Creatine Loading Phase Myth

The whole idea of rapid creatine loading is to saturate the muscles with the increased creatine levels so that only the maintenance dosage is required after 7 days.

Creatine loading phase myth. You do gain water weight. The issn an optimal loading protocol is 0 3 g kg day of creatine monohydrate for five to seven days 3. The creatine pool is full after the first seven days and then the maintenance dosage is just filling the gaps. Trainers normally recommend a creatine loading phase to rapidly maximize your muscle stores.

Myth creatine loading is mandatory truth. Many creatine brands will recommend that you incorporate a loading phase when using creatine which basically means ingesting very high doses over a period of time until you get to a sticking point where you can then maintain on a much lower dose. You might ve heard creatine bashers say you gain nothing but water weight or that your cells inflate like little water balloons while on creatine. Once again research is proving that less creatine is needed to deliver results.

Creatine loading is it required. You must incorporate a loading phase when supplementing with creatine. Creatine causes water retention sometimes up to 5 pounds at higher loading doses. While this statement is not wrong in it s assertion that loading with creatine will get you good results the fact is so will forgoing a loading phase.

While the loading phase is not dangerous or unhealthy research suggests after 30 days results from using creatine end up the same for strength gains. 4 so if you decide to load anything after three days may be excessive although this can vary by individual. Typically 20 25 grams divided into 4 5 doses is taken for a period of 7 days to quickly saturate creatine stores in skeletal muscle. You must load creatine creatine loading is essentially the process of taking creatine every day in a dose that is far beyond what is required by the body.

It appears that with a loading dose of 20 grams your muscles reach maximum capacity after about two days. How much creatine should you take during a loading phase. It may be avoided. The research cited above also suggests that creatine loading may be nothing more than a waste.

Creatine bloating may occur during the loading phase when you take 20 25 grams of creatine for 5 7 days due to an increase in muscle mass and water intake into your muscles. By the third day of a five day loading period up to 60 percent more creatine is lost through urine. According to their research following this plan can increase cr stores inside the muscles by 10 40 with non meat eaters being the most receptive.