Short version: loading gets you to the same place faster. It is a speed decision, not a requirement.
What loading actually does
Creatine works by saturating the phosphocreatine stores in your muscles. Once those stores are full, you can regenerate ATP faster during short, hard efforts. The training benefit comes from being saturated, not from the dose you swallowed this morning.
There are two ways to get there. Take roughly 20g a day for five to seven days and you are saturated inside a week. Take 5g a day and you arrive at the same saturation in about three to four weeks. Both routes end at the same ceiling.
The loading protocol, if you use it
Four doses of 5g spread across the day, for five to seven days. Each dose in 200 to 300ml of water. Splitting matters: 20g in one sitting is the single most reliable way to give yourself bloating and gut discomfort, which is the reason most people who quit creatine quit in week one.
After the loading week, drop to 5g a day and stay there. Maintenance is not optional. Stop taking it and stores drift back to baseline over roughly four to six weeks.
The water weight question
Loading typically adds 0.5kg to 2kg in the first week. That is water pulled into muscle cells, not fat, and it is part of how creatine works. For a powerlifter it is irrelevant. For a marathon runner three weeks out from race day, arriving at the start line a kilo heavier than planned is a genuine consideration, which is why endurance athletes usually take the slow road. We cover that trade-off in creatine for runners.
So which should you do?
Load if you have a specific target inside the next two weeks: a testing block, a race, a training camp, or a fight camp where you want the effect now.
Skip loading if you are in a normal training year, if you are weight-sensitive, or if your stomach has a history of complaining. 5g a day, every day, gets there by the end of the month and you will never notice the transition.
One thing that is not optional either way is the dose size. A 3g scoop is not a 5g dose. If you are loading with a 3g scoop you are taking 12g a day, not 20g, and the maths on your maintenance dose is wrong too. Read the creatine monohydrate buying guide for Australia before you compare products.
Hydration during loading
Creatine draws fluid into muscle, so keep fluid and sodium sensible through the loading week, especially in an Australian summer. Work out your own losses with the sweat rate calculator and read how much sodium you actually need. During sessions, HYDRAX CORE covers carbohydrate and sodium at the same time.
HYDRAX CREATINE — 5,000mg per scoop, 60 full serves, one ingredient.
$29.95 per 300g pouch. $0.50 a serve. Ships Australia-wide.
Shop HYDRAX CREATINEFrequently asked questions
Is a creatine loading phase necessary?
No. Loading saturates muscle creatine stores in about five to seven days instead of three to four weeks. The end point is identical. Load if you have a race or a testing block inside the next fortnight; otherwise 5g a day is simpler and easier on the stomach.
How much creatine do you take when loading?
The standard protocol is roughly 20g per day for five to seven days, split into four separate 5g doses spread across the day. Taking 20g in one hit is the fastest route to bloating and stomach upset.
What do you take after the loading phase?
5g per day, every day, including rest days. Maintenance is what keeps stores saturated. If you stop, levels drift back to baseline over roughly four to six weeks.
Does loading cause weight gain?
Loading commonly adds about 0.5kg to 2kg in the first week, mostly intracellular water drawn into muscle rather than fat. Athletes in weight-sensitive sports usually prefer the 5g daily approach because the same change arrives gradually.
Can you load with micronised creatine monohydrate?
Yes. Micronised simply means a finer particle size that disperses faster. It is the same molecule, and the protocol is unchanged.
Keep reading
- When to take creatine, and whether timing matters
- Creatine for endurance athletes: what the research says
- Creatine monohydrate in Australia: how to compare products
General information only, not medical advice. HYDRAX CREATINE is a Formulated Supplementary Sports Food under FSANZ Standard 2.9.4. Not suitable for children under 15 years of age or pregnant women.