is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

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doodies
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is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by doodies »

i have body fat of 30% ..
lately i started to work out and i go to the gym regulary more than 4 times a week. its been like 4 months since i started. i could feel muscles getting bigger but it does really show clearly because of the fat,
I was told that taking 5 gm of creatine before working out, will help me getting more energetic during the training and will make me sweat more and improve the results.
do you think i should go for it??
or might it harm me due to fat?
thanks
George.
-edit- I weigh 110 KG.
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Boss Man
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by Boss Man »

It will convert some of the ATP energy in the muscles into ADP, which basically means a Phosphate molecule gets removed and used.

However it can cause water retention and as for sweating more, that's not the idea of Creatine, it's not supposed to make you sweat more, unless you behave in a more energetic way, or exercise at a certain intensity for longer. Anything that causes excessive sweating or seriously excessive sweating, (Hyperhydrosis), is not necessarily a good thing, as it could cause a higher risk of Cramps from the loss of the Salt, plus you might possibly get an electrolyte imbalance.

It shouldn't be likely to harm you, unless you drank poor amounts of water with it, or overdosed on it, or drank Alacohol whilst on it. Alcohol dehydrates, so it would affect the water retention, that many Creatines give you.

The only other problems might be if you had an existing, or undiagnosed Kidney issue / anomelie, as Creatine could cause such things to worsen perhaps.

Frankly in your case I'd forget it. I don't think you'll benefit much, unless you'd been lifting for a good 18 months or so, and gotten around 15-20lbs at least, on top of an average slim build kind of body. In your case probably okay around 170lbs+ with 20% fat or less. That's a ball park figure I've always stated for lean mass, just because I think anything less than that muscle wise, would just create a situation where results became poor.

Certainly you're nothing like that sort of size, so as I say, forget it. You need to focus on building and constructing more size and making sure the diet is adequate, to support and sustain the body and it's emerging needs.
doodies
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by doodies »

Thanks man for the information, too bad I already stuck with trainer to get me 300 gm. So I think I'm gonna give it a shoot and since you said it is not likely to harm me if I drink adequate water, then it should be OK to try it out.
Thanks again
Best regards.
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Boss Man
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by Boss Man »

No offense meant, but why ask if Creatine is a problem, when you've already got it? Wouldn't it be easier to actually ask before you buy it. If I'd actually said something bad, you'd be stuck with something you couldn't use, or might cause you bad problems. Luckily I didn't say it's a really bad thing for you or anyone.

Just saying. For future reference, never buy stuff then ask about it, ask before you buy, it's a smarter choice :).
doodies
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by doodies »

You are absolutely right, although I have looked up some posts in here about creatine and I got a clue. But I was asking the question trying to get an answer based on an experience from someone with the same body condition as mine. I knew it is safe, but I was not sure if it suits men with high body fat.
Thanks dude :shock:
doodies
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by doodies »

since we are on the same topic, trainer told me to cycle it one month on, one month off, although in your guide, this kind of cycling is not mentioned.. is it OK? what is the actual mechanism of cycling creatine?

another point is he told me to take the 5 gm before the work out, although on the label it says post work out.. what should I go for..?
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by Boss Man »

Yes it's okay. The smallest Creatine cycles are usually 3 weeks on 1 off, or 2-3 months on, 1 off, but 1 on 1 off, is fine. Not sure how it will pan out for you though.

Take it afterwards. Personally some split it approximately 50/50 pre and post-workout, but a commonly accepted norm is afterwards.

Some say before might be better before, because of the Phosphate Cleavage, being good for energy use, as it can be used during workouts, but if you're adequately Carbed within 60-120 minutes pre-workout, you don't really need it. The Phosphate cleavage after workouts is still good, for promoting energy regain and reducing any feelings of tiredness and lethargy.

Plus that way if the Creatine is doing something for muscles, you're not breaking down the muscle fibres whilst it's happening. You can then add simple Sugars in the drink to.

A: stimulate an Insulin spike to assist the Amino Acid use.

B; promote Bloodsugar recovery, but not muscle Glycogen recovery, that is possible with Complex Carbs not simple.

So yes it can be used before workouts, but most only half dose it when they do, and half afterwards, or stick with the common 5g post-workout option.
doodies
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by doodies »

OK afterwords it is ..
thanks man.
Elliptical206
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by Elliptical206 »

Doodies,

how is this working out for you so far. There have been mixed opinions on creatine use for people that are overweight. advice to you is that if you are insistent on using the supplement that you should have a workout designed for weight loss and not muscle gain. By doing high repetitions and incorporated a lot of interval cardio you should have the best shot. Here is what happened when the same question was asked on yahoo questions:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?zoom ankle=20100505170518AAEpNCH
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Boss Man
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by Boss Man »

Hi there :).

Not trying to sound rude, but why high reps? interval Cardio yes :), as it should be less adaptive for the body compared to steady state, so the effects shouldn't taper off over time.

Hep rep stuff won't work too well. The person could still work in an 8-10 rep range, because if they go high rep, the weight used will either be too light, causing a pretty pointless effect, or practically to the max, just causing a Lactic Acid burn sensation and high rep stuff isn't necessarily a worthwhile thing and could make workouts take much longer, possibly leading in time to overtraining and mild associated side effects like reduced immune system, sleep issues, lethargy etc.

As muscle burns 45-50 calories for every additional lb, then going to around 80%-90% max weight for 8-10 reps, after an initial 4-6 week adjustment period to weights, will be beneficial I feel and as long as the person doesn't eat 3,000+ calories a day, with a fairly chunky Protein intake per day, they should get a desirable amount of caloric intake, to stimulate sensible weekly fat loss amounts, (1-4lbs, weight dictating somewhat), but not a lot of muscle gain, if the individual doesn't want to end up looking too athletic, or bulky.

So I agree in part with what you said, but respectfully not in whole :).

I really do appreciate your attempts to help people and I hope you will stick around, because you seem like a superb person and your personality type is always very welcome here :).

Best wishes to you and welcome.
Elliptical206
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by Elliptical206 »

Boss Man,

When I say high reps I should have been more specific. I was thinking more along the lines of 10-12 reps, which is closer to what you were talking about. Sorry for the confusion. :lol:
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by Boss Man »

No need to apologise. We're all human after all :).
Zhaga
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Re: is creatine good for fat people who r working out?

Post by Zhaga »

I think you shouldn't use it, your kidneys are already under stress from the fat . You are not getting fat from healthy stuff ..So fat+creatine is bad.. :( :(
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