Creatine Loading and Creatine Cycling: Are They Necessary?

Creatine cycling involves a creatine loading phase, a maintenance phase and a "no creatine" phase. The theory behind creatine cycling is that you prevent your body from getting use to it. The idea is that over time, your body may not respond to creatine, thereby making creatine supplementation useless.

There does seem to be some evidence to support this theory as weight gains from creatine supplementation seem to taper off for most people after a few weeks of taking creatine. Even if this theory is false, creatine cycling still seems like a good idea since the effects of long-term use of creatine supplementation have yet to be determined.

In my opinion, creatine cycling seems to be a good way to keep creatine supplementation at a minimum while still experiencing all the creatine benefits.

Here are the typical phases and dosages during cycling:

Phase 1: Creatine Loading
You “load” your muscles with creatine
Typical loading phase is 20g/day for five days (5 grams of creatine, four times per day); or .3 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for five days

Phase 2: Maintenance
Typically 2-5g/day for three weeks; or .03 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for three weeks

Phase 3: No Creatine
No creatine supplementation for 3 weeks

To calculate body weight in kilograms, divide your body weight by 2.2

There are many variations of creatine cycling. One creatine cycle may work better for you than another. There are several different creatine cycles that bodybuilders follow - all very different from one another. There are some that don't support creatine cycling at all. They feel that creatine is completely harmless and can be taken all the time. However, most athletes do cycle. You need to make the decision yourself and do what you think is best. Moderation is the key with any supplements.

The idea behind creatine loading is that since the body already contains approximately 120 grams of creatine, to increase total creatine stores, you have to load for several days in order to increase those stores above those levels. Many people do notice increases in strength and weight during the creatine loading phase but there are some drawbacks. They include upset stomach, diarrhea and other side effects. Creatine loading is also inconvenient and can be expensive because of the amount you have to take during the first week.

So is creatine loading necessary? Will Brink talks about the creatine loading phase in the FREE Creatine Report (see bottom of page) and concludes that it's probably not necessary. In the report he also recommends how much creatine you should take in place of a creatine loading phase.

Whether you decide to do a creatine loading phase or not, you should definitely consider creatine cycling . Since studies show that the benefits of creatine supplementation taper off after prolonged use, it makes sense to stop taking it after a while.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Creatine!
A FREE and In-Depth Report On Creatine's Usage in Sports , Health and Anti-Aging Written by Will Brink, a noted sports nutrition expert and trainer, this FREE 43-page report exposes the facts and fiction of creatine and details its effects on the brain, heart, the body's production of growth hormone, anti-aging effects, fatigue, muscle atrophy, Parkinson's disease, and much more!
In this FREE creatine report you will learn: What creatine is and how it works What creatine may do for you How safe is creatine How to use creatine properly Loading and maintenance phases Importance of creatine purity
As with all Will Brink's writings, this report is based on the actual studies with creatine and backed with scientific references - not conjecture and pseudo science many self-proclaimed "experts" rely on.

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