Creatine

Also read that it doesn't work for some people.

Only if you're predisposed to balding anyway.

Is this true? I always worry i have a bloated face and stomach but i always thought it was just due to body fat.

(You)

>Is creatine safe
yes, if you are healthy and not on special medications/regiments. If you take medication regularly or have organ problems it would be best to consult a doctor before starting creatine.
>does it do anything
At best, yes. At worst, it does nothing. Personally, I have seen results while using it and attribute my significant gains to creitine.
>can I just get what I need through proper diet?
You can certainly build muscle without supplementing creitine. It is just that; a supplement.
>Been lifting for 5 months but the only supplement I've used was whey protein
I would recommend not taking protien powder while doing the "loading phase" as the combination of ~20-30g per day + 2 scoops could overstress your kidneys. Theres probably not a significant risk, but I'd recommend it. Loading phase is only for a week anyway.

Creatine is produced naturally by your body and is also found in red meat. It is known to play a part in ATP recycling. Because of this, it is commonly believed that creitine can help increase strength output in short term movements (Ex. your first 5 reps of a set), although this theory has not been 100% proven. What IS known is that creatine supplementation increases the amount of creatine stored in the muscles and causes them to swell with water. I can give you some recommendations as well, if you are planning on supplementing it:
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post more historic moggs for motivation please

>take it with carbs
carbs allow the body to absorb the creatine. If youre a ketofag, just dont bother with creatine. Also, dont take it without food or you are likely to get a stomachache.
>use creatine MONOHYDRATE
it is the best researched, most proven kind to use. Anything else is likely just garbage. I take GNC brand creatine monohydrate. Check the nutrition facts.
>drink plenty of water
if you dont you will die. Creatine has VERY low soluability, so your body will become a sponge. It can be a pain in the loading phase, but gets fat easier after especially if you carry around a water bottle, which you should be doing anyway.
>Do the loading phase
It is uncomfortable to say the least, but if you dont do it, you wont recieve as much benifit from creatine supplementation.

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creatine does contribute slightly to bloating depending on how much is taken. When I last loaded (30g/day), I was bloatmaxxing hard. Now im at maintenance (5g/day) and it's minimal.
I'll also add that if youre taking straight up creatine mono, dont even try to mix it with water, cause it wont. It might be more soluable if you buy a kind with an emulsifier, but otherwise, just take your scoop like a pill.
>sperad out your doses
if youre taking more than 5g per day, break up your daily dose into 5g doses throughout the day. I saw a thread once where some guy took 25g at once and was complaining he got sick.

>>Do the loading phase
>It is uncomfortable to say the least, but if you dont do it, you wont recieve as much benifit from creatine supplementation.
This. 3 days into my loading phase my arms were noticeably bigger (mostly water weight but still felt amazing) and lifts were much easier.

Some based Jow Forums fag trolled them

Creatine differs for everyone. For me it made me look bigger but didn't effect my strength at all.

Ok soooo
>loading phase
I've been taking creatine for 2 weeks now. No loading phase, just 5g a day mixed with the rest of my whey powder. I drink 3-5 liters of water a day anyway so I don't think it would ever be a problem for me.

But, can I do the loading phase now? Is it even worth? Why / why not?

Also I should say I'm on permacut due to being slightly chubby (191cm, 89kg, need to get to 80kg)
does cutting / bulking cycle affect creatine intake in any way?

>can I do the loading phase now?
yes
>Is it even worth?
I could be. Studies have shown that while creatine supplementation without a loading phase did yield results better than the control group, the best yield was in the group that had done a loading phase. Although Id recommend you stop taking protien powder during your loading phase.
>I'm on permacut due to being slightly chubby (191cm, 89kg, need to get to 80kg) Does cutting / bulking cycle affect creatine intake in any way?
diet doesnt affect creatine intake except for the fact that carbohydrates are required for your body to absorb it. I usually take 30-60g of carbs per 5g dose, but that is by no means scientific. Loading could be hard if youre on a low calorie diet. I might recommend not taking creatine until you start bulking, especially if youre a beginer. The benefits of creatine are theoretically that it allows ws you to push more weight, so that you can make gains faster. Gains are hard to do on a cut and that extra strength would be mostly useless if you havent been lifting for at least 6 months (because of noob gains)

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No, you don't need to do a loading phase. Loading phases just allow you to reach saturation faster, which you then maintain with a daily maintenance dose of between 3-5g.
You can just as well start out with daily doses of 3-5g and will reach saturation after a few weeks all the same.
At that point there's literally no difference. You can only utilize so much creatine. At two weeks you're pretty much almost fully saturated, most likely. Another week of daily dosing and you'll be there.