Creatine studies are pretty well formulated... creatine can be taken indefinately, 1 month on and 3 months off is POINTLESS because cells take around 4 weeks to reach saturation so if you take it for 4 weeks and then taking 3 months off you are stopping taking it just when it becomes effective, what part of this is not clear? I even posted the studies above. Incase you missed it the study is:
"Effects of Repeated Creatine Supplementation on Muscle, Plasma, and Urine Creatine Levels" from Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research:
February 2004
This isn't like training where there is large ammounts of debate and different views, it is well understood exactly how creatine works and what it does.
The ONLY consideration about taking creatine indefinitely is that it MAY stop our body naturally producing creatine over extended use (years, decades even, this is likely to not be the case because naturally most of the creatine we take in is external anyway from our food, but there have been no studies over multiple decades to prove this conclusively so it's still a consideration to make - there have been 10 year studies that have found no negative effects though). If you want to make any claims about creatine please post studies to the contrary of what I said. There are far too many myths about creatine for my liking..
I repeat, cycling creatine for 4 weeks is pointless, you mayaswell just not take it. Even if you load heavily it will still take a couple of weeks to reach saturation, so at best you're getting 2 weeks of creatine benefit and then taking 3 months off if you are on for 4 weeks off for 3 months... it just makes absoloutly no sense. If you want to cycle it thats up to you, but cycle it in a way that you'll actually get the benefit out of it (i.e 2-3 months on, 6 weeks-2 months off as washout is shown to take up to about 6 weeks).
"According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine (monohydrate) is the most effective ergogenic (performance-enhancing) nutritional supplement currently available to athletes for increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.[1] A variety of forms are available and are discussed in the complete summary, but they have not been shown to exert significant benefits over basic monohydrate supplementation.
Creatine's main action in the body is to store high-energy phosphate groups in the form of phosphocreatine. During periods of stress, phosphocreatine releases this energy to aid cellular function. This mechanism is what causes creatine to increase strength, but can benefit almost every body system, including the brain, bones, muscles, and liver. Most of the benefits of creatine occur through this energy mechanism.
Creatine is produced naturally in the body, and it is also found in foods (mostly meats, eggs, and fish; some in dairy).
Creatine has been shown to increase DHT (dihydrotestosterone) levels by 40% with a dosage of 5g per day. DHT is directly involved in hair loss in men, so long-term creatine usage could accelerate hair loss.
Creatine supplementation at normal dosages and with adequate hydration has been shown to have no harmful effects in any population tested (see its safety profile). The only observed side effects are stomach cramping if consumed with insufficient water, and diarrhea if too much is consumed at once. Controlled usage of creatine with adequate water may actually reduce cramping over the long term."
[1] Buford TW, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. (2007)
As for protein there have been numerous studies on very high consumption...please stop with the broscience here. Yes you can overdose, but it takes an amount that you simply cannot take 'accidentally', unless you have a pre-existing kidney condition. You can overdose on anything, hell you can overdose on water which is actually particularly nasty. 1g per lb of bodyweight is the general guideline in the lifting community and it seems to work well for most people.
I actually enjoyed debating with swissboy since there are often numerous views on nutrition issues and he actually provided science to back what he said.
"Effects of Repeated Creatine Supplementation on Muscle, Plasma, and Urine Creatine Levels" from Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research:
February 2004
This isn't like training where there is large ammounts of debate and different views, it is well understood exactly how creatine works and what it does.
The ONLY consideration about taking creatine indefinitely is that it MAY stop our body naturally producing creatine over extended use (years, decades even, this is likely to not be the case because naturally most of the creatine we take in is external anyway from our food, but there have been no studies over multiple decades to prove this conclusively so it's still a consideration to make - there have been 10 year studies that have found no negative effects though). If you want to make any claims about creatine please post studies to the contrary of what I said. There are far too many myths about creatine for my liking..
I repeat, cycling creatine for 4 weeks is pointless, you mayaswell just not take it. Even if you load heavily it will still take a couple of weeks to reach saturation, so at best you're getting 2 weeks of creatine benefit and then taking 3 months off if you are on for 4 weeks off for 3 months... it just makes absoloutly no sense. If you want to cycle it thats up to you, but cycle it in a way that you'll actually get the benefit out of it (i.e 2-3 months on, 6 weeks-2 months off as washout is shown to take up to about 6 weeks).
"According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine (monohydrate) is the most effective ergogenic (performance-enhancing) nutritional supplement currently available to athletes for increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.[1] A variety of forms are available and are discussed in the complete summary, but they have not been shown to exert significant benefits over basic monohydrate supplementation.
Creatine's main action in the body is to store high-energy phosphate groups in the form of phosphocreatine. During periods of stress, phosphocreatine releases this energy to aid cellular function. This mechanism is what causes creatine to increase strength, but can benefit almost every body system, including the brain, bones, muscles, and liver. Most of the benefits of creatine occur through this energy mechanism.
Creatine is produced naturally in the body, and it is also found in foods (mostly meats, eggs, and fish; some in dairy).
Creatine has been shown to increase DHT (dihydrotestosterone) levels by 40% with a dosage of 5g per day. DHT is directly involved in hair loss in men, so long-term creatine usage could accelerate hair loss.
Creatine supplementation at normal dosages and with adequate hydration has been shown to have no harmful effects in any population tested (see its safety profile). The only observed side effects are stomach cramping if consumed with insufficient water, and diarrhea if too much is consumed at once. Controlled usage of creatine with adequate water may actually reduce cramping over the long term."
[1] Buford TW, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. (2007)
As for protein there have been numerous studies on very high consumption...please stop with the broscience here. Yes you can overdose, but it takes an amount that you simply cannot take 'accidentally', unless you have a pre-existing kidney condition. You can overdose on anything, hell you can overdose on water which is actually particularly nasty. 1g per lb of bodyweight is the general guideline in the lifting community and it seems to work well for most people.
I actually enjoyed debating with swissboy since there are often numerous views on nutrition issues and he actually provided science to back what he said.