I just got a new Creapure creatine and as soon as my 28 day wash out period is up from my old creatine, I want to try loading it (never loaded before). What is the best dosage and duration for loading that is supported by research?
just go with 5-10g/day, no need to load.
Washout Period? Don’t need to load it, no point, just take 5g/day.
Most of the studies demonstrating the efficacy of creatine had the participants load. So I want to try loading once to see if it gives me a bigger boost than when I last used creatine.
It will only saturate the body w/creatine faster, it won’t cause it to store more.
Think of taking creatine as just topping off the tank after your normal diet fills it most of the way. If you load it, you’ll hit your steady state conc quicker but it won’t necessarily mean you have a higher amount over time if you just took a steady conc.
Think of taking creatine as just topping off the tank after your normal diet fills it most of the way. If you load it, you’ll hit your steady state conc quicker but it won’t necessarily mean you have a higher amount over time if you just took a steady conc.
What they said ^
My experience with loading was that I retained a shitload of unnecessary water weight and didn’t have any noticeable strength gains compared to 5g/day.
also, not sure, but is CreaPure, some fancy new bold claim creatine? if so, no need, just go with regular creatine mono
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
also, not sure, but is CreaPure, some fancy new bold claim creatine? if so, no need, just go with regular creatine mono[/quote]
Don’t worry. Creapure is just a brand name for the purest creatine monohydrate available, from Germany.
[quote]Ripsaw3689 wrote:
What they said ^
My experience with loading was that I retained a shitload of unnecessary water weight and didn’t have any noticeable strength gains compared to 5g/day.[/quote]
If you had extra water, then you clearly took in the extra creatine compared to 5g/day. And out of all the water you seem to gain from creatine, a small fraction of it stays when you come off and is kept as solid muscle. So you got more of that.
Anyway I don’t want to debate loading vs. not loading. I’ve decided that I want to load, just to try it out once. The creatine will still last me a long time, since when I’m done loading it will only take 3g per day to maintain.
I’m curious how you got to the decision that 3g/day was enough vs the generally accepted 5g/day minimum dose? Also, I’m still curious about the “washout period”.
For loading, 10-20g/day for a week, and then 5g/day after to maintain (or 3g, whatever you want).
I just got my first order of Creatine last week. Been loading it for about 4-5 days now, 20g a day (spaced at 4 separate times). May be holding a tad more water, but no change in weight or anything substantial.
[quote]UAphenix wrote:
I’m curious how you got to the decision that 3g/day was enough vs the generally accepted 5g/day minimum dose? Also, I’m still curious about the “washout period”.[/quote]
The wash out period is just accepted at 3-4 weeks. If you stopped creatine supplementation, you’d still have some effects of it until 3-4 weeks. I want to go through 3-4 weeks so that the creatine is completely gone, and that when I start using it again, I feel a big boost.
3g/day is plenty. People say 5g/day because it’s the arbitrary serving size. I remember when I was using creatine in an effort to help my brain power during my exam period. I was just taking half a teaspoon per day and I’m pretty sure that I maintained. Many sources (this website is just one
)
say that 0.03g of creatine per kg of body weight is sufficient for the maintenance phase. So, considering that, 3g per day is plenty for most people. You’d have to be heavier than 100kg (220lb) to need more. Also, that website seems to suggest 0.3g of creatine per kg of body weight for loading. This seems like a good plan. It’s a lot of creatine to burn through in 5 days, but I want to see what happens when I load.
People don’t say 5g because its an arbitrary serving size, its the general accepted dose after years of lab testing, it is the supplement that most likely has the most research and studies behind it. So let me get this straight, you want to first remove all supplemented creatine from your body? But I’m willing to bet you’re still eating meat and food containing creatine so you’ll be taking in creatine during this washout period.
Then after 3-4 weeks you want to load which will just make you hit your steady state concentration quicker which you were at 3-4 weeks earlier. Then once you load you’re going to take a dose that’s below the 5g/ day recommendation, so you’ll have a lower steady state conc and may have not fully topped off creatine reservoirs in the muscles throughout the body. Creatine is cheap, I would much rather just keep taking 5g of creatine each day then go through all that.
Also, you have all these specific doses (0.03g/kg and 0.3g/kg) but you’re saying your using a teaspoon as a method of measurement. I doubt your measurements are all that accurate, so again it just seems easier to use a leveled scoop that comes with the creatine.
[quote]deadman1206 wrote:
[quote]UAphenix wrote:
I’m curious how you got to the decision that 3g/day was enough vs the generally accepted 5g/day minimum dose? Also, I’m still curious about the “washout period”.[/quote]
The wash out period is just accepted at 3-4 weeks. If you stopped creatine supplementation, you’d still have some effects of it until 3-4 weeks. I want to go through 3-4 weeks so that the creatine is completely gone, and that when I start using it again, I feel a big boost.
3g/day is plenty. People say 5g/day because it’s the arbitrary serving size. I remember when I was using creatine in an effort to help my brain power during my exam period. I was just taking half a teaspoon per day and I’m pretty sure that I maintained. Many sources (this website is just one
)
say that 0.03g of creatine per kg of body weight is sufficient for the maintenance phase. So, considering that, 3g per day is plenty for most people. You’d have to be heavier than 100kg (220lb) to need more. Also, that website seems to suggest 0.3g of creatine per kg of body weight for loading. This seems like a good plan. It’s a lot of creatine to burn through in 5 days, but I want to see what happens when I load.[/quote]
3-4 weeks is not enough time to “wash out” creatine. Creatine levels stay elevated in your system for quite a while. I had a blood test about 5 weeks after I stopped taking creatine and my creatine levels were still much higher than normal. I suppose it depends on the person though.
Why are you trying to wash out creatine before you start taking… creatine?
You guys were right. I did 2 days of loading and woke up with some kidney pain on the third day. Now I’m going to continue with a daily 3g maintenance dose and hope that I survive. The 2 days of loading doesn’t seem to have given me any improvement in my lifting.
i have been wondering are the 5g for all the same 60 kg fitnes model or 120 kg powerlifther is it all the same 5 g for all 
?
Lol, kidney pain? That’s a surprise when I’ve been on restrictive diets I’ve downed way more in a day then you and never felt anything, but I was drinking 1.5 to 2gal of water a day too.
I feel like 5g a day is fine for most everyone, and a lot of people are over-thinking the dosing on this.