Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(10), 1674-1681. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on myosin heavy chain expression. Your levels can stay elevated for as long as 4-6 weeks. Once you've achieved saturation, either by a loading protocol or consistent low-dose supplementation, don't sweat it if you miss a day or two. Another showed similar results by taking 5 grams with around 50 grams of carbs, and 50 grams of protein-the equivalent of two scoops of protein and two bananas, a cup of grape juice, or a cup of cooked rice. One study showed that taking around 100 grams of carbs with 5 grams of creatine increased total muscle creatine by 60 percent. However, if you're trying to do a brief loading protocol, like 2-3 days instead of the normal 5-7, taking it with carbs is probably a good idea. There is some research showing increased uptake if taken with carbs or protein, but it will work without these additives, as long as you take it consistently. If you're relatively small or lightweight, you can probably get by with 3 grams, or just over half of a normal scoop. Most scoops are 5 grams, which is a fine dose for athletes of all size. Just dump a scoop in water, protein powder, amino acids, or whatever else you drink throughout the day, swish it around, and drink. In about three weeks, this approach will get your muscular levels to the same point as a loading protocol.īecause it's tasteless, odorless, and easily dissolves in any fluid, creatine monohydrate is perhaps the easiest supplement to take. The alternate method is to simply take 3-5 grams of a creatine supplement each day, without loading. If you're someone who has tried monohydrate in the past but didn't like the bloating or stomach distress that came with it, then you should definitely try the daily low-dose approach. "And the larger daily dosage may cause gastrointestinal discomfort for some athletes." "No, a loading protocol is not necessarily required," Gonzalez admits. And the standard loading protocol can be a bit unpleasant for some people. Despite what some gym bros might tell you, creatine will work just fine without a loading protocol. Jose Antonio, Ph.D., the co-founder of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, also labels the loading protocol "something you should definitely do" in his video "8 Questions About Creatine Answered."Ĭon: Possible side effects. Following the loading protocol, athletes can generally maintain stores with a daily maintenance dose of 3-5 grams per day." "A typical loading protocol consists of consuming high doses, like 20-25 grams per day, split between 4-5 daily doses, for 5-7 days. "Research has shown the most effective way to rapidly increase intramuscular creatine concentrations is a loading method," he explains. Pro: It works! Adam Gonzalez, Ph.D., a supplement researcher and natural bodybuilder, favors the loading approach. Then, they move to a "maintenance phase" where they take lower daily doses to keep the levels where they need to be. The most common way people will take this supplement is to start off with a "loading phase," which is designed to fully saturate the muscles' stores. With that in mind, you have two options to get your blood creatine levels up where they need to be: the loading protocol, and the daily low-dose protocol. "Creatine is not readily assimilated into muscle, as many people would think," says Darryn Willoughby, Ph.D., in tip 4 from the video " 5 Different Ways to Get More from Your Supplements." "Instead, it takes a while to saturate the muscle."įor this reason, if you've been simply taking a pre-workout that contains creatine monohydrate a few times a week and trusting that it would be enough to help you get huge…it's probably not. This is unfortunate, because the best ways to take it (and there is more than one way) are all very simple. Let's try and clear up some of the confusion! Consistency Matters Most!įor every person taking creatine the right way, there are probably two who aren't. If you want to dive deep into the benefits and science, check out the article " Your Complete Guide to Creatine Monohydrate." But if you're looking for the quick-and-dirty guide to taking this essential supplement the right way, you're in the right place. How should I take creatine for the best results? Is a loading phase necessary? Is it better with carbs or protein? How do I calculate my creatine dosage? The questions go on and on. This "next question" is where the confusion usually begins.
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