Creatine Article from Transparent Labs

[Skid]

Thought this might be interesting to share...

https://www.transparentlabs.com/blogs/a ... bC5jb20%3D

Creatine is a natural molecule found in all of our bodies, which works as an energy reserve complimentary to ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the primary energy molecule of life.

During exercise creatine is naturally utilized by the body, and it didn’t take long before research discovered it to be an effective performance enhancing compound.

This research grew and grew, making creatine in fact, one of the most researched ingredients in sports nutrition. Of the different types of creatine, creatine monohydrate has been backed by the most research, and demonstrated the most promise.

Interestingly: Creatine has been found to elicit a host of benefits surpassing its reputation of being a muscle-building one trick pony.

Creatine HMB
SHOULD YOU TAKE CREATINE
Rather than telling you what to do, we’ll present some of the data and let you make up your own mind.

No scratch that – yes, yes you should take creatine. And here’s why…

#1 POWER OUTPUT
Power output is without a doubt the primary topic of interest with creatine supplementation, and this can be easily seen through the piles and piles of research on the topic.

Two of our favorite studies on creatines effects on power output are these two meta-analysis’:

A 2003 meta-analysis on creatine supplementation determined creatine supplementation to elicit greater strength and lean body composition growth [1].
An earlier 2002 meta-analysis focused primarily on strength, and observed creatine to produce an average of 21.52 pounds (9.76 kg) improvement (over 8 weeks) in total squat one max rep weight compared to placebo subjects [2].
Note: A meta-analysis is a study comparing the data of multiple preceding studies.

While the postdated nature of these studies may create speculation, creatine has been deeply researched for quite some time. Bottom line, they are still valid and have not been disproved.

#2 LEAN MASS INCREASE
Creatine has been shown to not only increase users overall mass, but fat-free (lean mass) as well.

After 28 days of creatine supplementation, one study showed fat-free mass gains of 3.97 pounds (1.8 kg) or 5.07 pounds (2.9 kg more than the placebo [3].
Another study conducted over 12 weeks showed an impressive increase of fat-free mass of 3.31 pounds (1.5 kg) after 1 week and 9.48 pounds (4.3 kg) after the full 12 weeks [4]. Most noticeable fitness improvements came in strength as measured by the bench press and squat 1 rep max.


Interestingly: a significant increase in muscle fiber volume was shown across 4 different types of fiber.



#3 REDUCED FATIGUE
Supplementing with creatine has been shown to improve fatigue resistance in a number of clinical scenarios.

One study measured fatigue by body heat markers (similar with body hydration tests below) showing creatine preventing fatigue [5].
Another study involving weight lifters doing 3 rep max over 5 sets, showed improved resistance to fatigue at a statistically significant level [6].
Important Note: creatine supplementation appears to reduce fatigue in bodybuilding based strength exercises. However, its fatigue fighting effects are less predominant in endurance exercises like running, as noted in the power output studies.

#4 TOTAL BODY HYDRATION
Creatine increasing total body water weight is supported by both research and anecdotal user data like. While anti-athletes commonly attribute this to a ‘glamour effect’, there are real benefits to cellular hydration.

Multiple studies show no negative correlation with increased total water body weight and athletic performance [7][8].
Creatine supplementation appears to positively impact athletic performance in hot humid environments [18].
Note: Increasing total body water levels does not mean an increase in fat although it does increase weight. The effects are temporary, so when you stop taking creatine, your total water weight returns to normal.

Performance aside, we’re extremely interested in the ergogenic responses to muscle repair and subsequent building brought on by both the energy of creatine as well as the hydration effect.

#5 IMPROVED COGNITION AND ALERTNESS
Creatine has shown promising results for improving cognition in a number of ways. One of the most studied scenarios is in individuals who are sleep deprived, with creatine supplementation showing improvements in overall cognition and offering some long term neurological protection.

One study analyzing the effects of creatine supplementation on cognition in vegetarians (people who obtain less creatine than the average meat eater through their diet) showed a statistically significant increase in both memory and reaction times [9].
Another study shows that creatine supplementation on aging adults improves cognition [10].
#6 REDUCED DNA DAMAGE
DNA damage is directly related to aging and the condition of our mortality. Your cells incur damage from exercise and creatine has been shown in numerous studies to dramatically limit this damage [11].

There is also evidence showing creatine providing near full protection from specific types of free-radicals (hydroxyl radicals and oxidation) [12]. This seems to work by preventing depletion of ATP stores within cells, and is effective as long as the stores hold out.
Note: this particular beneficial example of creatine is still open to interpretation through future research. Present contradictions include exercise’s positive effects of longevity, with or without creatine.

Creatine Timing



WHAT TIME SHOULD I BE TAKING CREATINE HMB?
"When should I take creatine?" - this is one of the most commonly asked questions we get at Transparent Labs. The answer is pretty simple. It doesn't matter as long as it is taken at a consistent time everyday. The key is to keep your creatine store levels consistently high.

One caveat here is to avoid taking creatine WITH caffeine. There is evidence showing that caffeine hinders creatines uptake and it is recommended on the Creapure™ website to not mix the two.

That being said, taking caffeine a couple hours before or after creatine supplementation provides very positive results. Most people prefer taking creatine after a workout (after caffeine) and there is soft evidence to support this [13]. This is why we do not include creatine in our caffeinated PreSeries Pre-Workouts. Best to save it for after - perhaps in combination with a post workout drink.



IS A LOADING PHASE NECESSARY?
It is more common than not to load 20-25 grams of creatine (spread out over 5 servings) for the first 5 days of creatine use. The idea is to build up that base within your body (remember - we want to maintain creatine levels in your blood as mentioned above). It is then common to maintain creatine levels with 3-5 grams daily.

However, there have been more recent studies that have shown NO benefit to those who load vs those who do not, if 5 grams of creatine are taken daily for a minimum of 30 days.

We feel the evidence is strong enough to not worry about a loading phase if creatine is going to be consistently consumed, however, loading doesn't hurt.

Hard gainers: We also include creatine (3g) in our clean mass gainer. Combining creatine HMB with our mass gainer is a great way to supplement a large-dose for two-a-days and aggressive mass building protocols.

Creatine with HMB



IS CREATINE REALLY BETTER WITH HMB?
This article is focused on creatine and not HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate), which has an impressive amount of data behind it showing improvements in lean mass [14], strength [15], and endurance [16].

HMB is one of the most impressive sports dietary supplements, and was hugely popular in the early 2000s. It fell out of popularity because of patent infringements by many of the top supplement brands - with them ultimately deciding not to pay for the ingredient. The licensed version of HMB (which we use) costs 800% more than unlicensed and is one of the most expensive ingredients in all of the Transparent Labs product lineup.

We too feel the pressure to skip it, however, the ingredient is too good to pass up.

HMB is even more impressive when combined with creatine. The two complement each other, balancing out weaknesses each alone may have. Together, the two ingredients showed improved gains on lean body mass and strength (as measured by lower body compound movements) [17].

Get our CreatineHMB product here, available in both flavored and unflavored – both enhanced with patented BioPerine for optimal uptake.



STUDIES CITED
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12945830
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12485548
http://www.academia.edu/7742207/The_eff ... omposition
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Full ... to.11.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... figure/F1/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20591625
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155510/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17685723
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... ore-reader
https://link.springer.com/article/10.10 ... 011-0855-9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22080314
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18022765
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23919405
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387396
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387396
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/117 ... d_RVDocSum
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/114 ... d_RVDocSum
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18184753

[thejosef]

<snip>
One caveat here is to avoid taking creatine WITH caffeine. There is evidence showing that caffeine hinders creatines uptake and it is recommended on the Creapure™ website to not mix the two.

That being said, taking caffeine a couple hours before or after creatine supplementation provides very positive results. Most people prefer taking creatine after a workout (after caffeine) and there is soft evidence to support this [13]. This is why we do not include creatine in our caffeinated PreSeries Pre-Workouts. Best to save it for after - perhaps in combination with a post workout drink.

Thanks for sharing the article @Skid.

Most of this stuff echos what I've read, except for the above /\. I'll have to do some research on that. I've ALWAYS taken creatine with caffeine.. ..and they're generally together in many, many pre-workouts. Wonder how many gainzzz I've lost over they years. Dang.

(I wonder if they're just trying to sell their pre-workout over other brands with this 'statement'... Their link [13] did not have anything to do with caffeine.)

[BenM]

Thanks for posting, that was really interesting. The stuff on HMB was interesting too. For a while last year I was drinking a shake most nights with HMB in it and it seemed to have good results, but I didn't buy it again because it wasn't very nice.

Ditto here as thejosef, I take caffeine and creatine together all the time as part of my morning routine. Maybe that's why I don't seem to get much out of it... also lack of muscle mass so there's less places to put it.

Coincidentally the other day I was buying some stuff online and ordered a creatine stack (rather than the plain mono I've been taking) which has a bit of HMB and BCAAs and stuff in it too. Will be interesting to see how that goes... won't take it til I'm gaining again though, just noticed it has 42g of glucose in it

[PatrickDB]

I find some of these claims, especially the HMB stuff, suspicious. (Though the broader point about creatine improve training performance in most people is of course indisputable.) The most recent meta-analysis of HMB found it doesn't have any positive effect on trained lifters, and the study they use to support their claim that HMB and creatine act synergistically used newbie lifters, so it doesn't exactly move me.

Also, there are rumors that some of the studies that most strongly support HMB use are fraudulent. I don't think anyone says this publicly, but read between the lines here: https://www.biolayne.com/blog/news/top- ... ntroversy/

Perhaps someone who knows more can chime in on this.

[Skid]

As a customer of theirs, I got the above as an email and thought I would share. I can't vouch for any of the claims, however transparent Labs has the best pre-workout on the market according to most surveys. And they label exactly what the contents are (hence the name transparent Labs). I use their pre-workout and their krill oil tablets and can say it is all high quality. I'm not taking creatine, but may give that a try too, although I have concerns about gaining any more weight...

[PatrickDB]

I'm not taking creatine, but may give that a try too, although I have concerns about gaining any more weight...

It will just be water!

[Skid]

I'm not taking creatine, but may give that a try too, although I have concerns about gaining any more weight...

It will just be water!

I'm concerned from a weight class point of view. I'm tipping the scales at the top of my weight class already and a few pounds more would put me over. I don't cut weight very effectively. I lose a lot of strength in the process, judging from recent meet experience. I'd rather stay under and not worry about cutting. Now, if I could lose some fat in the process and maintain my weight, I'd be all over this.

[convergentsum]

I just finished a packet of creatine and was thinking of skipping it for a while since the only high-RPE sets I'm doing at the moment are singles (Montana method) so I figure my ATP-CP energy system isn't getting fully taxed. Is my reasoning faulty?

[ChasingCurls69]

I just finished a packet of creatine and was thinking of skipping it for a while since the only high-RPE sets I'm doing at the moment are singles (Montana method) so I figure my ATP-CP energy system isn't getting fully taxed. Is my reasoning faulty?

The extra bodyweight from creatine will still be useful since it's intramuscular water weight, and I'd imagine it'll still contribute to better performance on low RPE sets and higher RPE singles even if you don't actually do a rep max

[Idlehands]

I just finished a packet of creatine and was thinking of skipping it for a while since the only high-RPE sets I'm doing at the moment are singles (Montana method) so I figure my ATP-CP energy system isn't getting fully taxed. Is my reasoning faulty?

@Hanely said "do creatine" after watching my videos.
So . Do creatine man.

[convergentsum]

@Hanely said "do creatine" after watching my videos.
So . Do creatine man.

Peer pressure! I have ordered some as it happens (thanks for the reply @chasingcurls69), but it was 100% my own decision.

[Wilhelm]

There is some information out there that creatine increases MPS as well.

[DirtyRed]

inb4 Creatine ends up on a WADA list.

[mgil]

Creatine seems to be a gout trigger for me.

I’m not going to claim to have the best conditioning around or work capacity, but considering my stats and whatever, I manage pretty well without it.

[slowmotion]

I'm not sure if creatine works for me or not, but I found an unopened bag in the back of the cupboard.

So based on this thread I am going to try again. I expect unbelievable gainzz!

[brkriete]

Creatine seems to be a gout trigger for me.

I’m not going to claim to have the best conditioning around or work capacity, but considering my stats and whatever, I manage pretty well without it.

Opposite for me - it seems to help prevent attacks, I'm assuming because it contributes to water retention helping the uric acid crystals stay in solution. It does not seem to do anything for me in terms of performance though.