A creatine loading phase means taking about 20 grams a day for the first several days, then dropping to a normal daily serving. It is printed on a lot of tubs. It works. It is also optional. Loading and plain 5 grams a day end at the same place. The only differences are how fast you get there and what it costs you on the way.
The short answer
- You do not need a loading phase.
- One 5 gram serving a day fills your muscle stores in about 3 to 4 weeks.
- Loading, around 20 grams a day split into smaller servings, gets you there in about 5 to 7 days.
- After saturation the results are the same. Loading trades speed for more product and a higher chance of stomach upset.
Loading changes the speed, not the ceiling
Creatine works by raising the amount stored in your muscles. Most people start below the maximum. Supplementing fills the store, and once it is full, a daily serving keeps it there. That full state is called saturation.
Call it the saturation rule: the store has a ceiling, and the goal is to reach it and stay there. Loading is a way to reach it sooner by taking more up front. It does not raise the ceiling. A saturated muscle is a saturated muscle, however it got there.
The 1996 study that settled the question
The clearest data comes from Hultman and colleagues, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 1996. They compared two approaches in healthy men.
- One group took 20 grams a day for six days. Muscle creatine rose by about 20 percent within that week.
- Another group took 3 grams a day for 28 days. Muscle creatine rose more slowly but reached a similar level by the end of four weeks.
The authors concluded that a low daily dose taken for about a month is about as effective as a loading phase for raising muscle creatine. It just takes longer. The ISSN position stand (Kreider et al., JISSN 2017) describes both approaches as valid ways to raise stores.
Creatine loading phase vs no loading, side by side
| Loading | No loading | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily amount | About 20 g, split into 4 servings | 5 g, once |
| Time to saturation | About 5 to 7 days | About 3 to 4 weeks |
| Product used in first week | About 4x | 1x |
| Stomach upset | More likely | Less likely |
| Early water weight | More noticeable, faster | Gradual |
| Result after saturation | Same | Same |
Three good reasons to load
- You have a deadline. A season, a selection camp, or a competition in two weeks. Getting to saturation sooner may matter.
- You are restarting after a long break. If you stopped for a month or more, your stores have likely returned to baseline.
- You want to know quickly whether it suits you. Loading shows you the water weight change and how your stomach handles it in days instead of weeks.
Four reasons most people can skip it
- Stomach upset. Larger doses are more likely to cause bloating or GI discomfort. Splitting the daily amount helps, but some people still notice it.
- Cost. A loading week uses about a month's worth of product in a few days.
- Water weight. Creatine pulls water into muscle. Loading makes that shift happen fast and look bigger on the scale. It is not fat, but some people do not like seeing the number move.
- No long term advantage. By week four, the slow route catches up.
Loading has also been the protocol in some of the studies behind creatine rumors. The 2009 rugby study often cited in hair loss discussions used a 25 gram per day loading week. See Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss?
The slow route only fails one way: missed days
Here is the catch with 5 grams a day. Nothing dramatic happens for weeks, and that is exactly when routines break. If the store is still filling, every missed day pushes saturation further out.
Most missed days are not a choice. They come from the tub problem: the tub is at home and you are not, the scoop is in the dishwasher, the shaker is in the car, and the weekend goes by without a serving. That is not a discipline issue. It is a routine that only works in your kitchen.
So for most people the better question is not whether to load. It is how to make sure you take one serving a day, every day, for the first four weeks. Keep a few servings where you actually spend your day. Tie it to something you already do. More on that in When to Take Creatine.
The Revo protocol: one stick, or four for a few days
Each Revo stick has 5 grams of creatine monohydrate, so the math is simple.
Standard (recommended for most people)
- 1 stick a day, every day.
- Saturation in about 3 to 4 weeks.
Loading (optional)
- 4 sticks a day, split across the day. For example, one with each meal and one later.
- Do this for 1 to 5 days.
- Then drop to 1 stick a day.
A note on loading with Revo: each stick also contains electrolytes, including 216mg of sodium and 180mg of potassium. Four sticks a day is 864mg of sodium and 720mg of potassium from the sticks alone. For most healthy adults that is fine during a short loading period. If you have high blood pressure, kidney issues, or have been told to limit sodium or potassium, stick to the standard protocol and talk to your doctor. See Creatine and Your Kidneys.
After saturation, everyone does the same thing
Once your stores are full, the routine is identical either way. One serving a day. Timing is flexible. There is no need to cycle off. If you stop, muscle stores decline slowly over several weeks, so missing a day here and there does not reset you.
Common questions
Can I load with one big dose instead of splitting it?
Splitting is the standard approach in the research, and smaller servings are easier on the stomach. One 20 gram serving is not recommended.
Will I feel it working?
Probably not in a dramatic way. Creatine supports performance in repeated hard efforts over time. It is not a stimulant.
Does loading cause more side effects long term?
The main differences are short term: stomach upset and faster water weight. Long term research on creatine generally uses standard daily intakes after any loading period.
Skip the loading week. Do not skip the days.
Revo Creatine + Electrolyte Stick Packs hold 5,000mg of micronized creatine monohydrate per stick, with sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Pour one into 12 to 16oz of water. No scoop, no shaker, nothing to measure. One stick a day is the whole protocol.
A box of 30 is $54.99, about $1.83 a stick, which covers the 3 to 4 weeks it takes to reach saturation the slow way. Made under cGMP in an FDA registered, SQF certified facility and third party tested.
Try it for 30 days. If it does not work for you, tell us and we refund it. No forms. Batch 001 is a single run of 500 boxes. See the Pink Lemonade stick packs.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
