Hey I was wondering what you guys thought of Creatine with weightlifting.

I really can't seem to find any reviews on which brand to buy. I've heard that the best is Creatine Monohydrate and it has to be Creapure (German) -- which is the purest form. I would like to know if someone could recommend me a brand which I could buy. I don't want to get ripped off.

I don't mean to spam or anything but this is what I've found that assimilates to those specs.

Amazon.com: Ultimate Nutrition Platinum Series Creapure Micronized Creatine Monohydrate, 1000 g: Health & Personal Care

If you're trying to lose weight, I wouldn't reccomen it.
Creatine is meant to add a few pounds in the first few weeks of taking it through water weight(The good kind in this case) so it might screw up your scale readings.

EDIT: Having said that, anyone who has expirience might help :P

You shouldn't have a problem finding any reviews or studies. It is the most popular and researched supplement out there.

It ultimately draws water into the muscles which leads to strength increases for reasons such as more cross sectional area of the muscle. This is in the short term

Long term, it aids in helping you train more with a given load by replenishing your energy stores that are utilized during training, faster. Things like ADP and AMP.

Beware that some people fail to realize help or gains from use of this supplement for various reasons. Some people have naturally high levels of creatine already.

Negatives:

I wouldn't use the supp if there are any pre-existing signs of renal disease.

There is at least one study that shows decreased fat oxidation while supplementing with creatine. However, the parameters of this study were not enough to halt me from recommending the supplement.

The above response is right... it will make you gain weight. Mainly water weight, which is nothing to worry about. But if you are prone to being a "scale-watcher," this supplement will screw with your head.

I've used it before while dieting. When we diet, we are short on energy since we aren't eating as much food. This usually leads to a reduction in performance. However, with creatine supplementation, it helps keep performance high.

I would stick with Creatine Monohydrate, any brand.

Thanks for the info.

Is it true that if you stop weightlifting for a period of time your muscles will decrease much more if you were taking Creatine than if you weren't ?

I've heard others say that you shouldn't take any fat burners, but I was reading in the Training forum of Fitness.com and they suggest a fat burning product.

At Large Nutrition - Nitor - The Ultimate Fat Burner

This is the link, what do you think about that Steve?

Since some of the size you get from creatine is water, that could give you the impression that your muscles atrophy quicker. However, they don't. Not the muscles themselves.

I am not a fan of using thermogenics unless you are lean, trying to get leaner. Someone like me might use them.

But I don't, even then. I am very anti-supplement. No specific reason, just always been this way.

Do they have considerable side effects?