![\"Creatine:](\"http:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Creatine-To-Load-or-Not.jpg\")
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Creatine is one of the most studied and researched supplements out there. Creatine helps muscular strength [1]<\/a> and muscular endurance [2]<\/a>. In older populations, it\u2019s also been shown to help prevent lean muscle loss when accompanied by a resistant training program. [3]<\/a> There are many benefits to creatine.<\/p>\n The question is: is it necessary to \u201cload\u201d it?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For those of you not familiar with my terminology, creatine loading begins when you first start taking creatine. Typically, loading lasts about 3-5 days. During those initial days, you take more creatine than you typically need. Most common doses are 20-30g per day, spread out over 3-5 servings. Some people can tolerate this no problem. Others can struggle with these amounts. While no serious damage can be done at the above doses, in the short term, some side effects can include: diarrhea, stomach pangs, and a puffy, bloated feeling. Nothing serious but worth noting.<\/p>\n No. Creatine loading is not necessary. The only benefit of loading is faster saturation of phosphocreatine stores in muscle tissue. Phosphocreatine serves as a storage tank for your muscles. When your muscles are being taxed, through CrossFit or various forms of lifting, for example, your body begins to transfer phosphocreatine into ATP. ATP is the substance your body utilizes for quick energy and contracting muscles.<\/p>\n By saturating the muscle with supplemental creatine, you are keeping these phosphocreatine reserves full. It should go without saying that a full gas tank takes a car further than half a gas tank, given that everything else remains the same. Same thing here. Those who supplement with enough creatine keep these reserves filled and are therefore able to train harder and longer.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t see the need to saturate the muscle as quickly as possible. The benefits of taking creatine are cumulative and derive from the consistent use over a longer time period. Having said that, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything wrong with loading and if it makes you happy, go for it. It won\u2019t hurt a bit.\u00a0Personally, I\u2019ve loaded and not loaded. I haven\u2019t noticed much of a difference. When I do notice a difference, is when I am consistently<\/em> taking it. That\u2019s the most critical part, as with anything,\u00a0consistency.<\/em>\u00a0Decide whether to load it or not and go with it!<\/p>\n One quick issue I want to address is that there are people who claim that creatine is just water weight and any increase in size will dissipate when you stop using creatine. That\u2019s only partially true. Yes, creatine does help you hold water. BUT, creatine works inside of the muscle cells, as I\u2019ve briefly discussed above. Therefore, it helps to draw water inside of the muscle. If you don\u2019t think that\u2019s a good thing, just remember that your muscles are ~70% water.<\/p>\n If you holding on to extra water weight subcutaneously (just under your\u00a0skin), it is your diet to blame, not supplemental creatine. Creatine does not work outside of the muscle cells. Therefore, it\u2019s not going to cause water retention. Keep your maintenance dosage around 5-10g per day and you need not worry about getting a bloated physique.<\/p>\n Creatine Monohydrate is the most studied and proven form available. It\u2019s wicked cheap and worth every penny. If you see an ad for creatine that will give you \u201cless water retention,\u201d just re-read the above paragraph.<\/p>\n In my experience, 5-10g per day is the sweet spot. After a few weeks, at this dosage, your cells should be adequately saturated and you will begin reaping all the benefits of creatine supplementation.<\/p>\n As far as timing is concerned, I have always suggested taking creatine post workout along with your protein shake. As usual, the research is a bit mixed on this subject. From what I seen, it doesn\u2019t make much of a difference. Post workout works well for most because, as I\u2019ve stated before, some people can\u2019t tolerate creatine before strenuous exercise. Post workout seems to be best, in general. [4]<\/a><\/p>\n The benefits of creatine lay in the long-term effects of consistent use. It will take some time for you to reap the benefits of creatine, but it\u2019s worth it. Creatine is one of the most beneficial supplements out there. No matter the goal, creatine is there to help. It\u2019ll help preserve lean muscle while trying to shred up. It\u2019ll help you pack on some quality size and strength gains. Heck, it can even improve your driving distance on the golf course. [5]<\/a><\/p>\n I hope you have decided to take creatine. I think you\u2019ll be very happy with the results you get. Remember, creatine is not going to do the work for you. It\u2019s going to allow you to get better<\/em> results from your hard work. Hard work, consistency, and dedication are still in the recipe for your health and fitness goals.<\/p>\n Sources<\/u><\/strong> Creatine is one of the most studied and researched supplements out there. Creatine helps muscular strength [1] and muscular endurance [2]. In older populations, it\u2019s also been shown to help prevent lean muscle loss when accompanied by a resistant training program. [3] There are many benefits to creatine. The question is: is it necessary to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[131,18],"tags":[8,22,132,133,134,6],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutritionly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Is Loading Necessary?<\/h3>\n
Just “Water Weight?”<\/h3>\n
Creatine Type<\/h3>\n
Daily Amount<\/h3>\n
When Do I Take It?<\/h3>\n
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\n[1] Precario et al.<\/em> \u201cEffects of creatine supplementation on oxidative stress profile of athletes.<\/a>\u201d Journal of the Interntational Society of Sports Nutrition, 2015<\/em>; 9(1): 56. doi:10.1186\/1550-2783-9-56
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\n[2] Tyka et al<\/em>. \u201cEffect of creatine malate supplementation on physical performance on physical performance, body composition and selected hormone levels in sprinters and long-distance runners<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0Acts Physiologica Hungarica, 2015<\/em>; 102*(1): 114-122. doi:10.1556\/APhysiol.1022015.1.12
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\n[3] Devries, MC & Phillips, SM. \u201cCreatine supplementation during resistance training in older <\/a>adults-a meta-analysis.<\/a>\u201d Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise, 2014<\/em>; 46(6):1194-1203. doi:10.1249\/MSS.0000000000000220
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\n[4]\u00a0Antonio, J & Ciccone V. \u201cThe effects of pre versus post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strength.<\/a>\u201d Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2013<\/em>; 10:36. doi:10.1186\/1550-2783-10-36
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\n[5] Ziegenfuss et al.<\/em> \u201cEffects of a dietary supplement on golf drive distance and functional indices of golf performance<\/a>.\u201d Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2015<\/em>; 12(1). doi:10.1186\/s12970-014-0065-4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"