Best way to use creatine mono?

[SkipToMaLao]

Hey guys, I heard lots of different ways of using creatine monohydrate.
Which is best by your experience? Is 5g enough post workout? Or should I do loading phase as it writes on the tag?

P.s. Im 16 years old, 63-65kg ~173cm.

Your suggestions please

[Psychonewb]

5g is enough, and my recommendation would be to mix it w/ your PWO protein (if you take one) and drink that after your workout.

[B1GinNY82307]

Originally Posted by SkipToMaLao

Hey guys, I heard lots of different ways of using creatine monohydrate.
Which is best by your experience? Is 5g enough post workout? Or should I do loading phase as it writes on the tag?

P.s. Im 16 years old, 63-65kg ~173cm.

Your suggestions please

At 16, normally ppl wouldn't suggest creatine, just the basics (Whey, Multi, SOLID DIET!)
But since you are asking..

As far as timing is concerned, it's really up to you and how your body reacts to the creatine. I have used creatine POST and with great success, but as of late, i have been taking Creatine PRE and strength has gone through the roof! As well as my recovery and endurance during my workout.

Loading is not required as it has been proven to work effectively without the "loading" recommendation. It may just take a little more time to FULLY experience th benefits of creatine mono.

I hope this helped a bit..good luck to ya..

[mer-der-ah]

loading not necessary... it's kinda a waste. in the old days it was common, but now many including myself just use on training days pre and post workout.

new fancy ways to take your creatine is injection or intranasally. jk about the intranasal tho...

your preworkout creatine would be good with r-ala or kr-ala about 30-45 mins pre training. post would be good with some simple sugars and some protein for rapid absorbtion.

[REPS-Forum-Rep]

This study should help:


Creatine can result in increased work capacity when supplemented correctly. Typical supplement protocols call for a loading dose of around about 20 grams per day for 5-7 days. Some studies have used as much as 30-40 grams with elite weight lifters divided into 6 to 8 dosages of 5 grams. These high doses require more effort on the part of the trainer, due to the fact that they have to remember to take 5 grams of creatine 6-8 separate times during the day. There is also another downside, in that the higher loading will cost the customer more than the maintenance dose due to the increase of total product consumed.

A study conducted in 2005 wanted to determine if a low-dose creatine supplementation could enhance performance with out a loading phase. This study had 40 subjects consume 6 grams of creatine in one single dosage or a placebo for the duration of the experiment (6 days). Before and after supplementation with creatine monohydrate the subjects performed three all-out cycling sprints which lasted 15 seconds in duration with one minute recovery between intervals. The 6 grams of creatine, without a loading phase resulted in a reduced fatigue rate among the subjects during interval training. This was determined by a decrease in the drop off in performance from intervals 1 through 3. The evidence that this study presented showcased that creatine loading with 20 grams per day may not be necessary for short-term performance results.

Many other studies have also done similar dosages, but increased the duration to 30 days in order to see if full creatine saturation within the muscle tissue could occur without the typical loading phase of creatine. While this study does not directly relate to workout performance in the gym, it does relate to athletes that need quick bouts of strength or torque for durations that do not last longer than 15 seconds. Hockey, football, and many other sports that require explosive movements should think about supplementing with creatine monohydrate. The loading parameters are also quite similar to that of conventional cardiovascular interval training. Since creatine supplementation results in an increase in total work capacity or volume, due to less drop off, it is likely that creatine supplementation when conducted with interval training can result in more total calories being burned in each training session. This, when compounded over multiple interval cardio sessions during a year could lead to impressive decreases in adipose tissue.

Hoffman JR, Stout JR, Falvo MJ, Kang J, Ratamess NA. Effect of low-dose, short-duration creatine supplementation on anaerobic exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res. 19(2):260-264, 2005.