Whether or not to do a loading phase when starting out on a creatine cycle has been a steamy debate. Basically, in the early days the thought was that to saturate your muscles, or to have a high creatine concentration within a short period was the best way to start a cycle. One of the recommended ways was to take 5 grams of creatine with grape juice or dextrose 3-4 times a day for about 5-7 days. (The variance being everyone’s body type is different and reacts differently to a loading phase.) Then with the completion of the loading phase your muscles are primed with ample concentrations of muscle building creatine. So instead of waiting say 14 days, you’ve reached the concentration level within 5-7 days, cutting the time in half. Really the only way of knowing concentration levels (other than lab tests which most of us do not have ready access to) is to analyze how you feel. So after some simple testing, a few willing participants, creatine makers could easily recommend a loading phase because, test subjects reported strength and muscle “pump” within 1 weeks time. And if you are preparing to take a basic creatine like GNC Pro Performance or something similar, this strategy can still be a good one. Just adjust the dose to how you feel. If you are feeling bloated or lethargic, cut it back slightly.

Having said all that, to load or not to load?

Well, it really rests with you. It’s your body and as you experiment you will begin to become more self aware. You are the best person to decide if there is any difference between loading or no loading.

And the bottom line is this; most of the creatine’s on the market today have evolved past the traditional load cycle. They are cocktailed with proprietary blends that do all the work for you. So no need to load. But they are also way more expensive. So try both ways and evaluate how you feel and how your body performs. That’s the true test…performance!

How should you take creatine?

Methods of taking creatine to build lean muscle

How a person takes creatine has undergone a lot of changes since it first arrived on the scene. A loading phase of 15-25 grams per day for 5 days used to be a standard. Cycling, or only staying on for 4-6 weeks, used to be a standard. Taking with juices for insulin spike was suggested. This is no longer recommended due to the conversion to creatinine. We could go on. So how are you supposed to know what is the right way to take creatine? Creatine research has supplied a lot of data. But it has also shown what is useful and what is not.

Creatine Monohydrate, Citrate& Phosphate

How much?

The dose should average .05grams per kilogram of body weight. So a 200lb man (90.9kg) would consume on average 5grams per day. A woman would use the same ratio to arrive at her average daily intake. This is an average recommendation. Raise or lower slightly depending on how you feel.

When?

On workout days it is best to take right after you’ve finished your workout (within the hour). Your muscles are most receptive at this time. On non-workout or sporting days, first thing in the morning is best, but anytime throughout the day is fine.

Mix it with what?

Since creatine monohydrate, citrate and phosphate come in powder form, a liquid transporter is in order. You have to avoid an acid based liquid (orange juice) as this reacts with creatine to create creatinine( pronounced cree’at’in’neen ) which is useless to the body and is evacuated. Mix it in water with Dextrose (corn sugar) at a rate of 35grams per 5 grams of creatine. A sport drink such as Powerade or Gatorade will essentially do the same thing. Grape juice is OK because grapes are an alkaline, not an acid.

How long?

As long as you want! If you continue to feel good and notice results, by all means stay on it. If for whatever reason, you stop noticing results in your training, go off it for a few weeks and then give it another go. That usually does it to spark gains again.

Creatine Ethyl Ester

This form of creatine more often than not comes in a pre-mix formulation. There are so many on the market today. They are blended with transporters, nitric oxide, caffeine and many other stimulants for performance. Do some research and give it a try following the directions on the container closely. It’s definitely one of the more user friendly options out there.

Author Bio: Creatine Monohydrate

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: creatine,creatine loading,load creatine,creatine monohydrate,muscle building,creatine supplements