Beginner Takes CREATINE for 30 Days (RESULTS & SIDE EFFECTS)
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Published 2023-07-30
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So when you first start taking creatine, it won’t work right away. You actually won’t experience any benefit until you reach what’s known as full saturation. This is the point when your muscles creatine stores are completely full.
Typically, if you take one 5 gram scoop of creatine a day, this you can reach full saturation in about 3 weeks. But you can experience the benefits faster, in as little as a week, if you use what’s known as a loading protocol. This involves taking 20 grams of creatine every day for a week. However, for some individuals, ingesting this much creatine at once can cause stomach discomfort.
To soothe Raza’s stomach pains, we spaced out his servings throughout the day and also fully dissolved each dose with water instead of dry scooping it. We also made sure he stopped taking it with his pre-workout or any caffeine.There is not only some evidence suggesting that taking caffeine with creatine may make it less effective, but it also seems to greatly increase the odds of stomach discomfort. Making these fixes seemed to do the trick.
Alright so after the 7 days of loading, by now the creatine should be fully saturated in your muscles and is when it’ll start working. This is when you should scale back your dose to just 5 grams per day to simply maintain your elevated creatine stores. However, not everyone responds to creatine. In fact, it’s estimated that about 20-30% of people are non-responders. So once you do reach full saturation, there’s a few benefits and side effects you’ll want to look out for to tell if it’s working.
So when creatine is initially taken into a muscle cell, it also draws water into that cell and often causes a slight spike in your bodyweight as a result. On average research seems to show around a 1-3 lb increase in bodyweight before it stabilizes. Although this may sound like a bad thing especially if you’re on a diet, this water retention can make your muscles look and feel a lot fuller and is a sign that the supplement is working.
Throughout the challenge Raza was also concerned about creatine and hair loss. Why is hair loss a popular concern when it comes to creatine? Well this goes back to a study published back in 2010. Researchers took 20 rugby players and split them into a placebo group or a creatine group where they followed the loading phase for 7 days and then dropped down to maintenance afterwards. Throughout this period, researchers measured what’s known as DHT, a hormone known to contribute to male pattern baldness and hair loss in those who are genetically predisposed to it. So what happened? Well, the creatine group actually experienced a significant increase in their DHT levels by about 56% after the loading phase, which then reduced down to a 40% increase during the maintenance phase.
What does this mean?
Well first of all, the creatine group had lower than average DHT levels to begin with, and the increase they experienced was still within normal levels. Also, no other study has yet to replicate the results.
So I honestly think it’s not a concern, but we will keep an eye on Raza’s head of hair and see if we notice any difference.
But if you’re a responder to creatine, you should notice a slight strength boost across most of your exercises. In fact, a meta-analysis reviewing 22 creatine studies found that on average, trained lifters can expect roughly an 8% boost in strength and 14% boost in number of reps performed. Less experienced lifters like Raza however seem to reap larger benefits, with one study showing an average strength increase of 30% in untrained individuals.
Now Raza’s been able to increase almost all his exercises by 5 lbs or so as well as do a couple more reps, which seems to align with the research.
But in addition to the strength benefits, one study surveying 52 NCAA athletes found that 81% of them reported faster recovery from their training after taking creatine.
95% of supplements are junk. But creatine is an exception. It’s natural, safe and as you saw with Raza, can make a noticeable difference if you’re a responder to it. But, just always keep in mind proper nutrition and hard training will do A LOT more than taking any supplement will.
All Comments (21)
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The biggest effect I noticed was that I could recover from leg day better. I went from being almost unable to use the stairs in my house to just being very sore.
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I’m 50 and just started taking Creatine after not taking in the last 15 years. In 5 weeks my bench press went from 130 to 155 so yes, pretty impressed.
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For me the biggest benefit I noticed about creatine is how fast I recover and also how I get less fatigued while working out, also the pump is a little better but that's most likely because of the water weight. Like you see in the video creatine is not for everyone so make sure you pay attention to how your body responds.
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>"my stomach hurts because of creatine" >Proceeds to stuffing himself with greasy pizza, soda and ice cream
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Jeremy creates another addict, another lost soul. God save him.
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I'm surprised how many pull-ups he can do with that build. Man is strong.
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I’m 46 and been training on and off the last 30 years. I didn’t do the load up but just took 3g daily and after 3 weeks I’m seeing improvement. I look more cut and definitely have more energy. Also haven’t experienced any stomach problems.
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The skit near the end made me laugh so hard! Great job Jeremy thank you for explaining the adverse effects and how to properly saturate your muscles. Been a subscriber for a while man you look fantastic!
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Wo this is a very useful topic for all the beginners take creatine for 30 days and keep it up and keep up the wonderful work as always and take care Keep smiling always
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1:40 why didn't he just shit at the restaurant?
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I took 3g of creatine for 1 WEEK and i took a wet dump 3 times a day for 1 week, but after 8th - 9th day, my stomach bowel went to normal and I gained energy lifting
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Convey our gratitude to Raza for participating in this program & wish him a happy married life ahead 👍
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He looks at least 30.
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It also helps the mind. I feel more up & up when I am going to do cardio. Better mood most of the time💪
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I loved this video! Keep Them coming
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Thank you this is super helpful as a beginner who doesn't know much about creatine and how to start it or its benefits
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How can we compare the results if your friend did the exact same workout/nutrition without the creatine for 30 days?
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To avoid side effects I began taking Creatine Monohydrate several weeks back at a 1g/day dose. I saw the gains that told me it was working. It seems that even a small dose can have a big impact. I definitely feel like I have experienced the same shoulder widening too. After 3 weeks I did not notice any negative side effects so I increased to 2g/day. I've not noticed any significant improvement after the dosage change so far but I'm going to continue taking it and paying attention to my body.
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Jeremy= mind reader... I was just searching about creatine and he answered all my questions
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I’ve been taking creatine for a few days and already I’ve noticed my recovery is much better, almost to the point where I’m wondering if I’m still working out as hard as usual. I’m excited to keep using it.
