How long maintenance phase creatine

What is creatine loading? Take g or 0. Do I need to load? This method is called 'Just taking creatine' What are the differences between loading and not? The differences at the end of a cycle, should you choose to end the cycle, would be minimal.

Send me the course. You must be logged before you can follow this page. Login Register. You are now following Do I need to load creatine?. You will be notified when any significant update is made. Share Link Print version. Related Articles. Creatine stores high energy phosphate groups in the form of phosphocreatine which are given to ADP. The body then uses this to create more ATP which is the primary energy carrier in the human body.

Creatine's role in energy production is key to keeping the body fuelled when under conditions of high energy demand such as intense physical or mental activity. Creatine has been used for decades and is arguably the most researched supplement with undoubted benefits to trainers, whether a professional athlete, or those looking to simply improve muscle mass for aesthetic purposes, yet there is still some debate over the correct way to cycle this supplement and why.

After ingestion, some of that creatine will make its way into the muscles and stay there, which is where this supplement needs to be to do its thing! Regarding the reasons for the loading cycle, the other part of the equation is muscle saturation. There is only so much supplemental creatine that the muscles will hold, regardless of how much is consumed, which will be determined by genetics, amount of lean muscle mass and other factors. However, for optimal benefits, ideally the user would want to get full muscle saturation of creatine as soon as possible… right?

The technical reason is that in broad terms, creatine uptake to the skeletal muscles is limited, so most of the creatine will hit a metabolic traffic jam and not be going anywhere productive. Most users will find their experiences mirror common knowledge here and the most creatine they can absorb is about grams for days, before hitting their muscle saturation point. A fair question here is how would a lifter know they have indeed hit full muscle saturation of this supplement?

This is likely a good enough indication that the trainer is close enough to the highest muscle concentration of creatine they can achieve and there are plenty of other aspects of training for lifters to concern themselves over, apart from worrying about if they have achieved optimal creatine saturation. Ok, so after discussing the loading phase, the next phase is relatively the simplest to unpack, the maintenance phase…. It can be reformed while resting between sets to use again, but the more you have, the longer you can train at high intensity before fatigue.

Although some creatine comes from diet, its really hard to eat enough meat to saturate your muscles with creatine. So, supplements are an easy way to do this. Almost anyone! Creatine has been shown to :.

However, creatine can be made synthetically in a lab and plenty of vegan creatine supplements exist! As it is not found in plant foods, vegetarians and likely by extension vegans have significantly lower intramuscular creatine stores than non-vegetarians , and therefore are likely to benefit even more from creatine supplementation than those consuming a balanced diet.

There is a large body of evidence supporting the use of creatine in training and many different sports. Studies have shown benefits in weight lifting and general resistance training , running, soccer, swimming, mixed martial arts, cycling, American football, rugby league , and many, many other forms of sport and exercise :. There has been strong evidence around for decades on how effective creatine is in improving fat-free mass and strength gains in the gym.

This is well studied, particularly in exercises such as squat and bench press, when compared to not using it.

Females supplementing with creatine are just as likely to see significant gains in maximal strength, intermittent exercise capacity, and lean body mass. Another interesting side effect of creatine is that it has been shown to further enhance muscle glycogen supercompensation. This could have some interesting implications for anyone who utilises strategies involving carb depletion for a sporting event, weight cuts, or is generally looking to carb load for a performance!

These phases are designed to reach and then maintain peak muscle creatine stores. This phase lasts for 5 to 7 days. The goal here is to bring your muscle creatine stores up to reach a saturation point as quickly and efficiently as possible. Most research shows that taking g per day for 5 days will do this.

Typically the aim is to take 5g of creatine 4 or 5 times per day. You could take all 20g at once or 10g 2 times per day -this will depend on individual tolerance as some people are fine with these doses- but most of the evidence has come from smaller, more frequent serves. Occasionally some people may experience some gastrointestinal discomfort when taking large doses in a single sitting, so 5g doses are typically used to avoid this issue. Basically, a small amount of creatine is degraded then excreted in urine each day.

So, the body needs to replenish between 2—3 g of creatine per day to maintain creatine stores depending on muscle mass. To maintain saturation levels, taking between 3 to 5g per day is sufficient to do this in most people. If you have a larger amount of muscle mass then you may want to aim towards the higher end.

If the idea of loading with large amounts of creatine in the first week is not appealing to you, studies have also shown that it is also possible to increase creatine stores and likely to reach peak creatine saturation by taking smaller dosages of 3g.

Therefore loading is not necessary. The short answer to this is no, you do not. Skipping the loading phase can slow progress resulting in a lack of early results that could be experienced. Creatine monohydrate naturally pulls water into your muscles. The increase in fluid and hydration will support muscle fullness and pumps as a result of working out. IGF-1, or insulin-like growth factor 1, is one of the many hormones responsible for muscle growth.

Creatine is proven to raise IGF On the contrary, some molecules can prevent muscle growth as well. One molecule that inhibits muscle growth is myostatin, which creatine decreases. For best results, use a pure, micronized creatine monohydrate powder. In most cases, people notice that creatine can immediately impact their power and endurance. In the long run, creatine increases muscle size, strength, and stamina. Many studies back up the use and powerful benefits of creatine monohydrate.

Some studies suggest that creatine monohydrate is one of the most effective supplements available for supporting muscle growth and strength. Prolab Creatine Monohydrate supports muscular development and strength. It is pure, micronized with no fillers or additives. It is available in 60 and serving size tubs. Additional supplements like high-quality protein powders , BCAAs , and Beta-Alanine are extremely powerful when combined with creatine monohydrate. Stacking these supplements together will provide maximum muscle-building support and recovery during intense training.

Creatine Monohydrate is one of the most cost-effective, results-driven supplements available.