# Protein vs Creatine or Both?



## Jamesjohn85 (Jul 11, 2015)

Like title says I'm trying get a little help with supplements before and after I ride. A lot of my body building buddies swear by just protein. As to others r going towards creatine to help more then the protein. I know u can get a lot protein from foods before and after a ride. I'm not the best eater there is. I have super high metabolism so I can eat anything in sight and never helps. What's Yall take on this subject? I went yesterday and bought powder for a protein and creatine mix before and after my rides. 

Thanks guys


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Protein is a great supplement. Yes, real food is definitely better but whey is super easy, usually tastes good so it's not a chore to consume, and very portable. It's also a complete protein source. So I usually have a shake post ride...even though I ride for fun as much as I do fitness...riding is also a workout so I treat it as such.

Creatine...now that one is different. Creatine works. No doubt. But does it do much to help a cyclist? That's the debate. Of course it can and will help build some muscle but it's debatable in how much benefit it has for a more endurance type of athlete. It's great for a strength athlete. My view...it's cheap and you really can't over do it and there's no bad side effects except for a small percentage of people that just can't stomach it. Other than the possibility of weight gain whether from muscle or water retention, creatine won't hurt your riding. Take 5 grams pre and 5 grams post ride and get what benefit you from it and go on.

One supplement that I really like is beta alanine. It might be worth researching a little.

Beta Alanine Improves Performance in Cyclists


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## dave54 (Jul 1, 2003)

Immediately post workout push carbs over protein, about a 3:1 ratio (some sources say 4:1, others 5:1. The exact amount is not as crucial as just getting carbs into your bloodstream fast). So do not let a post ride protein shake exclude the carbs. After a half hour or so you can push protein. Without getting into a lot of cellular biochemistry, you need carbs first.

Creatine MAY help the endurance workouts, as most endurance workouts involve at least short spurts of all out exertion (sprints, long steep hill climbs, etc). Creatine will help with those.


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## theMeat (Jan 5, 2010)

Good stuff guys
Proteins get used up quick. Most within a few hours. Whether you use it or not after a few hours it's no longer available as food fuel. Whey protein is best post workout because it's the fastest absorbed type protein. You have about a one hour window to get some carbs and protein into you post workout for it to be the most useful. The faster they get absorbed the better, which is why it's probably the only time simple carbs are good. Some whey protein powders are loaded with sugars and fats. Whether it's a whey isolate or whatever type can effect how fast it gets absorbed but doesn't matter that much, unless your lactose intolerant. Casein protein is the slowest to digest and absorb so best before bed. Cottage cheese is the best reel food source, and if you try a powder good luck, they all taste like crap

Creatine takes a while to be useful. You must take enough daily for a week or two for it to have any meaningful benefits. Many creatine powders are loaded with caffeine and sugars. Agree that it's best to get nutritional needs from real food, but when it comes to creatine you'd need to eat like 27 hamburgers a day for it to help so supliments is the only way to go.

Yeah, no need to be annal but it's a good idea to have a little heavy on carbs to protein ratio pre workout (around 5:1), and and a little heavy protein (around 3:1) post. All other times should be around 4:1 carbs/protein.


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## dave54 (Jul 1, 2003)

theMeat said:


> ... Whey protein is best post workout because it's the fastest absorbed type protein...


Whey is a structurally simpler protein, so it is broken down into the component amino acids faster. However, not that much faster -- minutes, not hours. Which is why milk, especially chocolate milk, is often touted as preferable. It is already close to the ideal carb/protein ratio, contains both whey and casein for fast digestion and slow digestion of proteins (in the system fast, and a slower continual source of amino acids over the next few hours), and contains other vitamins and minerals. Of course, if you have lactose intolerance or a milk allergy then this will not work for you.

Do not let a protein shake be your ONLY post workout snack. It can be a part of the post workout routine, should not be the sole source of post workout nutrition.

The powdered whey sold in stores is a waste product of industrial cheese making. Whey used to be thrown out, or sold as a cheap livestock feed supplement. Then some food company marketing type figured out selling it to athletes as a supplement was a lot more profitable. It does work as a protein source. Multiple peer reviewed and published studies show it does not produce any better gains than regular food. However, it is fast and easy to prepare.

There have not been any good peer reviewed and published studies on long term creatine use. It is probably safe in large doses over an extended time (year plus). No one has shown it safe it long term clinical trials. Not really an issue because very few people use it long term. Most use it for a few to several months then discontinue after meeting their goals.

Dan Bernadot, researcher at the University of Georgia, has done a lot of work on nutrition timing -- fine tuning the exact amounts, ratios, and time intervals of sports nutrition. His work shows you can extend the so-called 'anabolic window' (a somewhat erroneous term, but popularly used) for several hours, up to a day, longer with proper nutrition timing. However, I do not want to eat with a food scale, spreadsheet, and stopwatch.


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## theMeat (Jan 5, 2010)

Have heard that chocolate milk is 4:1 ratio. Most people that do whey protein shakes have them with milk, unless they're in a cutting phase. Whey powder with milk gets you closer to that 3:1 post workout ratio. I only do whey shakes when I'm training hard, and/or just to make it easier when doing 5-6 meals a day thing for a month or two to speed up metab and keep muscles recovery humming along.
Also, whether or not "the survey says" have found creatine a good tool to cycle on and off of to reach a higher plateau or norm in fitness. Gets me a bit jittery for a week or two when I start, and bit slow to start when I stop.
Thanx for your insight , it's always appreciated


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