Creatine is one of the most popular body building supplements out there, and so naturally there are a lot of questions about what are the proper ways to use it. And just like everything online you’ll get different answers from different sources! Let’s go over a few of the different theories that are out there about how to use creatine.
Creatine Loading
If you’ve ever used creatine before then you’ve probably gone through a creatine loading phase. The standard loading phase would usually be to take up to 20g of creatine a day for 5 days, then back off to a maintenance dose of 5g a day. The idea here was to saturate your muscles with a bunch of extra creatine, so that when you take your daily dose after that you are just replenishing the saturation.
Supplement companies love this idea I’m sure, because by the time you’re done with your loading phase you’ve pretty much gone through your first bottle of creatine! But is it really necessary to do a loading phase?
A lot of people will tell you that it really isn’t necessary. More and more people are starting to realize that if you're going to use creatine for a longer period of time you'll get the same benefits without the loading period. And you'll save a lot of money on the first bottle of creatine as well!
There are also a lot of different creatine cycles out there. I've seen some cycles where you take it for 5 days at a time, some for 3, and some take it every day for a month, then cycle off for a while. In the end you'll have to experiment and see what your body reacts to and works for you since everyone is different.
When to Take Creatine
Another area of confusion for a lot of people is when creatine should be taken. This was a big question that I had when I very first started taking creatine. The standard suggestion has often been to take creatine soon after your workout (unless you are doing a standard loading phase, then you would take it throughout the day). Here is an article by Shannon Clark that suggests the same thing: Getting the Facts Straight on Creatine.
But there are variations to this standard approach as well. For example, if you’re going with the 3 days on 3 days off approach suggested by MuscleHack.com's Mark McManus, you would take creatine before your workout, after your workout, and then at least 2 other times throughout the day.
Once again, it would seem that you will need to experiment and see what works best for you and your body.
Conclusion
My intent in writing this article was not to come out with some kind of decisive solution as to what is the best way to get all the benefits out of using creatine. As you can see, there are several different approaches that different people have found to work for them.
What you really need to do is start with the standard approach. If you get results from that, great! Keep doing what works. If you don't get great results, try one of the other approaches and see if it works better that way. You body will react differently to this and other supplements than other people will react to it. Experiment a little and find out what works for you!
This article was brought to you by Dan Patterson of SupplementPricing.com. Use SupplementPricing.com to find the best prices on your favorite body building supplements including NO2, glutamine, whey protein, and a wide variety of creatine supplements.
Creatine Dietary Supplements,creatine monohydrate dietary supplement,creatine supplements,creatine muscle building
Creatine Loading
If you’ve ever used creatine before then you’ve probably gone through a creatine loading phase. The standard loading phase would usually be to take up to 20g of creatine a day for 5 days, then back off to a maintenance dose of 5g a day. The idea here was to saturate your muscles with a bunch of extra creatine, so that when you take your daily dose after that you are just replenishing the saturation.
Supplement companies love this idea I’m sure, because by the time you’re done with your loading phase you’ve pretty much gone through your first bottle of creatine! But is it really necessary to do a loading phase?
A lot of people will tell you that it really isn’t necessary. More and more people are starting to realize that if you're going to use creatine for a longer period of time you'll get the same benefits without the loading period. And you'll save a lot of money on the first bottle of creatine as well!
There are also a lot of different creatine cycles out there. I've seen some cycles where you take it for 5 days at a time, some for 3, and some take it every day for a month, then cycle off for a while. In the end you'll have to experiment and see what your body reacts to and works for you since everyone is different.
When to Take Creatine
Another area of confusion for a lot of people is when creatine should be taken. This was a big question that I had when I very first started taking creatine. The standard suggestion has often been to take creatine soon after your workout (unless you are doing a standard loading phase, then you would take it throughout the day). Here is an article by Shannon Clark that suggests the same thing: Getting the Facts Straight on Creatine.
But there are variations to this standard approach as well. For example, if you’re going with the 3 days on 3 days off approach suggested by MuscleHack.com's Mark McManus, you would take creatine before your workout, after your workout, and then at least 2 other times throughout the day.
Once again, it would seem that you will need to experiment and see what works best for you and your body.
Conclusion
My intent in writing this article was not to come out with some kind of decisive solution as to what is the best way to get all the benefits out of using creatine. As you can see, there are several different approaches that different people have found to work for them.
What you really need to do is start with the standard approach. If you get results from that, great! Keep doing what works. If you don't get great results, try one of the other approaches and see if it works better that way. You body will react differently to this and other supplements than other people will react to it. Experiment a little and find out what works for you!
This article was brought to you by Dan Patterson of SupplementPricing.com. Use SupplementPricing.com to find the best prices on your favorite body building supplements including NO2, glutamine, whey protein, and a wide variety of creatine supplements.
Creatine Dietary Supplements,creatine monohydrate dietary supplement,creatine supplements,creatine muscle building
1 comments:
I'm a vegetarian, and when I began using creatine, most information I read advised against loading. We do not get much in our normal diet so it was believed that loading was unnecessary to a vegetarian. Just thought I'd add that in.
good article.
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