Hello to y'all

Its not often i post a question, but i got one for ya now. :D

1) At the moment im consuming 6.2 grams of Dextrose and maltdextrose in the form of a tablet post workout. Is this enough to be benificial ? (Aiming for insulin spike to increase mass and to replenish lost nutrients, speed digestion etc). If not, how much should i consume ?

2) Ive started taking creatine, but at the moment im taking it in the morning. Ive read PWO would be better. Is it really that much better, as if not, i would prefer to take it in the morning. Im taking it with warm cranberry juice, is that correct ?

Thanking u in advance people. :tu:

Ive started taking creatine, but at the moment im taking it in the morning. Ive read PWO would be better. Is it really that much better, as if not, i would prefer to take it in the morning. Im taking it with warm cranberry juice, is that correct ?

I used to take my creatine first thing in the morning before my am workout. When I went to evening workouts, I started taking it after my workout (within 1/2 hour of finishing). It gave me good results either way.

Cranberry juice is fine; anything with some sort of sugar in it is what you need. I've never heard that it has to be warm, though. I just mix mine as soon as I get home. I use Gatorade powder, 200 mg's of CLA, and two tablespoons of creatine monohydrate. I wait another 30~90 minutes and then I usually have a meal and drink plenty of water the rest of the night.

Can't really answer the glucose question for you specifically, since I'm not sure what your dietary concerns are. Though, I'd say you're looking for more in the neighborhood of 45g of d-glucose immediatly after w/o.
I simplified my PWO as much as possible, and just switched to using Biotests SURGE.
As far as the creatine goes, I take 5g about 30-45mins before w/o, then another 5g immediatly following.
I'll typically sip the SURGE over the next 20-30 minutes after. Then follow that about 1-2 hours later with a protein/carb meal, or again I've simplified that to 4-5 scoops of Beverly Mass Maker, since the correct carb/protein ratio is already there.
Hope this didn't make things more confusing

My dietary desires is to gain mass and strength.

46g of dextrose ??? Seriously ? I thought 2 lucozade tablets was a lot.

Bluestreak - So i can take it morning or evening with little difference ? I read somewhere that taking creatine with warm liquid is better, same as taking paracetamol with a hot drink. Gets it in ur system better apparently.

Cheers for advice, i hope theres more to come !!! :)

That was actually a simple one. Just remembered the lable off of AST's DGC recommended usage. 4 Scoops = 46g

Biotest SURGE is actually a mixture of 25 grams of d-glucose and 25 grams of maltodextrin.

So I'd say that 45-50g is a fairly safe assupmtion.

I take creatine 30min or so before I workout and chase it with grape juice. I used to take it post workout as well, but it killed my stomach. Still made good gains with the 5g. Of course once I stopped the cycle, I lost like 6lbs in water weight,lol.

Jason

Bluestreak - So i can take it morning or evening with little difference ? I read somewhere that taking creatine with warm liquid is better, same as taking paracetamol with a hot drink. Gets it in ur system better apparently.

From my experience, you need to take it in close proximity to your workout. As I said, when I did morning workouts, I took it before - though creatine tends to upset my empty stomach. Now that I do evening workouts, I take it after. This scheme seems to work for me.

I'm off it for now - I'll be going back on creatine on July 12th. I've been on creatine for over a year but my experience is that you need to take a 3~4 week break from it every three months. The gentleman I buy my creatine from (a competition bodybuilder himself) suggests three months on, one month off, so that's what I've done with more than satisfactory results. You also need to drink 1.5+ gallons of water per day with it, as creatine's most noticeable effect seems to be muscle hydration. You'll also bloat a little... abs will seem less noticeable and some muscle definition will not necessarily fade, but become less prevalent because of water retention. Don't be alarmed, this is just how the supp works.

I'm not a big believer in supplements for the average guy. I see most supps as the "edge" a competitor could use to eek out a win at a contest, but for you or me... a supplement has to show me serious gains before I believe in it. When I started creatine, I was done with my initial transformation and looking for an edge to help increase musculature. It seems to have done the trick using the above scheme.

The mixture I described (2 tbsp's creatine, enough gatorade powder for a 6-oz. drink and 200-mg's of CLA) is a "poor man's" version of the more popular (and more expensive) Nitrotech brand that many people tout as being excellent. For 1/2 the price, I can get twice the supplement if I mix it myself. This may have also contributed to my success - though I can't pinpoint that for a fact, for the sake of completeness, I'll include that information here.

-R

Different creatines have different affects in regards to bloatiness. If you're getting bloated from whatever brand you're using, you may want to try something else. Not to get into all of the NEW TYPE creatines that have popped up on the market over the past year or so like SWOLE or V12, but there are brands just simply do not cause bloatiness. I'm using Beverlys Creatine Select, and while I did experience some "filling out" initially over the first 4 days of the loading phase, that went away as I switched to the maintenance phase.
http://beverlyinternational.com/products/creatineselect.html

I'm following this schedule with it:
Week 1 & 6 - 1 scoop per meal
Week 2 - 4 & 7 - 1 scoop with meal #1 or before training, and after training
Week 5 & 8 - 10 - OFF

If you're looking to pack on some muscle, you might want to check some of the articles on the Bev site. As well as having one of the best product lines available, they will actually take the time to tell you exactly how to use their products to achieve the maximum benefit.
Oh....they'll also diet you if you're using their line....FREE.
I wouldn't order anything right off of their site though, since those are all suggested prices.
Just my two cents... :d_smile:

Cheers for the adivce guys.

So i should switch to having the creatine post work out then.

That would make my PWO look like this

Finish workout and have protien and complex carbs shake and 2 glucose tablets. Then drive home (About 15mins) and take creatine w/warm cranberry juice. Have shower and get dressed etc (about another 15mins) then have evening meal. So about 40mins in between evening meal and PWO shake, with creatine somewhere in the middle.

What do u think ?

Finish workout and have protien and complex carbs shake and 2 glucose tablets. Then drive home (About 15mins) and take creatine w/warm cranberry juice. Have shower and get dressed etc (about another 15mins) then have evening meal. So about 40mins in between evening meal and PWO shake, with creatine somewhere in the middle.

That's not too different from what I do now. I've been cutting successfully without sacrificing any lean mass thus far (or at the very least, I haven't gotten any weaker). Try it and keep us informed.

-R

Will do mate.

Check my journal for updates and progress (link in signature)

Thanks again for all your help. I love this place. :)

I take 90 grams of dextrose and 30 grams of protein immediately after my workout. I doubt 6 grams will do much...

Ok, ok.

Must find dextrose powder. :flex:

AST's DGC will do the trick for ya as well as anything. Though I'm not sure how well the idea of sugar will be accepted thru other members.
Also...I've never went shopping for dexrose myself, so I'm unaware of the costs for one verses the other.

www.myprotein.co.uk offers it for 5 pounds a kilo. I dont know what the quality is like but take a look since i know you are in the uk. Also another good sup site for uk is www.aviform.co.uk no dex there though!

Wicked link.

So if i bought maltdex and dex and mixed up a combo drink, that would be best. Man, thats a lot of cals for a PWO drink !!!

from which site?
Yes the best deal would be some dex and maltodex.
Why dont you make a super pwo drink of creatine dex maltodex and wpc80. Then it is sorted. Also you are bulking so you will be fine!

You are aware that you can make your own mixtures and add what flavouring and swetener you want(recommend sacharine)?

The myprotien one.

Was planning on having Creatine with the dex and maltdex.

Whats WPC 80 ? Sounds like a copper. ;)

whey protein concentrate at 80% protein!