November 29, 2009 Update: Creatine dosage from the “food cops”

I just read an interesting recommendation for creatine dosage in Nutrition Action Healthletter (Dec. 2009, p.9). This newsletter is published by CSPI, better known as the “food cops.” This issue contained the article about the ridiculously high amounts of calories and saturated fat in movie theater popcorn that you might have heard reported on the news.

In any case, the issue also contained an article about the benefits of exercise, which included a section on creatine. It confirmed what many of us already know, that creatine is effective in adding muscular strength, not just for “bodybuilders” but even for senior citizens. But what I found interesting was the dosage recommendation. The article recommended taking one gram of creatine per 20 pounds of bodyweight, half before a workout and half afterwards. It also said creatine is more effective if taken with 20-25 grams of protein.

I’ve been taking about four grams of creatine with my pre-workout drink, which also contains a scoop of protein powder, so I got the 20-25 grams of protein part. But this dosage would work out to about six grams total of creatine, three grams before and three after.

As I mention above and in my powerlifting book, I’ve found that if I take creatine either before or after a workout I don’t have a problem with bloating, but if I take it at other times I do. I used to take it after my workouts but more recently I’ve been taking it before. However, I never tried taking it both before and afterwards, but that might be worth a try, so I think I’ll try slightly reducing my pre-workout dose then add a second three gram dose with my post-workout dinner. I’ll see if that pattern helps any further.

December 13, 2009 Update

To update the above update, I tried splitting up my creatine dosage, taking half before and half after my workouts. But I didn’t feel that provided as much benefit as taking the full dose before my workouts. However, the slightly increased dosage did seem to help. As such, the dosage recommendation of one gram of creatine per 20 pounds of bodyweight seems about right.

April 2, 2014 Update

I had been taking creatine in one fashion or another ever since I first started powerlifting again back in 2003. And I continued to take it until the fall of 2011. With taking it the entire time I was in powerlifting training mode, I was never sure if it was doing any good or not. But as my health began fading, and I ceased to be able to work out at any kind of intensity, I stopped taking the creatine. I figured there just wasn't any reason for it. After I stopped taking it, my strength and bodyweight really began to drop. I just assumed that was due to the continuing fading of my health. But after a dramatic weight and strength loss last summer, and with continuing to lose even more weight and strength over the next few months, I figured it was worth a try to start taking creatine again.

As soon as I started to take the creatine, there was a noticeable difference in my strength levels. It was then that I was able to start to gradually increase the weights that I was using, rather than gradually dropping them as I had been having to do for the previous four years. This turnaround could easily lead me to proclaim that creatine does in fact work. And that is one possibility. But there is another, more complicated possibility.

The human body makes creatine, just as all animals do. That is why it is found in meat. But with supplementing creatine endogenously, it is possible that caused my body to stop making creatine, and with taking it for eight years, maybe my body lost the ability to make it. As a result, when I stopped taking it, my body wasn't able to start to manufacture it again, and I was left with no creatine for the ATP-CP cycle, which is how the body produces short bursts of energy for exercises like weight training. And with no creatine for that cycle, that is possibly why my strength loss became even more dramatic, but then I made a turnaround when I started taking creatine again.

In other words, maybe I would have been better off never having taken creatine in the first place. But there is no way for me to know for sure at this point. But as it is, I will continue to take it for the foreseeable future. As such, I'm not sure what I would recommend to the reader. If you're not currently using creatine, maybe it's best you don't start. That way, your body will never lose the ability to manufacture it, and you won't have to bother with the expense and trouble of taking it. If you feel you need creatine, eat meat. That would be the most natural way of attaining it. Or maybe wait until you've made significant progress in strength training, and then try it. If it causes you to make even greater progress, great, keep taking it, but "cycle" it, meaning, take it for a few weeks then stop it for a few weeks. That might keep your body from losing the ability to create it. If it initially doesn't help at all, then stop it altogether before your body loses the ability to create it.

November 11, 2014 Update

As indicated above, it was when I started taking creatine again that my training began to turn around. I have continued to take it at the six gram dosage, or 1g/ 20 pounds of bodyweight. And my training has been going very well. Even with using much heavier weights for lower reps, I am still getting through my workouts at a good pace, with not needing excessively long rests between sets. And I have not experienced any side-effects from it. In addition, I recently had a blood test done with my yearly physical. Among other things, it checked my creatinine levels. This is a by-product of creatine digestion. At one time when I was supplementing with creatine, it was high. But now it is just fine, being 0.8 on a range of 0.7-1.5, so the indicted dosage seem just right. (For more on this blood test, see the update at the end of Diet Evaluation - June 16 to July 15, 2014).

All of this means that for me creatine has been a God-send: effective, inexpensive, and without side effects. It's rare when you can find a supplement you can say all of that about it. As such, I am giving creatine five stars, as it is a necessary supplement for me to take if I want to make progress in my strength training. But the the reader will have to decide for yourself if you think it will be beneficial for you as well.

June 14, 2017 Update

I have continued to take creatine in the above indicated fashion and dosage, namely six grams in my pre-workout snack. And my powerlifting training has been progressing well. Despite being in my mid-50s, I have made slow but steady progress in all three powerlifts, both in training and in competition. But of course, I have no way of knowing if creatine has anything to do with this continued progress. But given that creatine is a safe and inexpensive supplement, I see no reason to stop it. "If it's not broken, don't fix it."

The above article was posted on this site May 7, 2004.
The Updates were added as indicated.

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