Does creatine need to be loaded?
No it does not, and it shouldn’t be. Back when creatine first became popular, it was suggested that creatine needed to be loaded, as in taking a large dose of it for a few days to speed up how soon the muscles will become saturated, and then drop down to a maintenance dose from that point on. It kind of makes sense, but it’s also what causes the mild stomach-related side effects. These days anyone with half a brain recommends skipping the loading and just starting off with the maintenance dose. The only difference will be that instead of seeing the effects of creatine in a week, it will now take you 20-30 days. The end result will be exactly the same, it will just take slightly longer to get there. So, even if your creatine says “Take 20 grams per day for 5 days, and then 5-10 grams per day after that,” just ignore it. Instead, take 5 grams per day… period. And no, that’s not a typo. 5 grams per day, that’s it. Anything more will just go to waste in your body.
