You have the option of doing a loading phase, where you take more starting off, which makes creatine effective a lot more quickly but isn’t necessary. This can happen for a variety of reasons but can happen when taking any supplement your body isn’t used to. The simple answer is that you can take creatine safely for up to 5 years. The idea that cycling creatine will help you see more benefits from creatine, as well as make you healthier, is only a myth. There’s generally 3 protocols for taking creatine. Phase 1: For a week, consume 20 grams of creatine every day. While you can take creatine for up to five years, doctors do have some concerns about its long term use. Gastrointestinal pain 6. Instead, creatine will take optimum effect if you spread the 20 grams to 4 servings of 5grams and drink them within a day. When you take all this extra creatine, it fills up your creatine reserves in your muscles much faster. So save your money and take the smaller dose when and how you please. This can happen for a variety of reasons, mainly the fact that your muscle cells are physically larger due to the increased water. My first tip: get good quality creatine monohydrate. The international society of sports nutrition studied how protein synthesis is increased while supplementing with creatine.. Most brands of creatine will claim that their brand has fewer side effects than other types. If you don’t know, here’s what creatine loading is. While long-distance runners might not be very concerned about increasing muscle mass for running, i.e. The point of this loading phase is to get a lot of creatine to your muscles quickly so that your body can start using it faster. Supplementing creatine any longer than this hasn’t been studied yet, so you can’t be sure that it’s safe. A loading phase where you take typically 20 grams of creatine every day instead of 5, and you do this for about a week. The second way to take creatine is to take a single serving every day. check out my article on every type of creatine. This is one of the things that bothers me about the fitness industry. This being said, everyone is different, and everyone responds to supplements differently. Depending on your body composition, this water weight can either make you look more overweight, or more muscular. And as discussed above, there have been no negative side-effects found with the daily, prolonged use. 3 Generally, creatine impacts your endurance, strength, and power. Despite popular belief, it doesn’t really matter what time of day you take creatine nor what you take it with. And then you ingest 3-5 grams a day after that to maintain the elevated creatine stores. How Long Should You Take Creatine Before Cycling Off? Many people associate creatine loading phases with creatine cycles, where you stop taking it for a period of time, before doing a loading phase again. Creatine can do a lot for your workout, especially if taken at the right time. 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. While creatine has many possible side effects that I listed above, there are some that are much more common than others. If you want to learn more about creatine cycling, keep reading this article. Do you know how much creatine do you need to take in order to build muscles? On the contrary, creatine should be taken as part of the dilution method. Kre-Alkalyn Dosage. It’s called maintenance because you aren’t adding to your creatine reserves, just “maintaining” them. You know the doses, the cycles, and the best type of creatine to take. I wondered too, so I did some research. While this might sound like a good idea, there’s no evidence proving that it’s effective in any way. Below, I’ll go over these factors more in-depth. Naturally, your body produces about 2 grams of creatine every day. There is no data showing that you need to cycle creatine, even when you’re taking it long term. There’s a chance of some stomach discomfort, so if you experience that or any other side effects, lower your dosage right away. However, do not take 20grams all at once. 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. Once you start taking creatine, you can take it normally, or do a loading phase, where you take a lot more than you normally would before you go down to a “maintenance dose”. 1) You can load creatine by first taking around 20g per day for 5-7 days. Muscle cramping 2. When it comes to supplements, especially creatine, many people wonder about how long you can safely take them for. Creatine is the main energy suppy for muscles, it helps muscles grow and it fights fatigue in muscles. As I just mentioned, creatine causes your muscle cells to retain water. Forever. Once you’re in this phase, you can continue doing it indefinitely. If you’re going to take creatine, talk to a doctor first. 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. Creatine is great, and you can take it for a long time without side effects if you get the right brand. Basically, do what feels right for you. So, if you’re taking creatine at a normal dose, it’s known to be safe for up to 5 years. 8 week Creatine Cycle. If you don’t do a loading phase, you’ll start off in the maintenance phase. 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. Does Creatine Affect You Sexually? 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. Before, I mentioned that some people cycle creatine. How Do You Take Creatine? Here is an example of a popular and effective creatine dosing and cycle plan. If you’re only doing a maintenance dose of creatine (5g of creatine/day), your reserves will be filled in about 28 days. If you do a loading phase, your creatine reserves will be filled after this week. One of the best ways to see results from creatine faster is to do a loading phase. Or, until you run out and need to buy some more. How To Take Kre Alkalyn and When To Take Kre Alkalyn. Most people have a preference for when they take creatine. Once you find a time that works for you, take your creatine consistently at this time. This means that you can take a much smaller dose of creatine HCL to get similar results as creatine monohydrate. Since your reserves are filled faster, this means that you’ll see results from creatine faster. Creatine cycling is nothing but a myth pushed by supplement companies to get you to buy more creatine because if you do a cycle, you’ll need to go through another loading phase, where you’ll use four times the normal about of creatine. If you didn’t know, animal meat contains creatine, so if you eat a lot of meat, you’ll have more creatine in your system already than someone that eats less meat. Any supplement, creatine included, can cause stomach pain. You can fix this simply by drinking more water or reducing your creatine intake. For example, a common approach is to take 20 grams of creatine daily for 5–7 days. After the discovery of creatine, … Mark McManus . Myths are spread by companies in order to make more money, even if they have no basis in truth. Should You Load Creatine? All the other standard creatine advice seems to hold up in this and other studies. Optimal dosing still appears to be between 3-5 grams per day. In fact, I wrote about my favorite creatine and why it’s the best, so check out my recommendation next. While you take it, your body’s own production of creatine will slow some, but it will continue to produce it, and your natural levels will return to normal if/when you do stop taking it. Now you know how to take creatine. There’s not much you can do to combat this, aside from stopping creatine use altogether. In the morning, before bed, before a workout, after a workout, etc. 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. How Long Can I Take Creatine? I wrote an article about my favorite brand of creatine, so check that out if you’re interested! While these are some possible side effects of creatine, they’re not experienced by all users or even a lot of creatine users. Before taking creatine, or any other supplement, talk to your doctor and make sure you’re in a good enough of a condition. Creatine is produced by the liver, pancreas and kidneys and it's found in many foods especially meats. While you don’t have to do all of these steps, doing them will help you see results faster. According to the Mayo Clinic and other scientific journals, creatine is known to be safe to take for about 5 years. In fact, I have another article on how long you can safely take creatine, so check that one out next! Healthy kidneys filter creatinine and other waste products from your blood. 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. Instead of a 3-5 day wait, you’re looking at 2-4 weeks to get noticeable results. Creatine is usually taken as a powder dissolved in water. The idea behind creatine cycling is that it gives your body a break from supplementation, you stop being as dependent on creatine, and taking it as a supplement becomes more effective. This means that you’ll look bigger than you are, without actually gaining any fat. After the loading phase, you do what’s called a maintenance phase. Supplementing creatine any longer than this hasn’t been studied yet, so you can’t be … 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. Should You Creatine Cycle for Endurance? Generally, in studies, researchers give people a certain amount – say 3-5 grams for a period of time (say a month or two), do some type of exercise study and write up the results. Whether you take creatine before or after training could amplify its effects. 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. Phase 2: Take 5 grams of creatine every day. After these two phases, you stop taking creatine for a few weeks, before starting over at the loading phase. 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. Creatine is composed of 3 amino acids including glycine, methionine and arginine. While your reserves of creatine may be filled between a week and a month, the time it takes to actually see results varies not only person to person but based on many other factors. Does Creatine Actually Work? Click Here For The Best Kre Alkalyn Creatine. Creatine won’t make you fat, but it will make you gain water weight. 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. While loading creatine is very beneficial, it’s not necessary to see results. This is usually within 3 days. 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 Now the great thing about creatine is that there is no need to cycle. The goal of supplementing on rest days is to keep the creatine content of your muscles elevated. While it’s fine to have a preference, there’s really no proven best time to take creatine. If you’re short on money, I’d recommend not doing a loading phase. I’ll go over this more in-depth below, but to put it shortly, cycling creatine isn’t necessary. 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. Creatine is a molecule that is produced from amino acids in the body and can be found in some meats and fish. When starting to supplement with creatine, a “loading phase” … 3) After Loading, Take 5 Grams of Creatine Every Day (Maintenance Phase). In reality, creatine cycles mean more loading phases, which means you’re using more creatine. Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor, nothing here should be taken as medical advice. Thereafter, loaders follow up with a smaller maintenance creatine dosage each day. 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. 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. While these are relatively minor side effects, there’s always the potential of more serious side effects from creatine. A creatine cycle is when you stop taking creatine for a while, before starting the process over with the loading phase. To break it down further, a creatine loading phase is where you take about 20 grams of creatine every day, for about a week, before you do a maintenance phase, which is about 5 grams a day. When used orally at appropriate doses, creatine is likely safe to take for up to five years. This being said, it’s not some magic supplement and it won’t make you muscular overnight without any work. Any method of taking creatine will get you results eventually, but if you want results faster, follow these steps in order. The one thing I do have to say about timing is; whatever time you pick, do it consistently. So, let's take it from the top Again, your body might adjust to the increased levels of creatine, but if it’s too much to handle, stop taking creatine. Stopping the use of creatine will not make you see results from creatine any faster. Dizziness 5. In fact, creatine has been found to be safe to take in normal doses for up to 5 years. If you choose not to do a creatine loading phase the only benefit you’ll be losing out on is faster results. On top of this, it’s more of a marketing strategy for supplement companies to sell more creatine. Many people take supplements that include creatine, so if that’s in your pre- or post- workout drink, you should receive all the benefits. If you aren’t getting enough water intake, this can cause the rest of your body to become dehydrated. 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. To take creatine properly, you should take about 5 grams every day. whether or not you need to cycle creatine. Put simply, if you do a loading phase (20g of creatine/day), your muscles’ stores will be filled in about 7 days. I wrote an article about my favorite brand of creatine, so check that out if you’re interested! Although a loading phase will allow you to experience the full benefits of creatine within a slightly shorter time frame, 2-3 weeks at the standard 3-5 gram per day dose will still get you to the exact same point regardless. Cycling creatine supplements for around 8 weeks at a time is common. As you learned before, creatine can be used safely for up to 5 years, without a creatine cycle. I’ll go over the differences between the two more in-depth below, but for now, that’s all you need to know. Since protein synthesis is one of the main factors for building muscle, you will see more muscle growth the sooner you start using it.. 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. This being said, it fills up your creatine reserves in your muscles much faster than any other form creatine! 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