There can be no doubt that creatine is one of the most effective natural supplements on the market. After all, since its introduction way back in the early 90s, creatine has been heavily researched and consistently proven to work. Armed with that knowledge, if you want fast results from creatine - load it. Follow the loading protocol presented in this article and see results much faster than normal.
What Creatine Is And What It Does
Creatine is produced from 3 amino acids: methionine, arginine, and glycine. It occurs naturally in meats and fish and is synthesized by the liver, pancreas, and kidney.
It's stored in the muscles as creatine phosphate and functions as part of the ATP-CP energy system. Of course, ATP is the immediate energy source for your muscles but it takes less than a second to burn your body's reserve of ATP. Your body has a small reserve of creatine that your muscles quickly convert to ATP. This will power an all-out effort up to 15 seconds. As you might imagine, this energy system powers shorter-duration exercise, such as a typical bodybuilding set.
The more creatine available, the more that can ultimately be used for energy. This allows you to train harder and longer and leads to improved performance, more muscle, and more strength.
What else does creatine do? It acts as a cell volumizer by pulling water into the muscle cells, causing them to expand. Also known as water-based pumps, creatine was the first product to cause this effect. More recently, it's been shown to have cognitive benefits.(1,2)
Loading And Maintenance Protocol
Loading Phase
If you take a single 5 gram dose per day, it will take at least 28 days for creatine to build up in your muscles and start producing results. Or, you can load creatine by taking a 5-gram dose 4 times a day for 5 days. For best results, divide your doses equally throughout the day. This approach will rapidly saturate your muscles, which is the primary benefit. Why take 1 dose per day and wait 4 weeks or more to see results when you can load and see results much sooner? You can take creatine by itself with water, a fast-digesting carb source, your pre-workout, or your post-workout. This makes it easy to get in your 4 doses.
Daily Maintenance Dose
After loading, take a 5-gram dose once per day. You could take it first thing in the morning on off days and with your pre-workout on training days.
Do I Need To Cycle Creatine?
Creatine does not need to be cycled. However, many users do, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
The reason is they believe the constant use builds up a tolerance to its effects. If you cycle off for 4-6 weeks, you’ll experience better effects when you cycle back on.
Recap
We know how important gains are to you. No matter if you use Core Creatine Monohydrate or the legendary Crea-TEN, you can experience the benefits quickly by following the protocol in this article. Stop by 5% Nutrition today and make sure you're stocked! While you're here, check out all our deals!
