Cutting weight

[steve93]

Hi all,

I am currently weighing between 69kg-71kg and I am fighting at 66kg in November this year. I am thinking about starting on creatine to help build some size and gain some lean muscle mass. I have heard from quite a few sources that creatine retains water and therefore adds water weight. As i have 4 months until my fight/ weigh in i am asking if anyone knows how long before the weigh in I should cut the creatine out to drop that extra water weight? Or even if its a good idea to start on Creatine at all.

Any help would be great

Cheers!

 

[Zero]

This is an intersting one, I have competed in martial arts for many years and also done a lot of powerlifting once I shifted out of the middleweight division and for a few years have done weights as part of my martial arts regime. I have used supplements including creatine both for bodyduilding and for martial arts tournaments.

Back in the day there was a lot of hype about creatine causing water retention and I believed this as well. However, recent studies which have been carried out over several years are now starting to indicate that creatine may have nothing to do with water retention at all.

I have found right from the start that high quality creatine while (in my mind/experience - as it is always hard to know what the placebo effect is) increasing muscular density does not result in water retention. It may be that low quality creatine may be to blame as these may be inferior in quality and actually contain larger quantities of sodium, as excess sodium can remain after processing if you are taliking about lower grade product and sodium definitely = water retention big time!

At 4 months out from the fight you are saying you are 4 - 5 kgs over weight so I, unless you have no muscle, would be more focused on building up the fitness and gradually loosing the pounds for D-day. When is the weigh in date? - ie how far in advance of the actual fight for your tournament do you get on the scales? For long term and for good endurance (is it just to be one fight on the night or possibly several?), I would strip the weight in a gradual controlled manner. So I would be focusing, at your weight category, on loosing the pounds for the weigh in, upping the fight endurance to the max (and as a by-product of that putting on some muscle - but not in itself overly or having the need to take supplements such as creatine). I am not sure I would be playing with creatine at this stage (or anything that may (or may not) retain water or put on the weight) and looking to build muscle in itself in your situaiton.

That said, I am just talking from my own experience and others I know regarding cutting the weight on the day and being in shape to fight.

If you are going to take creatine then personally I would be on the creatine right up to the fight. Noting that many say creatine should be cycled (ie 6 - 8 weeks on, 2 - 4 weeks off, then start again).

Outside of weight concerns for a specific fight I would defintely say go for the creatine, some good quality, middle priced stuff. There is also talk now days about not having to load and amounts actually needed per day but this is not a weight lifting forum as such. Now, just for my own disclaimer, there have been a very few cases of bad side effect to kidney's (but some are of the view this was only regarding pre-conditions in any event), so you take your decisions on your own and with your own knowledge of your medical background. : )