I have been taking creatine on and off. I don't take it for a performance point of view but to help with cognitive function. I would not recommend taking to much though. I do consume 3g everyday. I don't suffer from weight gain or water retention on creatine, not sure why. I actually lost weight after I started taking creatine but it could be due to a number of factors. All in all my experience with creatine is a positive one.
So it has to be asked, when does the experiment of a creatine, beetroot and bicarb cocktail start?It makes sense anything that improves performance in any way take all of them as long as there's no health problems by doing so.
I've tried creatine and it resulted in horrible muscle cramps. Whether doing efforts or zone 2 rides. No matter how much I drank alongside it, my legs kept cramping up all over: quads, hamstrings and calves.
I don't know if I read your comment correctly, but it sounds like you take the creatine during your workouts. If you don't take it during or just before your rides, please ignore this comment. You don't have to take creatine during your workout, you can take it anytime of the day. It doesn't give you direct energy. If your stomach can't handle it during exercise, you're just making it harder for your body to digest the fuel you actually need during your workout (sugars). Oh and don't forget to increase your electrolyte intake when you drink more water than you are used to or else you're just diluting your electrolyte storages (aka dehydrating yourself by drinking too much water)
I ran track (Sprints) in HS and University in the early/mid 90s. I took creatine for part of one season, put on 3-5 pounds and my 8x200m intensive tempo repeats went from 26 seconds to 24 seconds with walk back recovery at the same RPE. (I was a mid 22 second 200m runner at the time). My strength in the gym also went up. In my case it 100% helped short duration power.
I am taking creatine since I mix barbell based strength training and road cycling regularly. In the gym I can add both weight and reps to my excercises and I can also feel more powerful on the bike. Just recently got a power meter so will dig into that. I have a little more muscle than the average cyclist with a weight 85-90 kg and usually gain about 2 kg when starting using creatine. But it is stored in the muscles, so visually you only look more muscular if that is of concern. But I have friends who only gained 0.5-1 kg so it individual.
Conor's too young for the reason I have begun taking it - and that is to combat / slow down muscle wasting as I age. Passing sixty this year I have noticed a decline in strength - and not just a lower power (slightly) on the bike but in general overall. Hopefully this supplement will counter that aspect of aging...
As I understand it creatine constitutes 5% of your energy source and is positioned at the top end of the effort level. Our body produces creatine phosphate and supplements are based on creatine mono hydrate which needs to converted into creatine phosphate by the body using water and wasting 60 - 80% of what is initially supplemented. The storage reserves of the body are very small and mostly can be topped out with normal, healthy, targeted diet. An interesting idea is that it improves the recovery of the ATP molecule - if it accelerates the conversion from ADP to ATP then its worth can be very interesting! Great video Connor - thank you.
Very interesting video as I am new to cycling and was wondering if I should continue taking creatine. I played professional baseball and we were encouraged to take 3-5g daily. In my personal experience, I have taken it every other day for the last 3 years and have gained much muscle. I recommend drinking lots of fluids as it can be dehydrating.
Interesting to hear from the cycling perspective and not surprised by the results which are consistent with other studies on its effects. I take it primarily for CrossFit and have gotten a small but noticeable boost from it.
I would love see the long term effects on performance. With creatine you can train your vo2 max and beyond much harder. That should have an effect on the long term even for your endurance.
The efficacy of creatine wasn't in doubt. Multitudinous studies have shown the benefits, both physical and cognitive, of creatine supplementation. Probably everyone should take 3-5mg every day
@@one_flew_over_the_cuckoos_nest creatine and bicarb both work wonders for me when I'm targeting 1-2 min UK hill climbs. Literally about a 10% performance boost, maybe more.
I started taking a small amount of creatine ethyl ester for cognitive benefiits this summer when I read that creatine will help boost neuron health in the brain .(That and stop drinking alcohol. 😢). …. I’m glad @ 13.00 you discussed the kidney concerns, I take it in small amounts, 2mgs , with glycine. It’s really helping my recovery, my focus too. And with glycine I’m remembering all the Dad jokes. 😂
I gain weight with it but it all in the muscle but it is a lot I’m on the higher end of water retention with it. And because I mainly ride zwift where they 7 pounds I gain means so much especially I stopped taking it and I noticed a decrease in everything I do. My lifting, my cycling and my work days so I want to start taking it again.
Thanks Conor and crew . I am starting soon . I have been watching Dan's posts , and Im starting a similar routine next month , I have gotten Creatine in preparation . Be well , eh?
I finally STOPPED taking creatine after 4 years. First hand experience of it actually causing detrimental effects to my kidneys via multiple blood tests. It becomes an addictive drug for sure. I remember when I first ran out, I was freaking out about losing my gains and not wanting to go to the gym to bodybuild because I won't be 110%. Took about 2 weeks off and went back to the gym, everything was fine without it. Urine becomes lighter and noticeably feel less dehydrated.
I remember taking it regularly about ten years ago. Although it helped with my performance, I stopped using it due to how I was feeling on edge, high anxiety and really effecting my mental health. I wanted to watch this to see why your results were. I think now that I was on a higher dose after the science explaining we don’t need that much. I don’t recall anything about mental health in this video though.
For me I think it’s made a slight difference in performance but however with taking creatine with protein shake after every ride over 6 years it’s definitely thinned my hair im convinced of it so it almost has speed up the balding process , in other words I’m sure that if I didn’t take any creatine and protein shake I would have more hair ! at now 44 . The question is was (is) it worth it ? I’m just not too sure
As a non-racer; it's just another highly processed food stuff. Do I need it? No. If my body had issues with taking it onboard from a normal diet, then Maybe. But I'd rather alter my diet than add more processed items into it. And for what it costs I could get some sweet new gloves and be happy
@@bink281 To a person of average intelligence it's obvious that creatine supplement is a highly processed product void of any other nutrients. Meat on the other hand contains necessary amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
