Strength / Weight Training

I really struggle with squats, not just from a strength perspective but I’m also knackered after a set. Really breathless.

Goals (at 70 bw):

• Generally be injury-free
  
• OHP: 1 plate, then 1x bw
  
• Bench: 2 plates, then 1.5x bw
  
• Deadlift: 200, then 3x bw
  
• Squat: 150*, then 2.5x bw
  
  

*I have done 150 as a sort of hybrid squat to parallel, but would prefer to nail it with full depth, high bar, weightlifting form.

And to continue feeling more robust and mobile now I’m a 50something.

Strong numbers there!

Do those who take creatine here have regular down time? 5g daily for say 6 months then a couple of months off?

I've never heard of someone cycling off creatine, unless maybe for minor water weight reductions if needed? But for strength sports I imagine the benefits out weigh the water weight.

Is there a particular reason you're thinking of cycling off of it?

A friend had mentioned the potential to cause kidney damage but a quick google seemed to show I was taking a relatively low amount. Just got me thinking that I take this stuff without really questioning the cons. Also I read something about possibly affecting your body’s ability to naturally produce creatine.

there is literature to suggest that creatine may also be beneficial to brain health (e.g., cognitive processing, brain function, and recovery from trauma).

One thing I noticed about creatine was increased cramping after exercising - might just be me but i'm sure it's a thing, not sure how that works though...

I managed to get PBs on my bench (85Kg 3x5) and squats (120kg 3x5) in the last week before Christmas, was well chuffed & actually looking forward to getting back into the gym after the break...

...that was until our wee one systematically took everyone out with some mystery bastard-flu she acquired from school in the last week of term, testing neg for covid but fuck me it feels like it - I came into work today to start a few things early - this involved cycling 3 miles & i've honestly felt fresher after a ton!

One step forward...

What creatine to people use and how often?

I was scared off creatine after reading anecdotal reports about hair loss on Reddit

I use plain generic creatine and mix it with post workout protein.
As far as I know most creatine in North America comes from one producer so it’s all the same.

Regarding cycling on and off- when it became popular in the early 1990s the thinking was four to six weeks on and a week or two off. Current dogma is 5g daily.

On that note is there any offers for whey anywhere at the moment? I've normally got a 2.5kg bag of chocolate brownie from MyProtein but the 'sale' isn't particularly cheap.

Anyway, back in this week after a rather sedentary period and thus a little deload. Still suffering with a sore hip on my right side that I'm looking to address, but now also in the habit of daily stretching every morning regardless of whether I'm in the gym or not; nothing particularly expansive but hopefully helps with what I reckon are some poor mobility issues

I use this creatine. One scoop per day. Don’t have any time of it.

1 Attachment

Cheers. The only time I've used it was for my cycling tour and it was combined in one of those glucose electrilight powders.

I buy Optimum micronized creatine, this is the larger better value tub compared to other sellers

5g daily with a double protein scoop which includes an RDA of BCAA's. YMMV. GL.

Hmmm, I'll take a dive down that scary rabbit hole later. I stopped taking it twenty years ago after noticing it made me really angry, like 'roid rage levels. Luckily, I'm a middle age zen master now.

Sweet. Done. Thanks for that!

No worries. Other than hair loss, kidney failure etc

That creatine is pretty expensive (as is most of the Optimum-branded stuff). The cheapest creatine (micronised or not) I have found is Muscleform micronised creatine. It's 19.95 for 500g, but you can save a lot if you buy in bulk: 20% off if spending £60 and 30% off if spending £80 (this discount appears to be available all the time).

Bulk has a January sale on: £74.99 for 5kg of whey protein. It is only slightly cheaper than MyProtein, but the prices for both are the lowest I have seen them in a very long time.. (Whey protein prices have risen significantly over the last couple of years, though not as much as creatine!)

That creatine is pretty expensive

It's a few quid more but not wildly expensive compared to what gets spent monthly on protein, BCAA's and collagen supplements! Storage of all this crap is a continual fight for cupboard space versus my wife's addiction to biscuits.

Mono is the only one to use. Or micro if you don't get on with mono.

Mono from MyProtein is about £12/250g

Also they have a 70% off sale but not certain if that applies to the creatine

Mono is the only one to use...

Anecdotally or trufax? One thing I know is the last swig of shake doesn't taste like my kid put sand in it.

On the protein front I've had a couple of random bags of the sci-mx(?) stuff from home bargains recently which mixed up well & the chocolate flavour was pretty decent, ~£14 / 900g and it's 78g protein per 100g