Here is all the information you need to know about creatine!
And if you dont want to read, you can just check out this video!
How much?
Im sure, that you already heard somewhere, that you should consume 5 grams of creatine per day.
Which is definitely a good recommendation for the average person.
The main keyword here is "average".
You definitely wont go wrong with taking 5 grams of creatine per day, thats for sure.
But if you are a big guy, you would be better off taking something like 7 grams/day.
And if you are smaller, then you probably dont even need 5 grams, you can get away with just 3-4 grams/day.
Loading phases
There are two types of loading phases, that you can use to fully saturate your body with creatine.
You can choose between loading the creatine slowly, and loading it as fast as possible.
1. Slow loading phase
2. Fast loading phase
Slow loading phase
If you choose to load it slowly, then you will take your 5 grams of creatine per day, or whatever else your number is, and you will do that for roughly 3-4 weeks, that will be time it will take your body to be fully saturated with creatine.
And once you reach this point, then you will just keep on taking the same dose every day, so everything will stay exactly the same, even after you reach the point of saturation.
Fast loading phase
If you choose the fast loading method, then you will consume roughly 20-25 grams of creatine per day, for 5-7 days in a row.
Yes, that is a lot of creatine, but it will guarantee that your body will get saturated with creatine as fast as possible.
The bad thing about this, is that you might encounter some stomach discomfort.
Thats why i would highly recommend to split the 20-25 grams into smaller portions throughout the day, which will help you with your stomach discomfort atleast a little bit.
But if you want to avoid the all the possible bathroom incidents altogether, then just stick with the slower loading variation.
You can use the fast loading method if you want to, but i wouldnt recommend it for one simple reason:
No matter if you choose to load creatine slowly, or as fast as possible, after a couple of months, you will be in the same exact spot, no matter which loading method you chose.
So in my eyes, the slow loading method is superior, just because in wont disrupt your life with frequent restroom visits..
Creatine timing
You might have heard some people recommend that you should consume creatine before the workout, after the workout, in the morning, and whatever else it might be..
But this REALLY doesnt matter at all.
The most important thing is, that you dont forget about taking your creatine, rather than trying to consume it in a specific time window.
Because CONSISTENCY is the key here, so no matter what time of the day it is, just get it in.
If you forget about it a couple of times, nothing bad will happen, because creatine will stay in your system for roughly 4 weeks, so if you miss a couple of days, its completely fine.
What i like to do personally, to make sure that i dont forget, is to always mix it into my protein shake.
This has become a habit for me, so i basically never forget about it.
I would recommend you to do something similar, build up a habit of taking creatine in a certain time of the day, that is connected to something that you always do every day, that way, you will never forget about it!
Types of creatine
Always buy creatine monohydrate, and not any other type of creatine.
If someone tries to sell you any other type of creatine than monohydrate, then most of the time, it will be just a scam.
Saying that their „special creatine“ is way better than monohydrate, and then charging 10x the price for it, should really be considered a crime.
So dont get sucked into the deceptive advertising and just stick with monohydrate!
Not only that you will save money, but you will also get a way better product.
Hair loss
Straight up, this is just not true.
This myth, is a product of one inaccurate study.
And because people back then didnt know any better, it caught on as this myth, that we cant seem to get rid of..
What is really comes down to, is genetics, and thats it.
If you are genetically predisposed to losing hair, then you will lose your hair no matter if you take creatine or not.
And if you have amazing hair genetics, then you would probably not lose your hair even if you blasted PEDs.
So dont be afraid of losing your hair, when you start taking creatine, because it was all pre-determined when you were brought into this world.
So if anything, go blame your parents, and not creatine.
Water retention
As you might have already known, creatine increases water retention.
So you can expect to gain 2-4 lbs of „water weight“ when you fully saturate your body with creatine.
This „water weight“ that you will gain, will be mostly absorbed by your muscles, which will make them look bigger.
So to absolutely simplify it: muscle + water = bigger muscle, its really as simple as that.
Can teenagers take creatine?
This of course isnt medical advice, but my answer would absolutely be yes.
Creatine is something that your body produces naturally in smaller doses, and you can also get it from food, so in my eyes, there is no reason why you shoudnt be able to supplement with creatine, when its readily available from natural sources.
So supplementing with creatine as a young teenager, should be completely safe.
Vegans/Vegetarians
Vegans and vegetarians have no way of getting creatine from their diet, because creatine is only present in animal sources like red meat.
So their creatine stores are depleted even more than of a normal omnivore person.
Which means, that they will get HUGE amount of benefits from supplementing with creatine.
Not only gains in the gym, but also cognitive benefits!
So even people that dont workout would greatly benefit from supplementing with creatine.
Well, thats all you need to know about creatine!