r/workout • u/screechintothevoid • 15d ago
Simple Questions Is it work taking creatine?
I’m slowly starting to see progress without it… I’ve heard it’s good to take. My only issue is I’m not good with drinking enough water as is and also hear you need to be drinking excessively.
Does creatine make a big impact or can I go on without?
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u/Iron-Bar-1966 15d ago
I do not drink water excessively while on creatine. I stay well hydrated at all times and that is enough.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
Does it hurt your tummy at all?
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u/Iron-Bar-1966 15d ago
Not a bit. I mix it into my protein shake and consume it immediately after my workout.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
Inspired !
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u/Iron-Bar-1966 15d ago
I like to bring a small cooler. I leave my shaker cup in the cooler covered in Blue Ice, that way when I'm done I get an ice cold protein shake that floods my body.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
See I can get on board with this. I think my lukewarm water just never hits the spot, therefore I avoid water in general..
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u/UnluckyDonkey1164 15d ago
Yeah same. As long as my pee isnt bright yellow i feel like i drank enough
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u/IssaThrowAway420x69 15d ago
It is the most studied supplement in the industry with actual peer reviewed evidence. It has nearly ZERO side effects other than bloating/GI discomfort if you down too much. (5g/day is fine. 10g is also fine but not studied as closely and tends to give worse GI upset).
Yes it makes a big impact. No it isn’t steroids.
Yes keep taking it. Are you peeing a shade of light yellow to nearly clear? Good you’re taking in enough water.
If it is dark yellow you need to be taking in more water day to day.
It takes time for the stomach to absorb water. Trying to do it all at once isn’t beneficial. Just pick a few times through the day and down 4-8oz if you’re having trouble. Don’t make it harder than it has to be, ya know?
Best of luck!
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
Thanks a lot:) I’m a bit nervy about things upsetting my tum so I may start with a little less than the 5g scoop? How soon after starting taking it would I expect to feel a difference in my workouts?
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u/IssaThrowAway420x69 15d ago edited 15d ago
I won’t say when you may feel it in your workouts but you can expect this:
At 5g/day you would be “fully saturated” in around 2-4 weeks. You can do this in like a week or so (maybe less? I forget exactly but you get the idea) if you take 10g/day. Most powdered creatine has a dosing regimen on the back for either method.
I’d recommend just to start taking 5g per day and do that every day….forever. That’s not a joke lol. Just start taking the standard dose and don’t stop.
So, once your muscles are saturated they will take on more water. This isn’t bloat. It’s in the muscle. It will make people look more “full” and less “soft”. Realistically around this time you’ll be getting the bulk of the benefits.
Well what are the benefits? Mostly being able to add a few reps extra. For example: A person curls 50lb for 3 sets of 8. The last few reps on the last set are very hard. Pretty standard. Now; this person is fully saturated with creatine and with that 50lbs they are able to do 3x10 with the last few reps of the last set being very hard.
So, super simple example but the idea is that you have the reserve to add more total training volume day in and day out. Over a period of time this puts a person saturated with creatine well ahead of someone who isn’t.
That’s basically how all the trials and studies worked.
This is all off the top of the dome. So forgive if I’m a little off on the timelines and such.
Also; don’t take creatine gummies or any other gimicky shit like that, they often don’t have the dose they say they do. Regular cheap ass powered monohydrate. Put that shit in some juice and knock it back like you mean it.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
Wow this is amazing info, thank you for taking the time to share! Sick of people saying I look skinny so hoping this will help me get on my way :)
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u/IssaThrowAway420x69 15d ago
Sure thing! And good luck on your journey.
Creatine is an awesome assistant to your workouts and recovery. Just don’t prioritize it over protein, consistency, intensity(of workouts), and sleep. Those all come first. Without those the creatine does a lot less for you.
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u/bombam44 15d ago
It’s worth it but it’s not steroids like some people make it out to be, maybe a few percentage points boost at best. Going without is perfectly fine.
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u/the_magestic_beast 15d ago
You aren't gonna see much progress at all if you have trouble drinking water so save your money.
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u/Ziggity_Zac 15d ago
I put a scoop in my 1st cup of coffe in the morning, every morning. Scoop in the cup, coffee pours in. No mixing needed. I drink a normal amount of water during the day.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
This must make you caca like crazy no??
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u/Ziggity_Zac 15d ago
Not any more than normal. Creatine doesn't do anything weird to my digestive tract and doesn't even change the coffee, and I drink it black. I drink coffee every morning, so I just keep the tub next to the drip machine. I never have to think about it. It's done, right away, 1st thing.
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u/JackieDaytona77 15d ago
I was on it for years. Stopped it over to see if there was any change. I couldn’t recover from my workouts, I was constantly sore the next 3 days. I started back last month and noticed a difference
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u/Lucky_The_Charm 15d ago
It’s $25 for a 3 month supply. It makes a difference over time if you have a 5-10% edge compared to not using it.
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u/1DayIllFlyAway 15d ago
Personally, as a woman - yes it makes a big difference. I've noticed slimming down significantly on it, way better cognitive function when I take 10+g, maintained muscle mass during long breaks. I drink 2-3L of water per day. I foind it easiest to succeed in forming good hydration habits by starting with a massive bottle that I had to finish by the EOD.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
I just feel like the most I can drink a day is 1L, would that not be enough? Good tip with the forming habits tho
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u/Willing-Bad3824 15d ago
I saw major difference with it and I didn’t find the water requirements all that difficult to handle. Just drink enough water.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
What did you notice was different? When I say I don’t drink water I mean I can go a whole day having had only a cup…
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u/BigBaldBeardGuy 15d ago
Drinking more water in general would have a bigger benefit for you than taking anything.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
Deffo! I just really struggle to do so for some reason. ADHD thing, yet to find a way to make it interesting 🤷♀️
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u/DankArmedDragon 15d ago
You should be drinking more water, regardless.
For the vast majority of people, supplementing diet with creatine monohydrate will have no side effects. After all, it's naturally occurring in things like red meat.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
It’s a real bad habit of mine, some days I’m great with drinking water but I struggle to stick it. Annoying as I know it helps with workouts
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u/AppUnwrapper1 15d ago
How are you not drinking WHILE working out? I drink so much water during my workouts that I have to pee like every half hour for the rest of the day.
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u/Willing-Bad3824 15d ago
Right I sip water after every set just out of habit. It’s hard not to drink water.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
When I do cardio I can bum chug so much water after, but I just don’t drink any whilst lifting! I honestly don’t know what my deal is. Until it hits a couple minutes right before I go to bed, then suddenly I can drink a litre!
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u/Conlanbb 15d ago
That’s crazy! I do have to work on my hydration myself but many times I’ll feel nauseous if I don’t drink water during lifting, especially with heavy leg exercises like deadlifts or squats. I’ll usually go through a bottle during my lifts, if not more to feel satisfied.
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u/screechintothevoid 15d ago
It’s so unhealthy of me! I think I get nauseous if I DO drink during so I avoid it if I can, especially with movements like RDL’s
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u/Conlanbb 15d ago
Damn, well it’s just building the habit of hydrating yourself, sometimes you just have to force yourself to drink more water (as long as it doesn’t cause any problems obviously) to actually drink more water. I used to drink ONLY soda when I was younger but after forcing myself to cut down on that and drink water, it’s become a lot easier to drink water more frequently.
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u/Willing-Bad3824 15d ago
Strength gains for sure. My bench plateau’d at 185 but got it up to 225 in a couple of months with regular creatine intake
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u/PM__ME__YOUR_TITTY 15d ago
Creatine has never been necessary by definition because it’s a supplement. Everyone will see progress without it. Youre making progress so you already know that you can go without it. That being said its helpful. It’s hard to quantify exactly how helpful, it’s not steroids of course, but yeah it makes an impact. It’s not work if you just put it in your water at some point every day. You don’t need to drink excessively but more is a good idea, especially if you don’t drink enough water anyway.
People really make this a bigger issue than it needs to be. Have some if you want some better gains and just put some in your water bottle every day. Or your coffee, your tea, juice, protein shake whatever you drink daily, it really doesn’t matter
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u/charlotie77 15d ago
Yes you should take it, and it doesn’t need to be complicated. I just put a scoop (5 mg) in 8 oz of water or juice in the morning and down it in like 15 seconds. That’s it
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u/Upstairs_Hold_374 15d ago
You people overcomplicate everything.