Creatine, is one of the most studied and beneficial supplements for muscle growth and offers you several performance benefits regardless of your current fitness level.  Musashi Creatine helps increase power in the gym, pushes your workouts to the max and gives you the capacity to achieve ‘one more rep’ to stimulate muscle growth.

A loading phase is advised at the start of any creatine cycle.  This saturates your muscles and increases cell volume, boosting lean muscle tissue and growth.  During the loading phase, you should consume a large dosage of creatine for 5-7 days, before moving to a lower maintenance dosage.

Creatine cycling refers to the consumption pattern of which you use creatine.  Common cycles include a loading phase, followed by a maintenance phase and ending with a break from creatine supplementation.

Creatine cycling allows your body to get the greatest benefits for power, strength, and muscle gain. It also prevents you from always relying on supplementation, allowing you time to reset and naturally produce your own creatine.

Common creatine cycles

Loading phase: 5-7 days of 20-25g per day, split into 5g doses throughout the day.

Maintenance phase: 4-6 weeks of 5g per day

Rest period: 2-4 weeks off creatine (other supplements can be used during this time) before the next loading phase and cycle begin again.

The uptake of creatine within the muscle is best when creatine is consumed in combination with protein and carbohydrate and can be consumed as part of a pre- or post-workout shake.  Musashi Creatine can be added to any of the Musashi protein shakes e.g., Musashi 100% Whey or Musashi Bulk, before or after training.

Creatine tolerance will vary among individuals.  For some people, larger dosages of 20g per day will result in stomach cramps and discomfort whereas others can tolerate up to 30g per day without side effects.  Water retention is often experienced with creatine supplementation. To reduce large amounts of fluid retention, we advise you increase daily water consumption to 2-3 litres a day.  If stomach pains are experienced while taking creatine, stop all supplementation ASAP and consult a healthcare professional.

The bottom line

By cycling creatine, you can increase the ability to store more, resulting in more energy produced to support muscle gains. It does not work in the same way as energy boosters like caffeine, but it increases the reserves allowing the muscles to work harder for longer.  To maximise results with creatine, cycling is recommended.  Remember to have a break between cycles and increase daily water intake when using creatine.

 

Gwen Gothard – Sports Performance Nutritionist