Here’s one Chatgpt found for me on brain health/performance:
I started taking it and gained about 8 pounds. Also my sprints went from ~1200w or 1300w on very lucky days, but within a month or so of taking it I could hit ~1400-1500-- same training plan, no other changes, same RPE as before. I can hit >1400w every ride. I’ve been taking it for almost a year now, initially at 7.5g per day for 6 months or so but now at 5g per day.
I work in medicine often with teenagers, and more than once their parents ask me precisely about creatine, because they have heard the old myths about its bad effects on the health of at least the kidneys. So I have prepared a list of research on creatine, go ahead:
Creatine reduces depression:
Improves sleep:
Increases muscular and aerobic endurance:
Improves brain function and reduces post-traumatic brain damage:
Decreases myostatin that blocks muscle growth:
Supports longevity:
Increases strength, mass and recovery:
Excellent and yet it still only barely scratches the surface of all the proven benefits of Creatine
The existence of research being done is not being contested.
The conclusions drawn on this thread are.
From my research, the effect may depend on your methylation status. If you are an overmethylator, you probably already produce all the creatine you need. If you are a strong undermethylator like me, it will help a lot, and will save the methyl for other important functions. Since i started taking creatine a few months ago, among other things to support methylation, my recovery is so much better, my nearly daily migraines are gone, and short efforts are not crushing me for hours as they used to do.
The only thing really relevant (IMO) for most cyclists is
Will Creatine improve aerobic performance, hydration, cramping? (Unknown, no evidence)
Will creatine hurt in terms of cramping or weight gain? (Anecdotally, Yes for some people, no for others)
And in some cases, will it help short / anaerobic and sprint power (Yes, pretty definite it can along with strength training)
The studies you quoted do not address muscular and aerobic endurance improvement so your conclusion / label is wrong based on those citations. Maybe you meant to include others?
The pushup one - No Difference (read it). The other two specifically address anaerobic capacity not aerobic.
We got your point… A lot of studies
I’d echo your sentiments @kurt.braeckel. The studies we have looked into, and discussed on the podcast, are largely in agreement with this perspective too.
We discuss creatine for cyclists in the podcasts below:
Hope this helps!
Personal experience: tried a pre workout powder before a ride with some stronger riders (4 hours gravel ride), I felt like doped, I could not only maintain the speed of them but also challenge them. I was so surprised of the results that checked the ingredients of the pre workout and creatine was there along with alanine and caffeine. Now, when I know there is going to be a very challenge ride, I drink the mix. Thinking it was like steroids I googled about it and seems to be a very investigated chemical.
Btw, your are flexitarian (like Arnold and me), not 90% vegetarian
I don’t doubt you took something that made you feel stronger, but one dose of creatine before a ride wasn’t what caused it.
Same result on subsequent challenged rides, nothing else used that i have not used in the past. I saw my HR and it was high according to the efforts, but it was like the “suffering” switch in my mind was bypassed. It was the preJYM pre-workout i used that time, i consulted with a physicoculturist friend about the ingredients to make sure there is nothing bad like steroids, and he told me the most likely ingredient causing that effect was the creatine. Now i use a different creatine mix because the prejym is expensive, and on challenged efforts not using it i can feel i cannot complete the workout than when using it. Also, I noticed the effects faded on longer efforts, and if used very frequently i don’t see a difference, like i am already used to it, saturated, but after a couple of weeks not using it the effects is mor noticeable
The effects i described was basically with the prejym pw. After several rides later, remember i only used it on those hard rides, the effect was not felt like the first usages. And again, the effect is not an endurance effect since it faded after the first max 2 hours after drank it. My current mix is 5g of creatine, a pinch of ananine ( more causes itch), and a serving of xtend bcaa aminoacids. The effect is not that strong as the first time with the prejym but my feelings is that it helped me complete a hard workout.
Maybe that batch or bottle of prejym i used the first time, it had something else not on the normal formula, or the mix settled in a way some of the ingredients ratios were higher on the top, but i am still intrigued what happened. That strong doping effect i have not be able to replicate it again.
The way you’re describing it sounds more like a placebo effect than anything.
The current mix, probably… but if a placebo helps me complete hard workouts, thats a good placebo for me.
You can definitely feel doped on beta alanine and caffeine. I doubt though that it would make enough difference to allow you to hang with much stronger riders. Beta alanine will make you tingle!
There is no immediate effect with creatine. You aren’t going to feel it in a single workout. Creatine needs to be taken daily to build up in the tissues.
Likely placebo and caffeine. Beta Alanine (especially) and creatine take long term supplementation to make any kind of difference.
The only supps worth taking pre workout or event are caffeine and BeetIt Sport IMO. Measurable differences for me. Now if taking MegaManMax preworkout powder makes you feel like a stud and the placebo works, then have at it as long as it’s clean.
I’m a competitive endurance rider, who also does a few crits with my local club. My N=1 experiment for the past month has been a smoothie containing a beetroot, a green apple, knob of ginger and celery leaves and stalks. First 5 days I added 20g creatine (never used before) and then dropped to 5g daily. I usually drink 2/3 before a ride and 1/3 late afternoon (alternative to snacking) or an hour before racing on the two occasions I’ve raced.
Observations
I was guided by this research and will do a two week cycle of no creatine after about 12 weeks
Why will you cycle off creatine after 12 weeks? I’ve heard it’s safe to take 5 grams daily continuously.