Optiumum Nutrition makes great BCAA's, and MHP has a pretty damn good glutamine. As far as the creatine is concerned, yes water is an influencing factor, but it is a major factor with a monohydrate type of creatine (even the micronized version) however, creatine etheyl ester works differently and doesn't use water as a means of transportation. 5g of Creatine Etheyl Ester is the equivalent of 15-20grams of monohydrate because of the absorption ratio. With monohydrate you have to take in a lot because not all of it gets through the cell membrane and thats what causes the "Bloat" with creatine monohydrate. When you are on something like an ester form of creatine you are not necesarily getting that bloat because of the ester molecule attached to the creatine, its using a different means of transportation and the absorption into the muscle is pretty much 100%, thats why the serving dosages of creatine in Creatine Etheyl Ester are so much lower than monohydrate. So yes you can take creatine for the class and it should help.
As far as your shakes go, I would take a shake that has about 30-40 grams protein 1 hour before class and take the creatine and glutamine 15 minutes before class, so that it will kick in a little after you've started your work and it will carry you through the rest of your class. At the end of class make sure you get a good fast digesting protein shake in you because you body is now in a state where it is absorbing everything to feed the muscles that have just been worked. If weight gain is your goal, I suggest IDS Smart Gainer, its fast digesting, has a good amount of carbs, protein and calories to help you recover faster.
__________________ Signature Courtesy of BigPoppaSnake  |