For the sake keeping this blog short and sweet, we’re going to assume that you already know about creatine. Creatine is one of the most useful, effective, yet cheapest supplements on the market. There are many reasons why creatine should be an essential part of your daily supplement stack. However, if you need a refresher you can check out this blog. Yet like everything in the world of nutrition, there are a few myths hanging around about creatine that just won’t die. One of these is that creatine needs to be cycled to be safe and effective. Read on to find out why the idea of creatine cycling is dead.

When people talk about a creatine cycle they are referring to a three phase cycle. First there is a a high dose loading phase, followed by a lower dose maintenance phase, and finally a period of taking no creatine at all.

Creatine loading is the first phase of the creatine cycle. It refers to a short period of time where you take a high dose of creatine to achieve maximum creatine storage in your muscles as quickly as possible.

A standard creatine loading stage recommends that 0.3g of creatine per kilogram of body weight is consumed each day for 5-7 days. For example, if you weigh 70kg, this would be calculated as follows: 0.3 x 70 = 21g per day.

This load phase daily dose is usually split over 3 or 4 doses in a day. This helps ensure that no digestive discomfort is experienced during the loading phase.

After creatine loading is completed, we move on the to maintenance phase.

A standard maintenance phase recommends that 0.03g of creatine per kilogram of body weight is consumed every day. For example, if you weigh 70kg, this would be calculated as follows: 0.03 x 70 = 2.1g per day.

As daily supplementation does not cause side effects or impact negatively on health (if one does not have any pre-existing health conditions), many people choose to round this up to a flat 5g of creatine per day. This can be taken at any time, as long as it is taken every day.

Do I need to take creatine forever?

You do not needto keep taking creatine everyday. And you can stop supplementing anytime. But study shows that your muscles' creatine levels will start to deplete 2 weeks after you have stopped taking it. And your body will be back to producing its baseline level of 1-2 grams a day after it has washed out extra creatine from your muscles.

Note:

We highly advise that you check with your doctor before deciding to undergo a regular creatine maintenance phase.

The short answer to this is no, you do not need to stop taking creatine for any period of time. Cycling off creatine would result in nothing more than the loss of potential gains. There are three enduring myths fuelling the bro-science behind the idea that creatine needs to be cycled. Lets look at each of these myths now.

There are no negative side effects of creatine use on your liver or kidneys. The scientific literature is full of studies showing creatine to be safe for both short term and long-term use.

However, taking creatine might worsen kidney or liver disease in people who have already been diagnosed with such. If you are unsure, speak with a healthcare professional before using creatine.

Your body doesn’t build up a tolerance to creatine. It is possible that you may no longer consciously register the boost it provides, but this is simply because you are now operating optimally at each session. Just because you don’t notice the impact of creatine supplementation, doesn’t mean you aren’t benefiting. Any plateaus to hypertrophy or strength can more than likely be put down to training or a sad farewell to newbie gains.

There are no scientific studies that suggest your body will stop producing creatine when an external creatine source is supplied for long periods of time. The system that uses creatine in your body is very adaptable and will take any creatine it can when required for explosive movement.