Quick answer
Creatine loading is optional. About 20g daily split into four 5g doses for 5–7 days fills stores faster, while 3–5g daily reaches the same eventual saturation more gradually. We prefer the no-loading approach for simplicity and fewer stomach complaints; buy plain creatine monohydrate rather than a special loading product.
What loading creatine means
A creatine loading phase involves taking a higher dose, typically 20g per day split into four 5g servings, for 5 to 7 days. The goal is to saturate muscle creatine stores as quickly as possible, reaching maximum phosphocreatine levels in under a week.
After loading, the standard approach is to drop to a maintenance dose of 3-5g per day to sustain the elevated stores.
Live comparison
Creatine products
| Add to compare list | # | Retailer | Product | Flavour | Size | Servings | Protein per 100g | Calories per 25g protein | Price | Buy | More | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALLMAX |  creatineALLMAXCreatine Monohydrate Powder | – | 100g | – | – | – | CA$14.99 | – | |||
| 2 | ALLMAX | creatineALLMAXCreatine Monohydrate Powder | – | 400g | – | – | – | CA$29.99 | – | |||
| 3 | ALLMAX | creatineALLMAXCreatine Monohydrate Powder | – | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$54.99 | – | |||
| 4 | ANS Performance |  creatineANS PerformanceCREATINE MONOHYDRATE | – | 300g | – | – | – | CA$29.99 | – | |||
| 5 | ANS Performance | creatineANS PerformanceCREATINE MONOHYDRATE | – | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$59.99 | – | |||
| 6 | BioX Performance Nutrition |  creatineBioX Performance NutritionCreatine CrunchChocolate Brownie | Chocolate Brownie | 540g | – | – | – | CA$32.99 | – | |||
| 7 | BioX Performance Nutrition |  creatineBioX Performance NutritionCreatine RushUnflavoured | Unflavoured | 250g | – | – | – | CA$24.99 | – | |||
| 8 | BioX Performance Nutrition | creatineBioX Performance NutritionCreatine RushUnflavoured | Unflavoured | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$54.99 | – | |||
| 9 | BulkSupplements |  creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate (Micronized) Powder | – | 100g | – | – | – | CA$27.00 | – | |||
| 10 | BulkSupplements | creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate (Micronized) Powder | – | 250g | – | – | – | CA$31.00 | – | |||
| 11 | BulkSupplements | creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate (Micronized) Powder | – | 500g | – | – | – | CA$34.00 | – | |||
| 12 | BulkSupplements | creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate (Micronized) Powder | – | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$44.00 | – | |||
| 13 | BulkSupplements | creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate (Micronized) Powder | – | 5kg | – | – | – | CA$203.00 | – | |||
| 14 | BulkSupplements | creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate (Micronized) Powder | – | 25kg | – | – | – | CA$392.00 | – | |||
| 15 | BulkSupplements |  creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate Capsules | – | 100g | – | – | – | CA$24.00 | – | |||
| 16 | BulkSupplements | creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate Capsules | – | 250g | – | – | – | CA$28.00 | – | |||
| 17 | BulkSupplements | creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate Capsules | – | 500g | – | – | – | CA$29.00 | – | |||
| 18 | BulkSupplements | creatineBulkSupplementsCreatine Monohydrate Capsules | – | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$45.00 | – | |||
| 19 | Canadian Protein |  creatineCanadian ProteinBulk Creatine Monohydrate | – | 3kg | – | – | – | CA$143.98 | – | |||
| 20 | Canadian Protein | creatineCanadian ProteinBulk Creatine Monohydrate | – | 5kg | – | – | – | CA$224.96 | – | |||
| 21 | Canadian Protein | creatineCanadian ProteinCreatine Monohydrate | – | 454g | – | – | – | CA$39.99 | – | |||
| 22 | Canadian Protein | creatineCanadian ProteinCreatine Monohydrate | – | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$59.99 | – | |||
| 23 | LEANFIT |  creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Blue Raspberry | – | 375g | – | – | – | CA$28.79 | – | |||
| 24 | LEANFIT | creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Blue Raspberry | – | 625g | – | – | – | CA$40.79 | – | |||
| 25 | LEANFIT |  creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Cherry Berry | – | 379g | – | – | – | CA$28.79 | – | |||
| 26 | LEANFIT | creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Cherry Berry | – | 632g | – | – | – | CA$40.79 | – | |||
| 27 | LEANFIT |  creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Pineapple Punch | – | 373g | – | – | – | CA$28.79 | – | |||
| 28 | LEANFIT | creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Pineapple Punch | – | 622g | – | – | – | CA$40.79 | – | |||
| 29 | LEANFIT |  creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Unflavoured | – | 300g | – | – | – | CA$28.79 | – | |||
| 30 | LEANFIT | creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Unflavoured | – | 500g | – | – | – | CA$40.79 | – | |||
| 31 | LEANFIT | creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Unflavoured | – | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$59.99 | – | |||
| 32 | LEANFIT |  creatineLEANFITCREATINE MONOHYDRATE Unflavoured 1kg | – | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$59.99 | – | |||
| 33 | Magnum Nutraceuticals |  creatineMagnum NutraceuticalsCreatine 100 (CAD) | – | 400g | – | – | – | CA$26.99 | – | |||
| 34 | Magnum Nutraceuticals | creatineMagnum NutraceuticalsCreatine 100 (CAD) | – | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$49.99 | – | |||
| 35 | Mammoth Supplements |  creatineMammoth SupplementsCREATINE | 60 Serve | – | 300g | – | – | – | CA$19.99 | – | |||
| 36 | Myprotein |  creatineMyproteinCreatine Monohydrate PowderUnflavored | Unflavored | 227g | – | – | – | CA$20.99 | – | |||
| 37 | Myprotein | creatineMyproteinCreatine Monohydrate PowderUnflavored | Unflavored | 499g | – | – | – | CA$31.49 | – | |||
| 38 | Myprotein | creatineMyproteinCreatine Monohydrate PowderUnflavored | Unflavored | 998g | – | – | – | CA$55.99 | – | |||
| 39 | Naked Nutrition |  creatineNaked NutritionNaked Creatine | 499g | – | – | – | CA$29.99 | – | ||||
| 40 | Naked Nutrition | creatineNaked NutritionNaked Creatine | 998g | – | – | – | CA$49.99 | – | ||||
| 41 | Organika |  creatineOrganikaCreatine Powder | 600g | – | – | – | CA$35.99 | – | ||||
| 42 | Organika | creatineOrganikaCreatine PowderUnflavoured - 500 g | Unflavoured - 500 g | 500g | – | – | – | CA$35.99 | – | |||
| 43 | PVL |  creatinePVL100% Pure Creatine - Micronized Creatine MonohydrateUnflavoured | Unflavoured | 300g | – | – | – | CA$19.99 | – | |||
| 44 | PVL | creatinePVL100% Pure Creatine - Micronized Creatine MonohydrateUnflavoured | Unflavoured | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$44.99 | – | |||
| 45 | Revolution Nutrition |  creatineRevolution NutritionCreatine MonohydrateCreatine Monohydrate 100g | Creatine Monohydrate 100g | 100g | – | – | – | CA$12.95 | – | |||
| 46 | Revolution Nutrition | creatineRevolution NutritionCreatine MonohydrateCreatine Monohydrate 1kg | Creatine Monohydrate 1kg | 1kg | – | – | – | CA$39.95 | – | |||
| 47 | Revolution Nutrition | creatineRevolution NutritionCreatine MonohydrateCreatine Monohydrate 250g | Creatine Monohydrate 250g | 250g | – | – | – | CA$24.95 | – | |||
| 48 | Revolution Nutrition | creatineRevolution NutritionCreatine MonohydrateCreatine Monohydrate 500g | Creatine Monohydrate 500g | 500g | – | – | – | CA$29.95 | – |
What happens without loading
Without a loading phase, taking 3-5g of creatine per day will still saturate muscle creatine stores. It simply takes longer. Research suggests full saturation is reached in approximately 3-4 weeks with daily maintenance dosing.
The end state is identical. After 3-4 weeks, muscle creatine levels are the same whether you loaded or not. The only difference is how quickly you get there.
When loading is worth doing
Loading makes practical sense if you have a competition, event or training block starting within a week and you want the benefits of full creatine saturation immediately rather than in a month.
If your training has no specific short-term deadline, there is no meaningful advantage to loading. You will reach the same performance ceiling either way.
The downside of loading
Taking 20g of creatine per day causes water retention more rapidly and to a greater degree than gradual loading. This shows up as a quick increase in scale weight, typically 1-2kg, which is water drawn into muscle cells, not fat.
Gastrointestinal side effects, bloating, cramping, loose stools, are more common at higher doses. Splitting the 20g into four 5g doses across the day reduces but does not eliminate this risk. People with sensitive stomachs often find the no-loading approach more comfortable.
Cheapest Creatine
Creatine Monohydrate (Micronized) Powder
BulkSupplements · 25 kg
The practical recommendation
If you are starting creatine with no immediate time pressure: skip the loading phase. Take 3-5g per day consistently. You will reach full saturation in 3-4 weeks with less water retention, less digestive disruption, and no wasted creatine from the brief period where muscle stores are already full.
If you want results immediately for a specific training event or block: load at 20g per day for 5 days, split into 4-5 servings throughout the day to manage digestive tolerance. Then drop to 3-5g maintenance.
Does it matter when you stop taking creatine?
Muscle creatine stores return to baseline over approximately 4-6 weeks after stopping supplementation. There is no clinical evidence of any adverse effect from stopping creatine, and no withdrawal or rebound effect.
Some people cycle creatine, taking it for 8-12 weeks then stopping for 4 weeks. There is no strong evidence that cycling is necessary or beneficial. Continuous daily supplementation is equally safe and more consistent.
Watch what buyers found
Hands-on opinions
How To Take Creatine: Do You Need A Loading Phase? | Nutritionist Explains... | Myprotein
Myprotein
A topic-specific video selected for additional practical context on Creatine Loading Phase: Top Picks, Prices and What to Buy.
References
Sources and further reading
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Frequently asked questions
Will I lose muscle if I stop taking creatine?+
You will lose some of the water that creatine draws into muscle cells, which reduces muscle volume temporarily. Actual muscle tissue is not lost from stopping creatine. The training adaptations you built while supplementing remain.
Can I take creatine without loading and still get results?+
Yes. Daily maintenance dosing of 3-5g reaches full saturation in 3-4 weeks and produces identical long-term performance improvements to a loading protocol.
Should I take creatine on rest days?+
Yes. Muscle creatine saturation is maintained through consistent daily intake regardless of training. Skipping rest days reduces the consistency of supplementation and can slow the rate at which saturation is maintained.