I take about 3g of CEE daily post workout. As I approach my NCAA outdoor season, I am wondering if I should stop taking CEE in order to lose any unncessary water weight and reduce the chance of possible injury.
My understanding of the way CEE is absorbed leads me to believe that its uses causes very little excess water weight and muscle cramping, so would stopping consumption just be a stupid idea?
I would either reduce the dosage (take maybe 1g) or stop using it during the season.
I took a generic bulk brand of CEE this summer and my legs would cramp up 80% of the time I ran. Took me about 2 months to figure out it was the CEE.
Also note that there are no studies on CEE or Kre-Alkalyn…so all its wonderful effects are unproven. That is suprising to me. I would think by now there would be a few studies on the stuff.
I took a generic bulk brand of CEE this summer and my legs would cramp up 80% of the time I ran. Took me about 2 months to figure out it was the CEE.
I also take a generic brand. Do you think that it could be a quality issue?
In the meantime I’ll just stop my intake and see what develops.
Since I tend to stick to what i know works would you like to fill me in on how CEE are better than creatine? Do you see better results compared to standard creatine?
CEE, or creatine-ethyl-ester, supposedly has advantages over creatine monohydrate (standard creatine) because as an ester it is able to permiate mucus cell membranes faster and more efficiently than standard monohydrate.
Because of this, a significantly smaller dose is required (1g-5g/day), and the effects of muscle bloating, gastro-intestinal problems, and cramping are lessened.
Like mortac8 said, further studies are still need though.
Thanks for the explanation but i only use 3g or normal creatine so I am going to need even less of this!
ive used CEE and I have loved it. I only use BSN’s product, but thats only because I can get it at $30 from a personal vender of mine instead of the standard 40-50 bucks stores sell. the BSN version has awesome taste and I have gotten no cramping from it.
but word over at t-nation is creatine is creatine no matter what form you take it in. David Barr says all of these new “designer” creatines are no better then standard monohydrate.
This sounds about right to me. The bodybuilding industry likes to have “NEW” stuff so that people think they are on the cutting edge when they buy the stuff. Who cares how fast creatine absorbs. Why? The reasoning is that the body has a creatine threshold and once its max has been achieved, there is no more increasing it. It would be like filling a car’s gas tank with fuel, and then once it is full, trying to fill it some more. So what if it takes you 10 minutes to fill your tank, or 2 minutes. The tank still gets full, and then you drive away. 3g of creatine monohydrate over a 28 day period will fill your tank. Taking carbs with the monohydtrate will help it get to the cells faster. Taking more creatine (LOADING), will help it reach the threshold max sooner (after a week or so), but this should only matter for first time users of creatine, and not for anyone who uses it regularly (which should be at low dosages 2-3g per day).
Keep in mind as well that the latest fads all seem to deal with absorption or release time. This includes proteins, creatines and energy drinks. Don’t believe the hype!