Following on from my last Myth-busting Monday here is an exellent video from Dr. Layne Norton busting protein myths including the one I addressed and also a couple of others.
This week: CREATINE MYTHS
'Do I need to load creatine?'
...NO...your body can only absorb about 10-20g creatine a day max depending on your overall weight and a lot of that will go to waste anyway. Muscle cells will saturate after a week or so taking 3-5g daily anyway. The 'loading' phase was fist introduced when there was little evidence about how much creatine saturates muscle cells so it was always over ingested to be safe. We now know 3g is sufficient but companies have kept advocating loading as you end up using (and wasting) more of their product which in turn, makes them more money.
'Do I need to cycle creatine?'
...NO...this again is another brilliant marketing ploy to get people to stop taking creatine for a couple of weeks and then reLOADING again (see point above to make more money). I have a theory that it also makes creatine sound more potent and effective (anabolic steroids are also cycled). Study suggests that creatine does not diminish with prolonged use.
'Do I need to take my creatine pre/post workout?'
...NO...creatine does not work like this. You have to saturate muscle cells with creatine before you will get any effects from it. You can take it any time of day as long as you are getting 3-5g daily, there is no time of day in particular that it needs to be taken. See Ian Mcarthy video creatine timing.
'What is the best type of creatine to take?'
Hands down creatine monohydrate. All other forms are inferior and more expensive. Creatine mono saturates muscle cells 100%, you can't get better than that so don't believe the marketing hype.
CEE and Kre-alkalyn debunked
CEE and Kre-alkalyn ineffective
Peace and love x
