You should pause your creatine supplementation for anywhere between 7 to 14 days (preferably 2 weeks), before beginning again to take creatine.
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.
If you want to take a break from creatine or stop altogether, by all means. If you're training hard enough, it's likely you won't see many drastic changes as far as loss of strength is concerned. However, if you want to stop due to supposed water retention that causes weight gain, we'd suggest you rethink it.
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.
Missing a dose won't cause issues, won't be the end of the world, and won't make as much of an impact as you'd think. As per a study, people who went through the loading phase and increased their creatine saturation by 20% and then stopped, witnessed only a drop of 5% in their creatine muscle saturation.
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.
Will you lose muscle when you stop taking creatine? No. You won't lose the strength and hypertrophy gains you built while taking creatine once you stop. You may notice your muscles appear less “full” due to losing the water weight gained during creatine monohydrate supplementation.
The side effects that may be experienced include a change in muscle mass, fatigue, and loss of water weight. While there may even be a temporary reduction in the body's natural creatine production, they typically will return to normal in about 4-6 weeks.
The simple answer is that your body will go back to producing energy the way it did before you started supplementing with creatine. However, your body's creatine stores will be depleted, especially in muscle and the brain. Creatine withdrawal can cause lethargy and tiredness, lasting anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks.
A case could be made for the need to cycle creatine if it either: a) stops being as effective after prolonged supplementation because your body builds a tolerance, or b) prolonged supplementation impairs natural production.
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.
However, as mentioned above, you may lose water weight when you stop taking creatine. As a result, your muscles may not look as "full" and you may notice the number on the scale drop. But as long as you're maintaining a healthy body weight, this drop shouldn't be a cause for concern.
One common question among athletes: Should I take creatine on off days? 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.
Last Updated: There is no convincing evidence that creatine can increase your testosterone levels. Creatine is known for reliably improving physical performance. Less commonly, it has also been marketed as a testosterone booster.
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).
What happens if I Forget to Take Creatine One Day? Nothing, it generally takes 4–6 weeks for creatine stores to return to baseline if you stop taking it completely. If you forget, then just start again tomorrow and try to think if you need a different routine or reminder so you don't forget next time (1).
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.
Will I look more cut off creatine? 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.
Creatine is a vasodilator that forces more liquid and blood to the muscles which means that your muscles will look better because they are fuller. It also continues to build your muscles while you are losing body fat from traditional fat loss measures like caloric deficit and increased cardio.
The short answer is: yes, creatine can make you gain weight. Studies demonstrate that you can gain weight rapidly when you take creatine, especially if you use a loading phase. For example, a 2003 study found that after 30 days of high-dose creatine supplementation, the participants gained an average of 3.75 pounds[*].
When used orally at appropriate doses, creatine is likely safe to take for up to five years. As with any dietary supplement, it's important to choose a product that follows recommended manufacturing practices and subscribes to third-party testing to ensure the product's quality.
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.