Classic Creatine

Should I take this before or after my workouts?

You can take Classic Creatine before or after your workouts, whichever you prefer. For maximum results, take it right after eating a carbohydrate-containing meal or snack and with 10-12 oz of water.

If I stop working out, should I stop taking creatine?

If your goal in taking creatine is to make your muscles bigger and stronger, than you’ll need to perform resistance exercise (i.e. lift weights) regularly to achieve satisfying results. Conversely, if you intend on taking a break from lifting for an extended period of time -say, several weeks or months- then you might as well stop taking creatine. You can resume once you get back in the gym. In fact, taking Classic Creatine after a break from working out will help you recoup any losses in muscle size and performance faster.

Will I lose the gains I’ve made from taking creatine if I stop using it?

Yes. Taking BCAAs before and/or after cardio can help preserve lean muscle and enhance recovery. Keep in mind that if you’re looking to actually gain muscle, then you’ll need to be doing plenty of resistance exercise, i.e. lifting weights.

  If you stop supplementing with creatine, you will eventually lose the gains it produced. (How long this takes depends on numerous factors.) This is natural. It’s similar to if you were to stop eating. Eventually you would run out of (i.e. use up) the energy provided to your body by the food you ate. Eventually, therefore, you would have to resume eating.

Creatine is creatine, isn’t it? Is Classic Creatine really any better than other brands? I see that some brands are cheaper.

Creatine is creatine, but it can be taken in different forms. For instance, creatine monohydrate is the most scientifically proven form of creatine. Other forms of creatine, e.g. creatine ethyl ester, have been shown to not work as well and produce undesirable effects such as water weight gain.

 And then there’s the issue of purity. Classic Creatine is purity tested by a third party to make sure that it does not contain unacceptable levels of impurities such as creatinine or heavy metals.

 Finally -and this may be the most important aspect of all- especially when you’re buying something that you will be ingesting, you want to buy it from a brand that is not only third-party tested but also trusted by experts in the field. OSL has more physique legends, including Mr. Olympias, on its team than any other brand. These real-world experts know what works, and they’ve come to use and trust Classic Creatine and other OSL products to help them maintain and enhance their physiques time and time again. So Keep it Old School!

Should I cycle creatine?

Great question. Despite all the attention this subject gets, when it comes to creatine, there’s no anecdotal nor scientific proof that “cycling” (i.e. taking a periodic break from a supplement before resuming its use) offers any benefits, or has any downsides, for that matter. There’s also no evidence to date that there’s any harm in taking a maintenance dose (e.g. 3-5 g) of creatine every day without a break.

 Everyone’s body is different. Listen to yours. If, after taking creatine for a few months you feel like taking a break, go ahead and do so. When you feel like getting back on it, get back on it.

 As discussed above (question 2), remember that once you stop taking creatine, its level inside your muscles will gradually drop, causing you to lose the gains you made from it. No biggie. This just means when you get back on it, you’ll recoup those gains. If you train hard, you may blast right past them!

Any other tips that will help me get awesome results?

Here are three more things you should know about creatine to get maximum results:

First, it has been suggested that the maximum amount of creatine your muscles can absorb at once is roughly around 5 g. Your muscle cells contain tiny proteins, known as transporters, that pull creatine inside the cell. Once these become saturated with creatine, they need a few hours to process it before they can take on another 5 g dose. For this reason, we suggest allowing at least 4 hours between doses.

Second, creatine requires adequate water to produce maximum results. We advise drinking 10-12 oz with each 5 g dose.

 Finally, eating carbohydrate (“carbs”) enhances the uptake of creatine by your muscles. This is because it stimulates the release of insulin, which in turn stimulates the creatine transporters in your muscle cells. A simple way to take advantage of this is to take each dose of creatine right after eating a carbohydrate-containing meal or snack. Carbs that digest quickly work best. Examples include breakfast cereals (e.g. corn flakes), white rice and potatoes.