In 30 seconds
- A loading phase is about 20 g of creatine a day, in 4 servings of 5 g, for 5-7 days. It fills your muscles in a week.
- With 3 g a day you reach a similar level in about 4 weeks: in Hultman's study, muscle creatine had already risen by 12% by day 14.
- In a meta-analysis of 23 trials, loading or not loading made no significant difference to what creatine added to strength.
- When loading, a large share is lost in urine, up to 68% of the dose on the third day, and large servings cause more digestive discomfort.
You do not need one. At 3 g a day, your muscles reach a creatine level similar to that of a loading phase, just in about 4 weeks instead of one 1. Loading helps you get there sooner, not further.
Here is what it involves, what happens in your muscle with each regimen, its downsides and what to do if you have already started.
What a loading phase is
It is a way of starting creatine with large amounts for a few days. The classic regimen is 5 g four times a day for 5-7 days, or about 0.3 g per kilo of body weight a day, followed by a daily maintenance dose 2.
For a 75 kg person, that is about 22 g a day: more than seven times the 3 g in one scoop.
It comes from the earliest studies. In 1992, one of them gave 5 g of creatine 4 or 6 times a day for at least 2 days. Muscle creatine rose, by up to 50% in some people, and more in those who started from low levels 3.
No loading, 3 g a day
How your muscle fills up with one scoop a day
What happens in your muscle: 20 g or 3 g
The study that explains it best is Hultman's, with 31 healthy men and muscle biopsies before, during and after taking creatine 1:
| Regimen | What happened to muscle creatine |
|---|---|
| 20 g a day for 6 days | It rose by about 20% in a week |
| 20 g a day for 6 days, then 2 g a day | It stayed high for the following 4 weeks |
| 20 g a day for 6 days, then nothing | It returned to its normal level in about 30 days |
| 3 g a day for 28 days | It rose by 12% by day 14 and reached a level similar to loading by the end |
Source: Hultman et al., 1996. 31 healthy men; creatine measured with a biopsy of the thigh muscle.
The authors' conclusion: 20 g a day for 6 days is a quick way to load the muscle, and 3 g a day for at least 4 weeks reaches a similar level, more slowly 1.
What is more, muscle has a ceiling. Taking creatine raises its creatine and phosphocreatine by 20-40%, and in most people muscle does not store more than about 160 mmol per kilo of dry muscle 2. Once it is full, any extra does not stay in.
Some people start lower: vegetarians have less creatine in their muscles, between 90 and 110 mmol per kilo, and may notice the rise more 2.
More strength with loading?
What matters to you is not how long your muscle takes to fill up, but what creatine adds to your training. In a meta-analysis of 23 trials with adults under 50 who did strength training, loading or not loading made no significant difference to what creatine added to strength 4.
Those training programmes lasted between 4 and 12 weeks 4: plenty of time for a daily scoop to fill the muscle 1. How much strength creatine adds, and why, is in creatine for strength.
What gets lost
How much stays and how much is lost during loading
The downsides of loading
A lot of it is lost in urine
In the 1992 study, with 6 servings of 5 g a day, the muscle took up about 32% of the dose in the first few days. In urine, 40% was excreted on the first day, 61% on the second and 68% on the third 3. As the muscle fills up, less and less of it stays.
More weight at the start
When you start loading, your body passes less urine: in Hultman's study, about 0.6 litres less, which points to water retention. The authors report weight gains of 0.5-1 kg with 5-6 days of 20 g a day 1. Weight gain is the only side effect that comes up consistently in studies, according to the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2.
At low doses it is different. In a trial with 2.3 g a day for 6 weeks, neither body weight nor body water changed, and fatigue resistance in repeated sets improved by 7-11% 5. If you are worried about bloating, we go through it in creatine myths, and if you are on a cut, in creatine during a cut.
More digestive discomfort with large servings
In 59 footballers, a single 10 g serving a day caused diarrhoea in 55.6%, compared with 28.6% when it was split into two 5 g servings and 35% on placebo 6. Loading phases split their 20 g into several servings, but it is still a lot of grams a day.
Well above what is considered safe in a supplement
AESAN, Spain's food safety agency, describes regimens of 20-25 g a day for 3-7 days as very high doses. It considers 3 g a day acceptable in a supplement for healthy adults, and Spanish food supplement rules list creatine monohydrate with a maximum dose of 3 g a day 7.
If you drink coffee every day
A review of 10 studies concluded that taking caffeine every day during a loading phase could interfere with the effect of creatine. A single dose before training, on the other hand, does not seem to clash with it 8. We explain it in creatine and caffeine.
No loading
Your first month of creatine, without a loading phase
How to start without loading
- One 3 g scoop a day, every day, including rest days.
- Give yourself time: if you are preparing for an event or starting a strength block, start about 4 weeks beforehand 1.
- With food, if it suits you: taking it with carbohydrates, or with carbohydrates and protein, seems to help the muscle retain more creatine 2.
- Whenever is easiest for you: we give you ideas in when to take creatine.
When will your muscles be fully loaded? Work it out with our creatine calculator. And if you want to know why 3 g and not 5, it is all in how much creatine to take.
If you have already loaded
Switch to 3 g a day. In Hultman's study, after loading, 2 g a day was enough to keep the muscle full for another 4 weeks 1. Your daily scoop covers that maintenance.
If you stop one day, no problem: muscle creatine gradually returns to its normal level. It took about 30 days in Hultman's study 1 and usually takes 4-6 weeks, according to the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2.
The official claim, with 3 g a day
In the EU, the health claim for creatine on performance is based on a daily intake of 3 g:
- “Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise.” The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. It is for adults who do high-intensity exercise 9.
A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.
If you are over 55, we explain it in creatine after 50. And if you have kidney disease, check with your doctor first: AESAN states that creatine should not be used in that case 7.
Our creatine
Our Creatine monohydrate is designed to be taken without loading: one 3 g scoop a day. The 400 g tub holds about 133 scoops, more than 4 months' worth, at €0.17 a day. It is micronised to 200 mesh, unflavoured and with a single ingredient.
Everything we have for strength training is in Strength & Muscle.
Frequently asked questions
Is a creatine loading phase necessary?
No. At 3 g a day, muscle creatine reaches a level similar to that of a loading phase in about 4 weeks. Loading only speeds up the process.
How many days does a creatine loading phase last?
The classic regimen lasts 5-7 days, with 5 g four times a day or about 0.3 g per kilo of body weight. After that, you switch to a daily maintenance dose.
What happens if I skip the loading phase?
Nothing: you get to the same place a little later. In Hultman's study, at 3 g a day muscle creatine had already risen by 12% by day 14, and by day 28 it was at a level similar to that of loading.
Does a loading phase make you gain weight?
It is the most common outcome: in the first few days your body holds on to some water, and weight gain is the only side effect that comes up consistently in studies. At low doses, a trial with 2.3 g a day for 6 weeks found no change in weight.
What should I do after the loading phase?
Switch to 3 g a day, every day. In Hultman's study, 2 g a day was enough to keep the muscle full for the 4 weeks after loading.
Sources
- Hultman E, Söderlund K, Timmons JA, Cederblad G, Greenhaff PL. Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol. 1996;81(1):232-237. View publication
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, Ziegenfuss TN, Wildman R, Collins R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. View publication
- Harris RC, Söderlund K, Hultman E. Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clin Sci (Lond). 1992;83(3):367-374. View publication
- Wang Z, Qiu B, Li R, Han Y, Petersen C, Liu S, Zhang Y, Liu C, Candow DG, Del Coso J. Effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training on muscle strength gains in adults <50 years of age: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2024;16(21):3665. View publication
- Rawson ES, Stec MJ, Frederickson SJ, Miles MP. Low-dose creatine supplementation enhances fatigue resistance in the absence of weight gain. Nutrition. 2011;27(4):451-455. View publication
- Ostojic SM, Ahmetovic Z. Gastrointestinal distress after creatine supplementation in athletes: are side effects dose dependent? Res Sports Med. 2008;16(1):15-22. View publication
- AESAN Scientific Committee. Report on the risk associated with the consumption of food supplements containing creatine as an ingredient. Journal of the AESAN Scientific Committee. 2024;39:47-62. View publication
- Elosegui S, López-Seoane J, Martínez-Ferrán M, Pareja-Galeano H. Interaction between caffeine and creatine when used as concurrent ergogenic supplements: a systematic review. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2022;32(4):285-295. View publication
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 of 16 May 2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children's development and health. View publication
Information based on published studies. It does not replace the advice of a doctor or registered dietitian. The results describe what was measured in each study, not the properties of any specific product.
