Creatine loading vs daily dosing

The study that settled it

In 1996 Eric Hultman's group took muscle biopsies from 31 men on different creatine protocols and measured total muscle creatine directly.

Side by side

Why loading upsets some stomachs

Creatine that is not absorbed pulls water into the gut. Big single doses make that more likely. A 2008 double-blind study gave 59 top-level soccer players either two 5 g doses a day, a single 10 g dose, or a placebo for 28 days:

Two 5 g doses were no worse than placebo; one 10 g dose doubled the problem. Loading at 20 g a day multiplies that risk unless the dose is split into four servings of about 5 g, taken with meals and plenty of water.

What happens when you stop

In the same 1996 study, muscle creatine fell slowly after supplementation ended, by about 0.4 mmol/kg a day, and was back to baseline about a month later. Two practical consequences:

• Missing a few days does not matter. Stores drain over weeks, not days.
• Cycling on and off has no benefit. You lose the saturation and then rebuild it.

Who should load

• Load if you have an event, trial or testing block within two weeks and want full stores in time.
• Do not bother if you are starting creatine for general training, ageing well or brain health. The month you save is not worth the extra stomach risk.
• Vegetarians and vegans start with lower muscle creatine, so they tend to gain more from either method. Daily dosing still gets there.
• Anyone with kidney disease should ask a doctor before taking creatine in any form. Creatine also raises blood creatinine, which can look like a kidney problem on a routine test, so tell your doctor you take it.

The simplest effective routine

1. Buy plain creatine monohydrate. Other forms cost more without evidence of an advantage.
2. Take 3 to 5 g every day, including rest days, with a meal.
3. Expect noticeable results in training after three to four weeks.
4. Use the creatine calculator if you are over 90 kg or want the loading numbers for your weight.