Creatine is a natural compound found in our bodies that plays a powerful role in energy metabolism. Oral supplementation with PROLAB's Creatine Monohydrate can help maximize energy output during intense training to help you reach the next level.
I read a bunch of reviews about the various popular creatine products out there. Many positive reviews pointed to this Prolab creatine as the most cost-effective creatine out there. This is the only creatine that I've ever used, so I can't compare it with others.
My friend told me that I needed to start using creatine and protein powder in order to really buff up and get definition. I gained about 15 pounds of muscle in 4 months using this Prolab creatine and Optimum Nutrtion's 100% whey protein. I also lost about 15 pounds of fat.
Unfortunately, I got a shoulder injury about 5 months ago and stopped working out, but recently I started working out again...but I didn't take my creatine...I didn't want to waste it, since in my mind, I was out of shape! ...I was so exhausted and my muscles were extremely sore for about 5 days after workouts. But I recently started taking my creatine once again, and now after workouts my muscles don't feel sore at all. This creatine really helps your muscles recover VERY quickly after a workout. If you truly want to work out hard at the gym, you definitely need to take creatine IMO. If you don't, you'll feel tired all the time for days after your workout, then you'll just want to quit going to the gym. Use it!
To save money, you really only need to take a teaspoon of creatine before a workout. I usually take it mixed with my protein powder in milk (with a bit of sugar to help process the creatine). The labels on most creatine packages say to take 2-3 teaspoons of creatine a day, but I think that is a waste...I never noticed much improvement in my own muscles taking more than 1 teaspoon a day. I only workout about twice a week now, so I only take creatine 20 minutes before each workout - this seems to be the most cost-effective solution for me. During the summer I will increase my workouts and consumption of protein and creatine though.
1/29/10 Update:
I now use a different creatine that dissolves better in liquid and seems to give better results for me, it's called, "MRM - Creatine Monohydrate 1000" - Amazon sells this. This Prolab doesn't dissolve as fast, nor as fully as the MRM does. The MRM is just as cheap. Also, I think I developed muscle spasms after taking this Prolab after a few months of continuous use (late at night my arms and legs would jerk and wake me up - it became very annoying - perhaps this Prolab creatine was dehydrating me...). I don't have these spasms anymore after switching to the MRM creatine.
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Someone a few posts below me said that after the loading phase they only took one dose of this a day. To be honest with you that's all you need, if you look up some creatine articles on google, you'll find that after loading, 5g per day of creatine is enough to keep it going through your muscles.
I would reccommend taking the daily dose after working out, or if you don't plan on working out a day, take it in the morning with your protein when you wake up.
Those who look into this should really consider going on the creatine cycle, this is because your body gets used to creatine if you just keep taking it. In general I load, taking 4 doses of 5g per day, for 5 days straight, mixed with grape juice. After that just 5g per day at times mentioned above for 3 weeks straight. After that, stop all creatine intake for 3 weeks straight. After those 3 weeks, repeat the cycle.
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