Sure, of course.

On the other hand.

When I worked at one particular company, the general manager swore by high colonic enemas.

I declined.

In the BJJ community, oss and acai and all that.

One successful athlete starts doing cryo treatments, others who wish to emulate his success start doing cryo treatments.

And when I competed in the first couple world tournaments in Brazil,

the running gag was that the steroid use was so pervasive in Brazil gyms that if you sat down on the toilet, the steroids would come up through the toilet and enter your body.

Although Rillon Gracie stood up in the coach's meeting and gave a very nice criticism of that widespread Brazilian practice in Jiu-Jitsu.

Certainly, don't take health or nutrition advice from me, I love martini's, cigars, bacon, expresso, Instant noodles, and hot dogs.

Then again, I am not competing, I no longer have to make weight, and I have no fucks to give.

On the other hand, when I personally train people for MMA, purse grappling, or high level competition,

I refer them to also get time with a credentialed nutritionist,

and to get regular weekly sessions with a professional strength coach, who is part of the over all training team,

and we coordinate for phased conditioning plans in relation to how close the event is, and to avoid over training.

For that matter, I try to get my athletes to get dental check ups and cleanings....because fighters, race horses, and what the health of their mouth says about them have a lot in common.

Speaking of espresso, I think it's time for a bit of coffee.

Creatine when used in moderation is the best supplement you can use. It has even been shown to help with delaying Alzheimer's and other neurological issues.

Your brain is a muscle and it effects your brain. The thing I notice most is feeling more alert when not getting enough sleep.

Creatine also will help you maintain your bone density as you get older to help prevent braking bones when you fall.

Obviously better bone health and mental clarity is a good thing for jiu-jitsu on top of any extra additional 5 to 10% fuel capacity in your muscles.

The main thing is not to overdose on creatine. 2.5 grams a day is more then enough for a normal human being. When you start going over 5 grams a day your going to retain water and that is when your going to start to see negative side effects especially if you do not hydrate properly. That is when your going to start to tax your organs and have issues.

As long as you stick around 2 to 3 grams a day you will be fine with no negative side effects excluding a possible small increase in DHT levels which if you have male pattern baldness will just increase the rate of what would occur anyways by a very small percentage. If you were not losing a lot of hair by the age of 25 then it's nothing to worry about.

Creatine is a natural protein from eating things like beef and fish etc. We just do not get near enough of it in are normal diets anymore.

I just wouldn't take it right before going to bed. Any other time is fine.

The researcher in the podcast I linked advised 0.1 grams per kg of BW - which would result more than 5 g in most people. And water retention is supposed to be happening - that's tied to to the benefits. Drinking enough water is of course a given.

You should be fine with 5 grams if you are never dehydrated and don't eat a lot of meat or fish. Most people though are often actually somewhat dehydrated which then creates problems from not drinking enough water or having enough minerals in your system after training or just having a very poor diet in general.

If you do eat a lot of meat/fish though 5 grams on top of that would be a bit much unless your huge.

If you are going to go with 5 grams a day though I would split it into two 2.5 gram servings instead of one 5 gram serving.

I personally use about 3 grams a day and sometimes forget on days I don't workout.

You also don't want a lot of water retention in your muscles unless your trying to be a body builder.

But all that is just for those who are paranoid about any side effects. If you don't care about side effects do whatever you want. lol

As for me, I rely on pork belly when bacon won't do the job with enough fat to lubricate my joints.

Or a little crispy pig skin, as we say around these parts, chicharrón!

And, beef or calf liver and onions, once a week, or every other week, when I can arrange it.

If I can't get liver, blood sausage is always just as good if not better.

If you combine it with enough watermelon, your blood will be iron rich, and flow to all the right places...

Anyway, that is what I heard.

You know what is really good?

Bone marrow with some salt on good bread.

Yum, yum, yum.

I just went to sonic and got a large cherry vanilla slushie with chicken strips, cheese sticks and a cheese burrito... I feel amazing...at least for the next 10 minutes or so.

Vitamin D but that’s it.

Vitamin D but that’s it.

Ok, that vanilla protein powder is DELICIOUS in smoothie, good decision on my part. For taste if nothing else. :P

https://www.instagram.com[...]xqCUhpmMc/

I'm going to have to check out that sugar-free chocolate syrup. =]

Pretty much all of the supplements I take are geared for recovery (directly or indirectly).

That being said... *big breath*

Creatine
Glutamine
HMB
CLA
Joint Supplement (Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM)
Essential Amino Acids
Fish Oil
Zinc
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Whey Protein
Betaine (preworkout)
Citrulline (preworkout)
Digestive Enzymes

40 next year... Right now I have not taken anything in 3 months. Honestly don't feel any different than when I do (well, maybe better!) but I haven't been grappling training either.

On my normal routine I take:
→ Fish oil
→ Vitamin D (no sunshine in Finland... ever)
→ Vitamin C
→ Creatine (if I remember... most days I don't. And I cut it out when doing weight cuts... guess makes sense if the water retention is real? Haven't done too much research.)
→ Whey protein with yogurt when I don't bother to cook a proper evening meal

When I do lifting on fasted state I take BCAA (if I have some available).

Normal pre-workout is cold black coffee.

Then during flu season also
→ Zinc
→ Glutamine

Works well mixed with yoghurt as a (hopefully?) low calorie treat. I may be kidding myself on the low calorie part. :P

That's rough, man lol

Never tried Creatine. Does it help with weight loss? Do you have to cycle the intake? How do you feel when you're on it?

It helps with muscle retention and keeping energy levels in training while dieting. Your loss might be slowed numbers wise because of normal water retention.

Any down/side effects or common risks associated with creatine?

If you Google it you'll find concerns about kidneys and liver BUT it has been disproved in research AFAIK.

I would recommend increasing your water intake.