What Is Creatine Loading?

When people have purchased creatine monohydrate and are interested in building more muscle and gaining strength, they often enter what's known as the loading phase.

But what is the creatine loading phase?

It's basically a short duration of time where you saturate your muscles with creatine. So while you'll usually consume 5g of creatine per day, if you're just starting out with the supplement, you might consume between 20-25g per day for the first 4-7 days. The exact recommendation varies on who you are but the overall intention remains the same:

Creatine loading speeds up the entire process. It means your workouts in the gym are going to be more explore in the near future. So instead of waiting almost two week for results, you might experience increased strength in a matter of days. Obviously, this is great.

Another way to think of the dosage is to consume 4 rounded teaspoons of creatine powder each day for 4-7 days. This means one rounded teaspoon with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and another right before you go to bed. Then, when you've passed the loading phase, drop that down to just one rounded teaspoon per day. That's much easier than carefully weighing everything.

But do you need to load creatine?

No. Despite out-dated wisdom, it's not necessary. You can start taking creatine at the usual dose of 5g per day and just stick with that. You won't notice results as fast but it will ultimately lead to the same place. In the end, there's no real difference.

Be aware though, if you're loading creatine:

1. Buy creatine in powdered form. Otherwise you'll be swallowing about 16 capsules per day during the loading phase and I imagine that would be hell. (At the same time though, some people do prefer capsules, so maybe you're one of them.)
2. Expect the side-effects to be more intense during this time. You are taking a bigger dose, after all. This means you might experience more muscle cramps and water weight gain and dehydration. These are fairly minor, reversible risks, but it helps to be aware of them beforehand.

Whether or not you want to load creatine is ultimately up to you. You'll have people telling you either option is the best option but there is no best option. If you're impatient, go through the loading phase. If not, then stick with the regular dose.

Personally, I'm in the loading phase right now.

And for more thoughts on creatine loading, check out my creatine loading blog.

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