Creatine monohydrate: use, suggestions and observations

There are various sources that advocate different regimens for creatine monohydrate. Since research and practice in this area are somewhat conflicting and it is not possible to find the best way to use creatine monohydrate, I will present you the method that does not conflict with theory and at the same time has been proven in practice. It is a convenient and clear method of use, without “loading phases”, to minimize the side effects of creatine and achieve maximum effect.

Creatine use

For those who don’t know what loads are for, I’ll explain it briefly: creatine accumulates in the muscles and the stored reserves are limited. Our goal is to fill the muscles as much as possible with creatine. By doing a “loading phase” (using 10 g or more of creatine per 30 kg of body weight per day, for 4-7 days), we can fill the muscles with creatine in a short time and thus quickly increase strength and other positive effects of creatine, but by using large doses of creatine we significantly increase the likelihood of side effects and the likelihood of injury, which increases due to a very rapid increase in strength (the strongest effect occurs in those who use creatine for the first time).

However, you can load the muscles gradually, over the course of 3-4 weeks. This way your strength will gradually increase and the possibility of side effects due to the much smaller daily doses of creatine will be significantly reduced.

Creatine for users in cycles, with a break between them:

• Optimal cycle length: 6-8 weeks.
• Break: at least 4 weeks. If the break is too short, the effect of the next usage cycle will be weaker.
• Daily rate of creatine: 5 g per 30 kg of body weight per day. (For example, if you weigh 60 kg, take 10 g per day. If you weigh 90 kg, take 15 g per day.)

Divide the daily dose of creatine into 2 parts and drink at different times. For example, if you need to consume 10 g of creatine per day: on the day of training, drink 5 g immediately after waking up in the morning, on an empty stomach, and drink another 5 g immediately after training or 30 minutes before training (after training you can drink it together with a protein or gainer). On non-training days, drink 5 g in the morning immediately after waking up, on an empty stomach, and 5 g in the afternoon or evening, between meals. After taking creatine, you can eat after 30 minutes. If you can’t take creatine in the morning, take that dose at another time. The most important thing is to drink on an empty stomach: this way the creatine will be absorbed better.

Take creatine with water. The amount of water can vary from 100ml to 300ml, as much as is convenient for you. However, don’t forget to drink plenty of fluids (3-4 l) during the day. This is not only necessary for better creatine performance, but in general a greater intake of fluids is necessary during sporting activity. You can also take creatine with juice, for better taste, but do not take it with milk – it negatively affects the absorption of creatine.

Other tips and observations on using creatine monohydrate

To obtain better absorption, 10-15g can be drunk together with glucose. You can drink creatine at the same time as other supplements: proteins, gainers, amino acids and the like.

Some observations and suggestions:

• If you haven’t taken a dose of creatine at some point, don’t worry, take it at another time. When you take creatine is not as important as taking the right dose throughout the day.
• Do not keep creatine in water for a long time. While there are many different studies with different conclusions on the stability of creatine, simply take your creatine within 20 minutes of mixing in water or juice and you won’t have to worry about the creatine converting to an ineffective form.
• The micronization of creatine varies. The finer it is, the faster it dissolves in water, so the finer it does not need to be dissolved for a long time, and well-dissolved creatine is better absorbed by the body. So it is better to buy micronized (micronized, micro, pure) creatine.
• A heaped teaspoon corresponds to a dose of approximately 5 g of creatine, be guided by this if you use powdered creatine. By the way, it is not necessary to dose exactly, if you consume more or less, there will be no significant difference in the effect.
• It is not necessary to take creatine with grape juice. Manufacturers often recommend grape juice because it contains a lot of glucose, which helps the absorption of creatine. However, you can buy pure glucose in stores (supermarkets), which costs incomparably cheaper than the same glucose in grape juice.
• The slight water retention caused by creatine monohydrate is not a harmful effect. It even has a positive effect, positively influencing protein synthesis, muscle volume and strength due to cellular hydration. By the way, there are opinions that all forms of creatine store water, but scientific research in this area is still lacking.
• The cheapest form of creatine monohydrate is powder. However, if you want more convenient usage, you can choose capsules or tablets. The form in which creatine is present does not affect the effect, only the price of the form differs: tablets and capsules are usually several times more expensive.

The article discusses the use of creatine monohydrate if you use other forms of creatine (for example kre-alkalyn, creatine CLH, creatine-ethyl-ester and similar) – the indicated quantities are not valid, because different forms of creatine have different absorption efficiency, which also determines the amount used.