Creatine Loading: What Is It? And Does It Work?

If you have recently joined the fitness world, chances are you've heard of creatine, a supplement rather popular among athletes. This top-selling and highly researched dietary supplement is a favorite of weight lifters and bodybuilders for its ability to boost strength and mass.

If you start researching creatine usage, you will likely encounter something called creatine loading — a phase that accelerates the process of gaining all the benefits of this substance.

In this article, we will discuss what the creatine loading phase is, how to load creatine, the benefits and downsides of consuming this substance, and how to do it safely and effectively. 

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a substance made in our body by three amino acids: L-arginine, L-methionine, and glycine. It is a natural source of energy that helps skeletal muscles contract (flex) and maintain energy to work continuously, especially during exercise.

Creatine is found in protein-rich food, such as red meat, animal milk, and seafood. Moreover, our bodies make it after we eat these types of foods. Then, creatine is converted into creatine phosphate in our muscles and into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which the body utilizes to perform high-energy tasks. However, this only represents half of the picture. 

The other half is produced naturally by our kidneys, pancreas, and liver. Then, the cells deliver about 95% of creatine to the muscles so that it can be used during exercise. The rest of the creatine goes to your brain, heart, and other tissues. 

Creatine is also one of the most famous supplements in the fitness world. Those doing heavy lifting use creatine supplements because they exercise too much or don't consume enough creatine via their diets. The supplements can be in the form of a powder, tablets, capsules, or energy bars. 

What is important to know is that creatine is stored. Some people choose to push their creatine stores to their upper end by loading, while others prefer to consume it in consistent smaller doses.

Creatine Benefits

Studies have shown that creatine has several possible health benefits, including:

• Improved body composition, bone mass, and overall bone health
• Enhanced brain health and exercise performance
• Increased muscle mass and strength
• Rehabilitation from injury support

One vital benefit of creatine for athletes and bodybuilders is that this substance can help increase the workload of each workout. Plus, creatine reduces muscle breakdown and promotes recovery and growth. Quicker recovery time means those working out can maintain a high intensity throughout their exercise sessions and progress faster. 

What Is Creatine Loading Phase?

The creatine loading phase entails immediate muscle saturation with creatine, where athletes consume approximately 20–25 grams of creatine daily for 5–7 days. This way, they experience rapid muscle, strength, and power growth. Following that, 5 grams per day is taken as maintenance. 

If you wonder whether creatine loading is necessary to reap long-term benefits, the general consensus is that it isn’t. It really depends on what you want to achieve. If your baseline levels are very low or if you want to increase the amount of creatine in your muscles quickly, you might want to load creatine.

The muscles of people following a regular diet (not vegan or vegetarian) naturally contain 60%–80% creatine. Therefore, it is possible to increase ICS by 20%–40% through supplements. Meanwhile, vegans and vegetarians consume less meat, so creatine may be more beneficial to them.

According to research, the loading phase for creatine usually lasts 5–7 days, which is also the time needed for the muscle stores to be saturated completely. Those who don't load and take the 5 grams of maintenance dose will experience saturated muscles after 21–28 days. It usually takes 4–6 weeks for ICS to return to baseline following discontinuation of supplements. 

Creatine Loading Benefits

Athletes often load up on creatine because of its many benefits. Below are some of them:

• Instant results — During the loading phase, creatine quickly saturates muscle stores, so you can start adding more high-intensity workouts almost immediately. Studies have shown that seven days of loading drastically impacts bench press performance. 
• Greater muscle pumps — Creatine monohydrate naturally stimulates water retention. By drawing water into your cells, it causes swelling. Therefore, muscles will look fuller after working out. This swelling effect also promotes muscle protein synthesis, a process when your body builds muscles. 
• Fewer injuries — Adding creatine to your muscles is a safe way to ensure they are getting enough phosphocreatine. Creatine can help you perform heavy lifts, train rigorously, and improve your endurance, all without getting injured easily. 
• Quick energy boost — When muscles are loaded, they produce energy more quickly. It is especially helpful if you do activities like weightlifting and sprinting that require immediate energy.

Downsides of Creatine Loading

Creatine loading also has disadvantages, and we have pointed them out below:

• Weight gain — This may not be considered a side effect for everyone, as many athletes take creatine to increase muscle mass. Doctors and scientists agree that this specific weight gain comes from water being drawn into your muscle cells. As a result, it is better to stick to 5 grams of creatine daily, as this only causes 1%–2% of weight gain.
• Bloating — Water retention is another side effect of creatine loading. Other symptoms include frequent urination, stomach pain, and other gastrointestinal issues. Once you switch to 5 grams per day, these symptoms will disappear.
• Kidney damage — It has not been proven that creatine directly damages kidneys, but it has an effect on them. Higher doses of creatine allow you to work out longer and with much heavier weights, which can damage your muscles so much that they release protein into the blood, leading to heart and kidney damage. 

How to Preload Creatine 

Remember that creatine loading is a short-term increased intake of this substance and that you should use between 20 and 25 grams per day. To be more precise, it is recommended to take 0.3 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight daily. For instance, a man who weighs 180 pounds (82 kg) should consume around 25 grams daily (0.3 x 82) during the loading phase that lasts five to seven days.

For optimal results, the loading dose should be divided into four to five equal doses throughout the day, each containing four to five grams of creatine. As a result, the muscles are continually supplied with creatine, resulting in fewer digestive problems. Additionally, ensure you stay hydrated during this, as creatine causes water retention in the muscles, which may lead to dehydration. 

Finally, the question that lingers is, “Is creatine loading safe?” The answer is — yes. Some studies even indicate that taking 30 grams daily for long periods is not harmful. 

Try INEVIFIT’s Eros Smart Body Fat Scale

We’ve already pointed out that creatine loading may cause your muscles to appear swollen or puffy, and your weight may also increase as a result of this extra water retention. It’s worth noting that this is not fat gain. Fortunately, you can use INEVIFIT’s Eros smart body fat scale to calculate your body fat percentage and keep it under control. 

Aside from measuring body fat, this smart scale tracks 12 more key fitness metrics, including body weight, skeletal muscles, water muscles, BMI, visceral fat, and metabolic age. It’s easy to use and comes with a free app that you can sync with Apple Health, Google Fit, and Fitbit. This way, you and your entire family can track your metrics individually.

 

EROS Smart Scale

Conclusion

Creatine loading can completely saturate the skeletal muscles' creatine reserves in just five days. This method gives you faster results in terms of muscle mass, strength, power, and muscular endurance. However, you can eventually achieve the same results and benefits without loading. The maintenance dose method takes longer to get your muscles saturated with creatine (up to 28 days), but you will experience long-term results. 

Remember to always consult a specialist, whether it is about creating loading, gaining muscles, shedding weight, or maximizing your time spent in the gym. 

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