There are as many different views on how to take creatine as there are different experts. My view is that there is no special way to take creatine. You just have to develop a way thats suits you best.

I find the best way to get results with any form of creatine consumption is to be consistent. That is the biggest factor to making creatine work for you. Whether you load or not, being consistent with your supplements is the most important thing.

That's why you always hear about lifestyle changes. People promote getting healthy as a lifestyle change because it's the best way to get results. You have to take supplements daily to see the best results. Consistency is key.

Creatine loading is just one method for consuming creatine. It is not essential. You will probably see the same gains whether you do creatine loading or not. So in this article I will outline the differences between the creatine loading method and the normal consumption method.

Method 1: Loading Phase

Some trainers will tell you to load, some will advise not to load, and some will just say read the instructions on the bottle. So what is this "loading phase all about" ?

The idea behind the loading phase is that in the beginning your creatine levels are low. You want to get them saturated with creatine right off the bat. For the first part of the the creatine cycle, you will take extra creatine to fully saturate your levels.

So you "load up" for a period of time, and then stick to a daily intake. The daily intake is usually called the maintenance phase.

A typical loading phase requires you to take 20 grams of creatine everyday, for 5 to 10 days straight. A teaspoon of creatine powder is 5 grams, so thats 4 teaspoons a day.

If you just want to do 5 days of loading that's fine. If you want to do 7 that's ok. If you want to do 10 that's fine too. But try to do no more then 10.

So in order to take 20 grams of creatine for the first 5 days, you will need to separate that into 3 or 4 intakes. Do not take 20 grams, (4 teaspoons) once a day. The serving is too much.

Space it out throughout the day. When you wake up, before you train, after you train. Separate the 20 grams evenly. Take 5 grams with your meals.

Breakfast - 5 grams

Lunch - 5 grams

Snack - 5 grams

Post workout meal - 5 grams

Even on days you don't workout, take 20 grams. This loading phase is 5 to 10 days of 20 grams each day. Spread it out evenly with your meals.

After your 5 to 10 days is complete, the loading phase is over. From then on, take only 5 grams each day.

If you're taking creatine, you must be working out. So take the creatine with your post workout meal. This is an ideal time to take creatine because you have just used it up during your workout, and you won't forget to take it :)

Method 2: Normal Consumption

If you don't want do creatine loading, you don't have to. You will still see results.

For some people taking 20 grams per day is too much. If you don't think you can stay consistent with taking creatine 4 times a day then don't worry about it. Gains have been observed by just sticking to the maintenance phase.

The normal consumption schedule requires you to take 5 grams of creatine, once a day. If you workout, take it with your post workout meal. On your rest days, take it with one of your meals.

Again, pick the method that you think you will be the most consistent with. You don't need to do creatine loading.

How long should you take creatine for?

Now that you got the creatine loading out of the way, you might be wondering if you should cycle your creatine. Well the advice on cycling is similar to the advice on daily consumption.

Creatine has been researched so much that different people have found "the best way" to consume creatine. But there isn't one method that is truly the best.

Once again, just pick the easiest method for you. There's not one special way to take creatine.Sometimes you just need to test the different methods for yourself. In terms of cycles of creatine,it is usually recommended to take some time off creatine.

For example, use creatine for 4 to 8 weeks, then take 2 to 4 weeks off. Track your

results and then switch it up. See what works best for you. These are just guidelines, there's no exact way to cycle off your creatine. Try loading one time, and then take 1 month off and do another cycle without loading.

Do what is consistent for you. This is how you will see the best results with creatine.