The short answer is yes, but you can also skip some days. "Research suggests that creatine stores can be maintained at high levels even if creatine is not taken every single day," says Paul Falcone, senior scientist for LADDER.
Yes, it's completely safe to skip a day of creatine supplementation without experiencing any harmful or detrimental effects. If you happen to miss a day of supplementation, it won't have a significant impact on the overall levels of creatine in your body.
Experts say it's generally not a good idea to stop taking creatine abruptly. Instead, it's best to slowly wean yourself off of it by reducing your dosage over time. This will help minimize potential side effects and allow your body to adjust to its normal state gradually.
On training days depending on the form of Creatine, take around 2-5g with your post-workout shake or your first meal of the day. You can supplement Creatine all year round but taking a break every 12 weeks is recommended. Have a 4 week period off Creatine and cycle it like that on a consistent basis.
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.
You can stop supplementing anytime you want. But your muscles' creatine levels will start to deplete about two weeks after you stop taking it. In 4-6 weeks, the extra creatine will wash out of your muscles altogether, and your body will be back at producing its baseline level of 1-2 grams a day.
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.
All muscle built while using creatine will remain, and your work out will remain effective. You may notice a gradual decrease of exercise effectiveness, though it will simply return to your pre-creatine results, and no worse.
You may also notice a difference in your abilities as far as exercise goes, especially if you do high-intensity workouts. “Some people who stop taking creatine may experience effects such as loss of muscle mass, strength, or endurance; on the other hand, some people report no side effects.”
Nothing happens, if you eat meat in your diet, you're already getting protein, BCAA, and creatine already. Even if you don't, your body most likely have stored some up before. So missing a dose or two, is not a big deal, and if you're eating meat in your diet, you don't even need supplements.
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.
You'll lose Body Weight.
As mentioned, with decreased creatine production, you're going to lose weight, but this will largely be in part due to a loss in water weight. When you take creatine monohydrate, higher amounts are stored in the muscles. Due to their osmotic nature, they cause more water retention in the cells.
How much bigger does creatine make you? It depends on your exercise routine. But some studies show that people who take creatine supplements may gain an extra two to four pounds of muscle mass during four to 12 weeks of regular exercise than people who don't take creatine.
The study found that those who consumed creatine lost about a pound more fat compared to those who didn't. The authors also found that those consuming creatine gained a significant amount of lean muscle mass.
To maximise results with creatine, cycling is recommended. Remember to have a break between cycles and increase daily water intake when using creatine.
As such, there is no need to cycle creatine. Unlike some supplements, creatine won't lose its effectiveness with prolonged use, and your body doesn't need periodic breaks from it to avoid side effects. So, if you use creatine and like how it affects your body, just keep using it. There is no reason to cycle creatine.
Experts recommend creatine cycling: After taking creatine for a maximum of 8 weeks, you should stop, allowing your body to self-regulate its normal production. As long as you keep working out, you won't lose your muscle gains. Take a 2-week break, and if you'd like, you can continue supplementation.
The most common Creatine Cycle
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.
The supplements will ensure that your muscles have plenty of fuel to live off of. If you're looking to maintain your muscle growth, it is recommended that you take about 5 grams of creatine every day. However, if you don't like the idea of taking these supplements every day, you can always skip a day.
Yes, you should take creatine on off days. To reap the benefits of creatine, you need to take it consistently so your body has enough creatine stores to use during exercise. Not taking it on your rest days reduces the amount of creatine in your cells, and your body won't have as much to utilize at your next workout.
No, going off of creatine will not make you look more cut. Creatine increases muscle mass but does not increase body fat. The weight gained from taking creatine is from water retention in the muscle cells. But this only causes the muscles to potentially look bigger and does not appear as added weight to the body.