Taking baking soda is on the banned practices list isn’t it? Why would you need that for a sprint?
Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) may potentially neutralize the lactic acid that builds up during strenuous exertion and causes muscle fatigue.
I have a few references purporting benifit of use but not at hand. Will post as I find them.
btw, illegal supplement - are you sure?
I don’t think baking soda is banned (correct me if it is) but you would only really benefit from it if you compete at 400m or greater, or are maybe a poorly conditioned 200m runner.
If you know creatine definately decreases your 100m time consider the following:
Fully loading your muscles with creatine, may in theory, increase injury risk which could be due to greater intramuscular pressure. This has not been proven although some athletes have felt injury has been related to their creatine supplementation, and possibly due to a higher occurrence of injury whilst on the substance. Typical loading phases for creatine would be 20g/day for 5/6 days or 10g/day for 10 days and then maintain on 5g/day.
To lower the risk of injury, take 3-5 g/day for a few days before racing and then maintain on 1-2 g/day, and possibly take a week off now and then to ensure the muscles don’t become too full of creatine.
Take creatine at times when you have an insulin response e.g with an energy drink or after a meal. At any time, but especially after a meal, it may be best to use magnesium chelated creatine to reduce the conversion of creatine to creatinine. Baking soda also helps prevents this conversion. Chris, is this what you meant when you stated taking 2g baking s. with your creatine? Taken pre, during or after training helps muscle uptake.
I don’t know for sure but I think that “altering the PH” is the issue, which might iterfere with testing. You should be ok with mild buffering like pedialite drink- but please check first if this is OK!
yes that is what I meant thank you 
I think I’ll take 5 grams a day for ten days prior to the meet and then taper off. I wont load up as much as they recommend.
I am thinking the protein supplementation plus the creatine should help quite a bit. I went on creatine in 96 for a while and my 200 repeats went from 24 seconds (4x200 repeats) down to high 22 low 23 seconds. It was very noticeable in terms of the volume of spec end and speedwork I could handle.
Anyone have any advice on the best brand/type of Creatine to buy?
thanks!
Chris
As for creatine causing positive drug tests, I guess anything is possible but read this article before you jump to any conclusions. http://www.drsquat.com/index.cfm?action=viewarticle&articleID=32
There’s no need to load creatine. That’s just a ploy used by the manufacturers to make you buy more often. Also, most studies have found 3g per day to be just as effective as 5g for athletes under 200lbs. After the first 2-3 weeks, you can maintain creatine’s effectiveness by taking just 3g 2-3 x per week. This approach helps you avoid the potential side effects of creatine mentioned previously.
Richard and Neospeed - Excellent concise posts.
Sodium Bicarbonate:
Word of caution - Just don’t over do the Baking Soda guys - Take it in v.small doses over a period of time rather than in one large dose - it can cause very fast running problems
[literally - to the bathroom - i.e. the runs!!]
But to (not) answer your question Chris - I don’t know which brands are best - only that the more reputable brands are most likely to be purer in terms of quality Creatine.
Great thanks for the information!
Baking Soda as a lactic neutraliser:
As Richard Hand says, only really of benefit to poorly conditioned 200m runners, or those running above this distance. In addition to no23’s point of causing the runs, it is also absolutely disgusting on the way down. Ever take a tumble in the surf and copped a mouthfull of seawater? - well mulitply that by about 100!! (IMHO it works though!)
Ok, so what about Magnesium Creatine ? Anyone who knows the difference between this form and Creatine Monohydrate?
Magnesium bound Creatine is simply creatine monohydrate bound to magnesium. This enhances the absorption of the creatine since in this form, stomach acid cannot convert the creatine to creatinine.
Can the Mag. Creatine therefore be mixed in water Richard unlike the others or is it just at point of absorbtion?
I’m not sure if Cr-Mg is more stable in water than Cr, but if you drink it straight after mixing it, the conversion can’t be worrying, and after all there is water in the stomach, intestine, blood and muscle anyway. Also, most studies have used plain Cr monohydrate with water, sometimes with simple carbs, and fruit juice has also been used, (on an empty stomach), and the amount of time taken to satuarate the muscles with the doses used seems reasonable, eg. 10g for 10 days, atleast seeing that Cr is now cheap.
Hi everyone!
I am a long jumper.My P.B. is 7,49 m (24-9). I have a big problem. I am a believer of using creatin, but I do not know if to stop using creatin or continue during in-season.I am in fear to pull a muscle or tear one. Sometimes I feel to be a littlebit stiff.Maybe it is because of creatin, I do not know.
I take about 3 g of powder every day after training session.
Please could somebody help me ?
Its got to be the Creatine?
An athlete I coached did not break 22.70 electric indoors. (First season back in five years) For a week this athlete loaded up on creatine. He had not used creatine before then ever in his life. A week later he ran 22.32 ? Should creatine be used like a stimilant just for big meets?
Which brings up a good point. Do we even need creatine for the build up phase or just when we hit heavy weights or big meets? Or maybe just to peak. I would just like to get some thought going on this subject. Nothin is set in stone as far as my opinions on creatine.
Don’t think creatine is going to make you work faster…it is not jet fuel. Even the comparison of more fuel in the tank is missleading. I like to think of it as the extra tank you see on the back of military jeeps…their when you need it for extra work.
it probably had the placebo effect on him…
it seems like 22.70 was a mental barrier for him.
Richard or Wullie - what brands of creatine available in the UK would you recomend ?
Gloopzilla,
I have not used creatine for a while, but, the ones I have used were:
Twinlab
EAS
Lee Labrada
Stick with the big companies and you will be fine.
DO NOT BUY Serum Creatine (I cannot remember who make it), but, they sell it in liquid form.
My brother likes Twinlab’s, and uses it regularly.