I'm not exactly sure if creatine is working or not, so i decided to cycle off it for 2 weeks and see if my lifts get worse and muscles get smaller. If it does, the creatine has been working and I just haven't realized. If my lifts continue to progress as normal, and i don't feel a change in energy then the creatine doesn't work for me.

How long exactly until creatine is completely cleared from the body?

I'd say a week or two, but it's a gradual thing..

yep, it usually leaves the body a little faster than it takes to build up, but not exponentially. I'd say after 2 weeks you should be close to 'baseline' normal levels.

Okay, doing this because I don't think my body reacts to creatine. I haven't gained the "water weight" I was supposed to gain in the first 2 weeks..the weight I did gain was from the calorie surplus. And I started taking creatine the same time I started working out so can't really know if its affecting my lifts. Might have just been the placebo affect...we'll i guess I'll see in a couple weeks.

The water weight isn't really considered a desired effect, I'd consider yourself lucky.

But if I dont gain the water weight, doesnt that mean the creatine isn't being absorbed?

nope........

hmm, how so? Your supposed to gain water weight because the creatine is being absorbed into your muscles and blood stream and you need extra water to keep it there

Phate89 - you are probably not at a training level where creatine is going to make a difference. Your nervous system is adapting so fast right now, that will completely overshadow any effects of creatine.

Creatine has a greater effect as you become more trained. The better you get, the more difference the little things make.

Also, as your inter and intra-muscular coordination increase you will actually be able to push yourself to the point where creatine would be useful.

Until then, benefits from creatine will most likely go unnoticed.

Ah, I see. So I should just save the money i spend on creatine and buy some whey protein eh?

But then why do I see so many people who aren't "trained" athletes taking creatine and they are seeing a big difference?

Studies have shown creatine increases IGF1 levels in most users, even without water weight lol.. IMO, even if you don't get those 1-2 extra reps it's worth it for that. Not to mention the vast amount of diseases it's said to lower your risk for.

yeah, water weight gain is a possible side effect, not a desired result that proves the creatine is working.

its actually a pretty small segment of people that won't respond to creatine monohydrate. but those people typically do see results/benefits from creatine ethyl ester.

who knows why...they didn't study that. its probably due to levels of some enzyme that converts it into ATP.
Some people are horribly inefficient at converting the fat in Flax Seed into EPA and DHA essential fatty acids. 'normal' people aren't very efficient to begin with...so for certian people there is no point in trying to use flax seed oil as a fatty acid supplement.

you can still cycle off it and if it seems like you can't workout as long, that you get a little more tired sooner, that's probably the only way you'll 'KNOW' the creatine was working.

mreik made some great points too.

Yea, I haven't taken it for several days now and I feel same as usual. Haven't noticed any big change in sessions, but that might come. So I think I'm part of the population that isn't affected by creatine, what makes you ethyl ester would work? How is it any different from mono?

It enters the cell at a higher rate. IMO creatine works for everyone, IF you push yourself hard enough to need it. If you're not using every availible phosphate in your muscle, the creatine won't do anything really.

IF you push yourself to the max, creatine will give you another inch to push. If you don't push to the max, the extra inch has gone un-noticed.

Well, each session I am at failure or pretty close to it. But I don't know, maybe your right and haven't hit that peak where creatine would do any good. Maybe I will find it useful in the future ( even though I think my body is immune to it)