh no wonder i’m starving like crazy =))
mihun: Are you on creatine?
I’ll “third” that! I’ve used creatine (also creatine monohydrate). I think mine was from Twinlabs (US brand).
Got the same results – feel more pumped during weights training. Not so much for aerobic/cardiovascular except in the first 10-20 minutes.
I just hated mixing the stuff. It won’t dissolve easily in my apple juice.. So it’s like drinking sand. Ahahahahahahah!
Dude.. On your mention, I’ve ordered some EAS Phosphagen from ego.
Then I just chanced on a web link. Let me get your opinion on this:
http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/creatine/muscletech-cell-tech-homemade.htm
What do you think man?
aw: Isnt EAS Phospagen just plain creatine powder? Or are you referring to Phospagen HP (which comes with creatine transport)?
Anyway, personally, I’ve never been a real fan of creatine that comes with added carbs, etc simple because I’m not getting bang for buck! You spend way more but get fewer creatine servings. Of course, I’m sure there are numerous benefits (which work) – faster results, better gains, etc (especially cell-tech as many people swear by it), but I still prefer plain old creatine monohydrate. Of course, it should be consumed with high glycemic carbs (in your link, they use dextrose).
So, I think as long as youre getting value for money – I’d say there’s no harm in trying out what was suggested in the link a shot. (FYI, cell-tech boasts 10g creatine per serving… which can easily be copied by using 2 teaspoons instead of one. I’ve seen better results myself with 2 tsp. ;))
Just don’t overdo it la. (See my disclaimer at the bottom of my site :P)
Oh, and there’s actually the ‘next generation’ of creatine, which enables you to get the insulin spike (which is needed by creatine for better absorption) without consuming any form of carbs. The insulin is triggered via a different mechanism. BSN Cellmass uses these revolutionary new way of delivering creatine to your muscles.
If I had the cash, I would invest in BSN’s Cellmass myself.
And I’ve heard.. that stevenelen (see his name above) bought himself a tub of BSN Cellmass! News travels… Perhaps he would like to share his experience with the product? :P
Another supplement to consider is GAKIC.
It’s not like creatine, a stimulant or a generic pre-workout supplement. GAKIC is a pre-workout musclebuilding supplement.
Creatine increases the regeneration of a primary muscle fuel source called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). GAKIC works at the muscle fiber level via different metabolic mechanism than creatine.
One of GAKIC’s jobs is to remove fatigue toxins – toxins that prevent your muscles from making more ATP.
You can get GAKIC in powder or caplet form. Check out http://www.frsa.com/bodybuildingblog/archives/40 for full article.
creatine monohydrate…that was so 1996 dude(BB.com)…lol…totally agree…used cm when i was a beginner(4-5 yrs ago)…i admit greater gains and faster results…but at some point…my gains became stagnant and stop takin it…cant blame it tho…cos some ppl said u gotta cycle it and some said u can take year long…til recently(3-4 months ago) i wanna use it once more(stack it wif Animal pak n stak 2)…my gains increased tremendously…but i’m not satisfied…wanna know if stak 2 or cm is giving me the gains…so i stop cm…surprised…surprised…my gains din stop…and i vowed never to use cm anymore(buang longkang)
after that became a big fan of Animal…wanna try Nitro this time(big believer in recovery products)…stopped by bro Tim and bro Jay…they told me to try Cellmass rather than Nitro(still skeptical at creatine)…ahhhh(after an hr of comparing between these two)…finally give in to Cellmass(wat the heck, perhaps of its colourful tub)
took one serving after my chest workout and another serving b4 sleep…next day i forgot that i had a chest workout b4 cos i dun feel any chest sore/pain…all i wanted to say is, if u get Cellmass = fast recovery+greater gains and strength…the rest is history…now i’m on old school(Animal) and new school(BSN)…i’ve taken Nitrix and NO-Xplode too…if any of u guys want some advice on these products…just ask me(if i’m around)..
eiji22: I think its the Stak 2. More testosterone, more power! I’m currently seeing amazing gains with the small white bottle with mint flavoured tabs in it. I’m gonna give the Animal range a shot soon. I’ve done NO-Xplode too… amazing.. actually had some people stand next to me and gawk at my arms and animal-like intensity while I’m doing my bicep curls.