Creatine cure with and without loading phase

Creatine cures can be divided into different variants: The creatine cure with loading phase and a cure without loading phase. In a creatine cure with loading phase, a very high dosage is used in the first week, which can be up to four times as high as in the rest of the cure period. The goal of this first week is to achieve a rapid increase in strength.

In the first five days, up to 20 grams of creatine per day are therefore taken. These 20 grams are divided into four times five grams of creatine each. As described above, these four creatine meals should be taken in the morning, before and after training and in the evening.

On days when there is no training, the first portion of creation should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach, the remaining portions should ideally be taken between meals. Starting from the sixth day, one now goes down from the 20 grams per day to only three to five grams of creatine. This is the so-called maintenance dose and is taken until the end of the cure (after twelve weeks).

In summary, the plan for a creatine cure with additional loading phase can be described as follows: On days one to five, a total dose of 20 grams of creatine per day is administered, distributed over four intake points each containing five grams of creatine. These four intake points are distributed throughout the day and should be taken after getting up, before and after training and in the evening. From the sixth day onwards, you will only take three to five grams of creatine daily, and this dose will be taken at only one intake point, in the morning or after training.

In a creatine cure without loading phase, the high dosage is omitted in the first five days. This may have several reasons and may have to do not only with individual preferences but also with the creatine tolerance of each individual.Without the loading phase, you start directly with the maintenance phase, and this does not result in high creatine doses (20 grams) as in the cure with loading phase. Over twelve weeks of the cure, three to five grams of creatine are taken daily, no matter in which form.

The time of intake is either before training or in the morning. Both variants of the cure have their advantages and also disadvantages. In the creatine cure with loading phase, one should take a break of at least four weeks.

The cure without loading phase has an unlimited period of time (the cure with loading phase has a period of twelve weeks), and a break after the cycle is not necessary, so you can make it a continuous intake. The advantage of a cure with a loading phase is a fast increase in strength, whereas a cure without a loading phase is more likely to provide an effective continuous increase in strength. The disadvantage of a creatine cure without loading phase is a smaller increase in muscle volume.

In the cure with loading phase, one must expect possible side effects due to the high dosages. This is generally expected mainly in the first week, as the dosage of 20 grams is very high during this week. Another disadvantage is that no effect of the creatine can be expected during the cure break. Also, the muscle volume decreases slightly during the break.