Loading phase: 5-7 days of 20-25g per day, split into 5g doses throughout the day. Rest period: 2-4 weeks off creatine (other supplements can be used during this time) before the next loading phase and cycle begin again.
You can supplement Creatine all year round but taking a break every 12 weeks is recommended.
A loading phase of 5-7 days of 20-30g per day, split into separate doses. A maintenance phase of 3-5g per day, lasting for 4-6 weeks. This is followed by a time of phase, lasting from 2 – 4 weeks, before considering starting another whole new cycle again.
Creatine does not need to be cycled. The traditional usage of creatine cycles (1 week loading, 3 weeks maintenance, 1-2 weeks off) is fairly redundant anyways as creatine takes much longer to clear the body[4].
Actual science has shown that there's no reason to cycle off creatine. While you take it, your body's own production of creatine will slow some, but it will continue to produce it, and your natural levels will return to normal if/when you do stop taking it.
Stopping creatine supplementation is safe and can be done at any time. You may experience a slight decrease in strength, performance, and body weight, but the impact should not be significant. There is no set timeline for how long you can or should take creatine supplements.
Without creatine supplements, your muscles may not be able to keep up with what you're doing. You'll lose muscle mass when you stop creatine supplements. However, you need to know that creatine neither directly adds to muscle mass nor its loss when stopped.
Answer: You should never miss a full day. If you do, then double up the next day. If you miss more than 3 days, reload otherwise taking the daily maintenance dose will require a couple of weeks to get you back where you should have been to maximize benefit.
Typically the aim is to take 5g of creatine 4 or 5 times per day. You could take all 20g at once or 10g 2 times per day -this will depend on individual tolerance as some people are fine with these doses- but most of the evidence has come from smaller, more frequent serves.
Bottom line. Creatine supplementation enhances exercise performance, but most studies show that it has no effect on testosterone levels.
We recommend using creatine continuously. The recommended daily dose is between 3 and 5 grams. Continuous creatine intake – on exercise and training days as well as training-free days – promotes increased performance and muscle-building.
You should pause your creatine supplementation for anywhere between 7 to 14 days (preferably 2 weeks), before beginning again to take creatine.
If you decide to take a break from creatine for a week, it's not the end of the world. Creatine is a supplement that helps your body produce more energy, so if you stop taking it for a few days, you won't notice any immediate changes in your performance or energy levels.
What happens if I skip a day of creatine? If you skip a day of creatine, it is possible that your muscles may not recover as quickly from your workouts. However, there are other supplements or techniques that can help promote muscle recovery on rest days, such as protein shakes and stretching.
The gains from creatine can be both temporary and permanent. While the muscle mass gained during the first week of use is typically not permanent, gains made over a longer period can be maintained even after stopping creatine supplementation.
When someone stops taking creatine, they may experience some minor side effects, but these should disappear as the body returns to its base levels of creatine production. The side effects that may be experienced include a change in muscle mass, fatigue, and loss of water weight.
When you stop taking creatine monohydrate, you may experience temporary side effects, including water weight loss, decreased creatine production in the body, fatigue and muscle weakness.
When used orally at appropriate doses, creatine is likely safe to take for up to five years.
As such, when you stop taking creatine, the muscle you built while supplementing with creatine will remain in place. However, you may notice less muscle fullness (due to reduced water retention) as well as a slight drop off in performance (due to lower stores of creatine in the muscle).
Doses up to 25 grams daily for up to 14 days have been safely used. Lower doses up to 4-5 grams daily for up to 18 months have also been safely used. Creatine is possibly safe when taken long-term. Doses up to 10 grams daily for up to 5 years have been safely used.
Based on the results, the researchers concluded that 3g per day is a sufficient dose for most lifters. This makes sense, given that studies have shown a significant improvement in performance from creatine supplementation with dosages of around 0.03g/kg/day.
A 2-pound steak only has about 5 grams of creatine in it. Five grams of the supplement form of creatine fit in a teaspoon. Thus, supplementing with creatine allows us to significantly increase the creatine levels in our cells without the burden of eating large quantities of meat.
Is 10g of creatine a day too much? For most individuals, a daily maintenance dose of 3 - 5g of creatine is sufficient. Taking 10g per day may lead to side effects such as bloating and stomach discomfort. However, during a loading phase, a temporary daily intake of 20g (split into four 5g servings) is common.