My experiences using creatine mono-hydrate and creatine ethyl ester(x4)
This is a short video I made to talk about Creatine mono-hydrate and creatine ethyl ester (X4) and my experiences with both of them. Its sort of like a review.
Lots of guys wonder if they should use or not use creatine, and if it has side effects, and the answer is yes if you are looking for that extra edge then its the right supplement for you, also if you are looking for fast muscle gain and want to lift heavier. No supplement or medicine for that matter comes without its side effects, creatine may irritate your stomach and cause a bloated feeling and creatine mono-hydrate may make your muscles look puffy, because of all the water taken in by the muscles. In terms of pricing I found that creatine ethyl ester can cost as much as double the price of normal creatine mono-hydrate powder. The powder works well enough and I feel its not worth it coughing up double just so you get the pills which are claimed to get absorbed 4 times more than normal creatine. At the supplement store or pharmacy there are usually specials for the normal creatine such as getting 2 100g containers of creatine mono-hydrate for the price of one, I think this is much better than buying the X4 for a higher price because in my experience they both worked the same for me and I found the X4 tablets to be uncomfortably large.
Some Basics about Creatine Monohydrate And Creatine ethyl ester (x4):
- Creatine monohydrate is not easily absorbed by the body, which means if not taken the right way a lot of it can be wasted. The results differ for different individuals. To make creatine monohydrate be absorbed as much as possible into your muscles you need insulin, to get the insulin spike you need for optimum absorption you need to consume a high amount of simple sugars which is why creatine monohydrate is often recommended to be taken with juice. Creatine monohydrate can cause stomach irritation for some people and can cause that bloated feeling and that puffed up soft muscle look since its responsible for your muscles taking in more water. The other thing you have to realise when you are using creatine is that you will need to drink lots of water since creatine monohydrate makes you thirsty be because it pulls/sucks all the water towards it.
- Creatine ethyl ester (X4 tablets) are said to get rid of the need to consume creatine with simple sugars since the X4 tablets get absorbed on their own. Since the X4 tablets get absorbed on their own they are much easier to take, that also means not a lot of it is wasted since most of the creatine makes it into your blood stream and eventually to your muscles. Creatine X4 manufacturers claim that it is absorbed 4 times as much as normal creatine powder. The only things I dislike about creatine X4 tablets is that they are expensive compared to creatine monohydrate powder and that they are very large in size. Also as with any creatine product there is alot of dehydration so you need to drink a lot of water (more than the 8 cups usually recommended for normal non gym going people.)
- Both creatine monohydrate powder and ceatine X4 tablets boost energy levels and strength levels, they also increase the amount of water intake in muscles which leads to a faster recovery rate and increased muscle cell volume and increase muscle growth. Creatine products can be used to boost sports performance.
Also I had a chat with a guy who works for a supplement company on the forums of bodybuilding.com, he said that buying the creatine monohydrate powder was the best option, since you can have it with anything, water or just sprinkle it on your food, he said that you don’t need to have it with juice because the insulin spike that is supposed to cause is negligible. I am a guy who usually follows the instructions on the back of the supplement container, I guess the only way to find out if there is a difference in results is to try taking the creatine the way it is recommended and then try it with what-ever you are eating and drinking the next month and see if there is much of a difference in the results you get.
