I explained this earlier, so I won’t go too in-depth here, but this is one of my biggest problems with the fitness industry. Mark McManus . On the contrary, creatine should be taken as part of the dilution method. While you don’t have to do all of these steps, doing them will help you see results faster. Again, your body might adjust to the increased levels of creatine, but if it’s too much to handle, stop taking creatine. While it’s fine to have a preference, there’s really no proven best time to take creatine. Optimal dosing still appears to be between 2 to 5 grams per day. Since protein synthesis is one of the main factors for building muscle, you will see more muscle growth the sooner you start using it.. It will take approximately four to five weeks for this to happen. You shouldn’t have any further confusion on the matter But if you do, just ask below. This being said, everyone is different, and everyone responds to supplements differently. Companies that make/sell creatine push the myth of creatine cycling in order to sell more of their supplements and make more money. I was wondering that myself, so I did some research. It's no coincidence that we can find it in the top three of most people’s ‘essential supplements list'. After the loading phase, you do what’s called a maintenance phase. Once you find a time that works for you, take your creatine consistently at this time. With that said, if you take creatine in a normal, 5 grams/day dose, you’re much less likely to be impacted by these side effects. After your loading phase, you go into a maintenance phase of 5 grams every day. You can "load" for the first 5-7 days to help saturate your cells, but beyond that there's no benefit to taking large amounts. I wrote about my favorite creatine and why it’s the best. As you start taking creatine, the creatine reserves will slowly start to fill, and depending on which method of taking creatine, the time it’ll take to fill the reserves will vary. Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor, nothing here should be taken as medical advice. All of your muscle cells have creatine reserves, which are only ever around 60-80% full if you’re not taking creatine as a supplement. For the following period, you should take 3-5g of creatine per day as this will help to maintain your creatine levels (the exact amount you will need to have will depend on your weight). And research shows that when subjects consume the same amounts of creatine HCL and creatine monohydrate, the creatine HCL is absorbed by the intestines around 60% better than creatine monohydrate. Week 1: 20g creatine monohydrate loading (5g servings 4 times a day) Weeks 2 – 8: 5g creatine monohydrate daily No creatine for 1 month followed by another 6 week creatine cycle While there are rumors of creatine increasing testosterone, or even lowering your libido, there is no evidence proving that creatine affects you sexually in any way. Creatine usage past 5 years hasn’t been studied, so it can’t be known if it’s safe. The one thing I do have to say about timing is; whatever time you pick, do it consistently. Let’s take a step back and look at what creatine is and move onto how to cycle creatine and what the benefits might be. Put simply, it really doesn’t matter when you take creatine. This being said, creatine is probably the most studied fitness supplement that exists, so you can rest assured that normal use of it is safe. Myths are spread by companies in order to make more money, even if they have no basis in truth. Whether you take creatine before or after training could amplify its effects. This one is a bit easier since there are only two phases. However, there is concern that creatine taken in high doses is possibly unsafe and could damage the liver, kidneys or heart.Creatine can cause: 1. There are other forms of creatine out there, usually marketed as “new and revolutionary”, but they usually end up being not as effective. 1) You can load creatine by first taking around 20g per day for 5-7 days. Cycling creatine supplements for around 8 weeks at a time is common. If you don’t know, here’s what creatine loading is. A single round of the creatine cycle should last 6-8 weeks, with a pause of 2-4 weeks (or longer, if needed) where you do not supplement with creatine at all. This nutrient is responsible in providing energy to the muscles in order to do explosive and quick movements. These people then can use a lower dose of only 10 grams per day, but load this over a period of 10-14 days. If you’re taking the recommended amount of creatine, you’re most likely not going to experience any harmful side effects, assuming you’re healthy otherwise. When used orally at appropriate doses, creatine is likely safe to take for up to five years. I don't think I've ever seen a study where people took creatine for a few weeks or months and then went off it for a period of time, only to go back to it again. Loading is done by taking an extremely high creatine dosage for the first 5-7 days of supplementation (loading phase), typically 20-25 grams a day split into two to four servings. The second way to take creatine is to take a single serving every day. These claims sound good, but they’re usually not true. In liquid form, creatine will be absorbed faster in the body than as a tablet or capsule. The goal of supplementing on rest days is to keep the creatine content of your muscles elevated. So, let's take it from the top A combination of daily dosage and term of administration dictate whether someone is in a “loading” phase or “maintenance” phase. 3 Generally, creatine impacts your endurance, strength, and power. Dehydration 7. Before, I mentioned that some people cycle creatine. Can Creatine Cause Belly Fat? Personally, I’ve taken creatine for years and haven’t experienced any negative side effects. A creatine cycle is where you do a loading phase, where you take about 20 grams/day of creatine, a maintenance phase, where you take about 5 grams/day for a few months. If you choose not to do a loading phase, you’ll start with the maintenance phase, which will take around 28 days to fill your creatine reserves. Can You Take creatine As A Beginner. To take creatine properly, you should take about 5 grams every day. Creatine is composed of 3 amino acids including glycine, methionine and arginine. While this might sound like a good idea, there’s no evidence proving that it’s effective in any way. In fact, I wrote about my favorite creatine and why it’s the best, so check out my recommendation next. How Long Should You Take Creatine Before Cycling Off? 2) You can take 3-5 grams of creatine everyday right from the start. When taking creatine, you can also experience muscle cramps. If you’re only doing a maintenance dose of creatine (5g of creatine/day), your reserves will be filled in about 28 days. You can fix this simply by drinking more water or reducing your creatine intake. Creatine is safe for use for years at a time without cycling it. Creatine is a molecule that is produced from amino acids in the body and can be found in some meats and fish. For loading you should be taking 20-25 grams per day split up into 2-4 servings, for the first 4-7 days of using a creatine supplement. While these are relatively minor side effects, there’s always the potential of more serious side effects from creatine. Read my article on every type of creatine if you want to learn more about what all the different types actually do! This method is based on the theory that when you first begin supplementation your muscles have the lowest level of creatine and can therefore benefit from the very high creatine dosages. My first tip: get good quality creatine monohydrate. On top of this, it’s more of a marketing strategy for supplement companies to sell more creatine. Once you’re in this phase, you can continue doing it indefinitely. Creatine is great, and you can take it for a long time without side effects if you get the right brand. While you can take creatine for up to five years, doctors do have some concerns about its long term use. Most people have a preference for when they take creatine. Stopping the use of creatine will not make you see results from creatine any faster. Optimal dosing still appears to be between 3-5 grams per day. After these two phases, you stop taking creatine for a few weeks, before starting over at the loading phase. There is no data showing that you need to cycle creatine, even when you’re taking it long term. Creatine can do a lot for your workout, especially if taken at the right time. If you put in work at the gym and take creatine, it will give you some advantages with strength and muscle growth. There’s not much you can do to combat this, aside from stopping creatine use altogether. Phase 1: For a week, consume 20 grams of creatine every day. Along with those reasons, it’s common to think that taking a break from creatine will lower your chances of harmful side effects. The idea that cycling creatine will help you see more benefits from creatine, as well as make you healthier, is only a myth. Train With Intensity! Water retention 9. Due to the fact though that creatine can cause bloating in many people along with some gastric upset, some choose not to pursue the loading phase to quite this extent, preferring to sacrifice time over water retention. In fact, I have another article on how long you can safely take creatine, so check that one out next! Creatine is a compound that is naturally produced by the body to supply energy to muscles. While creatine has many possible side effects that I listed above, there are some that are much more common than others. This means that it will take a few weeks for the creatine to start making and effect on your muscles. At the end of the day, creatine is safe for up to 5 years if you take a normal, healthy dosage. A high-quality supplement will ensure that you see fast results. The world of bodybuilding has been revolutionized thanks to the Kre-Alkalyn, which is another form of creatine. For normal use, you should take around 5 grams per day of creatine. Your muscles are going to require that creatine almost immediately, so why not take it 30 to 60 minutes before training? Should You Creatine Cycle for Endurance? Load it up then maintain your levels. After the discovery of creatine, … Muscle cramping 2. To reach a state of creatine “maintenance,” supplementation with 20 grams for 5 to 7 days is usually necessary. The time it takes for creatine to start working will also vary based on your weight, your metabolism, and how much meat you consume on a daily basis. I wondered too, so I did some research. This means that the cells draw water from other parts of your body. When you’re buying creatine, make sure that you’re getting pure, creatine monohydrate. Some brands of creatine might claim that their type will kick in faster, and start working right away. How To Take Kre Alkalyn and When To Take Kre Alkalyn. Phase 2: Take 5 grams of creatine every day. Creatine monohydrate is tried and tested, and it’ll get you to results faster than any other form of creatine. And as discussed above, there have been no negative side-effects found with the daily, prolonged use. When it comes to supplements, especially creatine, many people wonder about how long you can safely take them for. And then you ingest 3-5 grams a day after that to maintain the elevated creatine stores. The test involved cycling at 55% VO2max in temperatures of 39°C for 40 minutes on two separate occasions, before and after five days’ treatment with either creatine (20g per day) or placebo. Loading creatine is where you take up to 20 grams of creatine per day instead of 5, for about a week. If you take creatine and start with a 5 grams/day dose, it will take a few weeks for these stores to become saturated. Diarrhea 4. Some pre-workout drinks contain creatine along with other stimulants. When starting to supplement with creatine, a “loading phase” … Any method of taking creatine will get you results eventually, but if you want results faster, follow these steps in order. Nausea 3. Supplementing creatine any longer than this hasn’t been studied yet, so you can’t be … Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Do I have to take supplements? This is usually within 3 days. Loading phases aren’t necessary at all, but they are helpful for speeding up the process. Do you know how much creatine do you need to take in order to build muscles? If you take creatine in high doses for a long period of time, you could incur damage to your liver, kidneys, and heart. Not only that, but when you take creatine orally as a supplement, it elevates your body’s creatine levels far more effectively than diet and natural production alone. Doses of creatine more than 5 grams per day, or usage longer than 5 years has the potential for harmful side effects and hasn’t been studied thoroughly enough yet to know if it’s safe. Creatine is found naturally in the human body, and it’s the most studied supplement out there, and it’s one of the safest supplements available to buy, even in the long term. Dizziness 5. Choosing to cycle creatine has no proven benefits, and will only waste your supplements and make you spend more money. Now the great thing about creatine is that there is no need to cycle. whether or not you need to cycle creatine. If you want to learn more, check out my article on every type of creatine and what their differences are! When you do this, your muscles are saturated with creatine much faster, meaning that creatine takes its effect on your body and muscles much faster. If you want more info, here’s an article I wrote on whether or not you need to cycle creatine. This means that you’ll look bigger than you are, without actually gaining any fat. However, many are unaware of the creatine basics, such as what creatine is, different forms of creatine and how to use it. A maintenance dose is fine, but it’ll take you longer to see results from your creatine supplementation. Many people take supplements that include creatine, so if that’s in your pre- or post- workout drink, you should receive all the benefits. Put simply, if you do a loading phase (20g of creatine/day), your muscles’ stores will be filled in about 7 days. This is because you’re taking 4 times as much creatine every day, which fills up your creatine reserves very fast. Any supplement, creatine included, can cause stomach pain. Gastrointestinal pain 6. I wrote an article about my favorite brand of creatine, so check that out if you’re interested! If you take it right then yes, creatine will work. All the other standard creatine advice seems to hold up in this and other studies. This means that you can take a much smaller dose of creatine HCL to get similar results as creatine monohydrate. [credit: shutterstock] As the rule of thumb, you should consume 20 grams each day in a 5-day period. Because your reserves are filled up faster, in turn, you’ll see results from creatine much faster. Basically, do what feels right for you. A creatine cycle is when you stop taking creatine for a while, before starting the process over with the loading phase. You know the doses, the cycles, and the best type of creatine to take. 8 week Creatine Cycle. In a cycle, you’ll stop taking creatine for a while. Below, I’ll go over these factors more in-depth. While loading phases aren’t necessarily needed, they can do wonders for seeing results from creatine much faster than without a loading phase. What is creatine and what does it do? This is a resounding yes! As I just mentioned, creatine causes your muscle cells to retain water. You can “load” for the first 5 to 7 days to help saturate your cells, but beyond that there’s no benefit to taking large amounts. All this being said, there’s 0 proven evidence that creatine cycling has any positive impact on its results and 0 evidence that it lowers your risk of side effects or harm to your body. Creatine is the main energy suppy for muscles, it helps muscles grow and it fights fatigue in muscles. Does Creatine Affect You Sexually? slimmer forms are more convenient on the joints and legs, making yourself lighter and able to take more pounding on the road, short-distance runners might find creatine useful for bulking up. To see results faster, you can do a loading phase, where you take 20 grams of creatine every day for one week, before dropping down to 5 grams per day. Creatine is one of the most popular and most-researched supplements in the world. If you aren’t getting enough water intake, this can cause the rest of your body to become dehydrated. Kre-Alkalyn Dosage. Creatine is produced by the liver, pancreas and kidneys and it's found in many foods especially meats. While these are some possible side effects of creatine, they’re not experienced by all users or even a lot of creatine users. This is one of the things that bothers me about the fitness industry. This is because you can really take creatine for years at a time without harmful side effects. Forever. This creatine is used up, for energy, every day before it’s restored again. Finally, you can skip the creatine cycle. If you’re interested in that subject, I have another article about why you don’t need to cycle creatine, so check that out too. I’ll go over this more in-depth below, but to put it shortly, cycling creatine isn’t necessary. Most brands of creatine will claim that their brand has fewer side effects than other types. Supplementing creatine any longer than this hasn’t been studied yet, so you can’t be sure that it’s safe. 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