Creatine Bulk

Monkey · 11-Apr-05, 07:20 PM

anyone here seem like they tried creatine, workout out, gained muscle, but the muscle seems to come more in bulk?

i mean i have been using creatine for a while now and i noticed that my muscles are not as "ripped" as they used to be. I think i am gaining muscle, but more in bulk instead of lean and toned muscle...

Cort · 11-Apr-05, 07:28 PM

Muscle = muscle. There is no "lean" muscle, or "bulky" muscle. There's just muscle and the different fiber types.

Tone = low bodyfat

If you are feeling "bulky" then it may either be due to bloating, or your muscle may be laced with fat.

**Todd** · 11-Apr-05, 07:31 PM

Creatine primarily draws water into the muscle cells, and this in turn may give your muscles a more "full" look, because it cell volumizes your muscles. Because there is now more water in your muscles, this may make you take on a smoother, but more full look. But you also might want to check your body fat levels to see if you've increased them over the past little while. If so, then of course you'll look smoother. Are you staying fully hydrated? If not, you may want to drink more water to rid unwanted water retention, which can easily obscure muscle definition! Just some things to think about.

Monkey · 11-Apr-05, 09:11 PM

so if i were to exercise the slow-twitch muscles instead of the fast-twitch muscles by doing high reps and and sets, would i be more "toned" you can say?

and if i workout the fast twitch by doing more weight and less reps, would i appear more bulky?

DudeXCH · 11-Apr-05, 11:13 PM

Nope.

Looking "ripped" or "toned" is a matter of lowering body fat.

Monkey · 12-Apr-05, 05:13 PM

oh believe me my bodyfat % is low enough (about 10%), but i am noticing that my bicep, for exaomple, is not as "ripped"... I mean you know how when you flex and you see the bicep pop out, and there is a line pretty much right under the bicep, dividing it from the rest of the arm.

well i cant see this anymore while i'm on creatine

do you think that my muscle tone will slowly increase when i completely remove creatine supplementation from my diet?

Cort · 12-Apr-05, 05:41 PM

Then your bodyfat isn't as low as you think it is. If the defenition ain't showing something is covering it up, and it isn't more muscle.

When you start getting down into the 6-14 bf% range, small differences can mean a lot when it comes to appearance. Even dropping or gaining 2-3% can make a relatively large difference in appearance...and most bodyfat tests can easily be off by at least 1-3% if not more.

It probably wont increase much, but there is still the possibility that you are bloated, in which case you may want to just consume more water.

Monkey · 12-Apr-05, 07:31 PM

ok with the creatine i drink about 1 liter of water, is it ok to drink that much within 30 min?

i mean i put the creatine in one of them mixing bottles and pour around 1 liter of water iwith it.

then i just simply shake it and drink the mix within 30 min, with my meal, about 45 min after i work out.

would this be alright to do, or is it too much water?

i also seem to go to the bathroom an awful lot after i drink it, so is the creatine going down the toilet with all the water i urinate?

**Todd** · 13-Apr-05, 04:43 PM

Water is a good thing to drink with creatine or after having ingested your creatine. The more water the better. There basically is no such thing as "too much" water...unless you are drinking like 4+ gallons per day. Anyways, the point is, yes, take water with your creatine....and peeing lots is normal after drinking so much water....I pee all the time to, it's all part of the fun!

Monkey · 13-Apr-05, 06:52 PM

and the creatine wont wash up if i ingest it with so much water?

**Todd** · 14-Apr-05, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monkey

and the creatine wont wash up if i ingest it with so much water?

Wash up? What do you mean wash up? Unless you for some reason puke your guts out, taking water with creatine is perfectly fine, and actually encouraged. So drink up. I'm not sure where some people are hearing that lots of water is a bad thing.....because it never is. The more hydrated your body (and muscles) are, the better. Taking creatine promotes taking in even more water right after your consumption of it. Water is your friend, so stop worrying about it.

Monkey · 14-Apr-05, 08:56 PM

oh ok thanx....what i was worrying about was that the creatine that i take would go down the drain with all the water, because you go to the bathroom so much after you drink water.

i didnt want the creatine to get rushed through my intestines and down the toilet, as it would happen if when someone drinks a lot of water in a short amount of time