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Is it really necessary to do Creatine Loading when first starting to take it? Or, doesn't it really matter?

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  • What do you mean by creatine loading? And why do you think you need it in the first place? Example: I don't use it and feel great, but obviously we don't do the same workouts. So that information matters! I suggest you have a look at this blog post on how to get better answers
    – Ivo Flipse
    May 20, 2011 at 8:38
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    @Ivo I think loading is clear enough in this case; it's standard advice to start a creatine regimen by "loading" up - taking 4x the maintenance dose for the first several days. The question I read is whether or not to do this, or to just start with the maintenance dose.
    – G__
    May 21, 2011 at 4:11
  • Not an answer, but my opinion: put away the supplements, focus on good technique both in the gym with workout equipment and in the kitchen with an 8-inch chef's knife and a frying-pan. (Unless you're a pro-level athlete)
    – Ryan Mortensen
    Mar 12, 2019 at 4:19

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Got my hands on the full text of this article, and based on a study that compared different creatine dosing strategies, the author came to the following conclusion:

if you are seeking a fairly rapid improvement in anaerobic performance and lean body mass, it would be sensible to do a loading phase with Cr. However, if time is not an issue, a dose of 2–4 g daily should be sufficient to fully saturate skeletal muscle within a month.

Your muscles can only hold so much creatine. Many dosage strategies will get you to that maximum level, but some--including creatine loading--will get you there faster than others.

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Creatine loading only has one benefit, reaching the maximum saturation after 5 days as opposed to around 20 days without loading. Once the muscles have reached saturation point the effects are the same.

Overuse of creatine causes problems as it tends to settle in the intestines and cause distress. Anyone with kidney related illnesses should avoid taking creatine but there is litle evidence that it can cause damage to a healthy kidney as excessive amounts are unlikely to make it into the blood stream.

The body gets creatine from it's diet but it also creates it itself. While supplementing with creatine this stops and focuses it's energy on producing other beneficial substances such as antioxidants. This gives creatine users an added health benefit of having a healthy methylation system

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I found 1 study comparing loading and not loading. Unfortunately, the researchers concluded that both loading and and a steady amount of creatine did not improve performance in their study. You can read the full article here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155521/

You can take creatine over an extended period of time. This makes loading less of an issue.

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  • Wait, they concluded that creatine had no effect at all?
    – Alec
    Mar 10, 2019 at 22:07
  • Hang on, the test subjects were "highly trained collegiate football players" and even for them "significant time effects were found for 1-RM squat and fat-free mass in all groups".
    – Alec
    Mar 10, 2019 at 22:10

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