The skeletal muscles get their energy from a complicated process involving several different chemicals, one of which is an acid called creatine. Creatine has become a popular supplement in recent years as a way to saturate the muscles, giving them an increase in energy for increased longterm gains. A popular and somewhat controversial way to take it is to begin with a “loading” phase. In this article we’ll examine the process of creatine loading, and then try to figure out if it’s really necessary or not.

In order to be effective, the muscles have to be saturated with creatine. This is a process that takes that body a while to perform, and so some users like to begin the supplementation process with a burst of high dosage, called loading. So, in a nutshell, here’s how to load:

1) Pick out a favorite fruit juice or other sugary drink, but skip anything with citrus in it, like orange and grapefruit. Citrus breaks creatine down into a form the body just expels, without any effect. So anything with lots of sugar but not citrus.

2) Now, mix 5 grams of creatine with your drink, and take this 5 times a day for 4 days. Make sure you drink one of these right after your workout.

3) On the fifth day, begin taking just one 5 gram creatine drinks a day, right after your workout.

Creatine does not take effect right away, but once it does it stays in your muscles for a time. This is why it won’t help you to take it right before your workout, and in fact, after your workout your muscles will be hungering for a fast carb such as the sugary drink you picked out, so taking creatine right after your workout will get it into your muscles that much faster.

So loading will give you a head start in muscular creatine saturation, but is it really necessary? There is some controversy about this. While loading is a popular way to begin creatine supplementation, there is evidence that after a few weeks you will be at the same creatine levels as another user who did not begin by loading. Some say loading only gives you a two week lead, and is ultimately a waste of money. However, this is not well established.

Creatine can be a helpful supplement if you are weight training. It improves energy levels in anaerobic exercises like resistance training, and can lead to increased longterm muscle gains than would not be possible without the supplement. For this to be possible, the muscles must be saturated with creatine, and loading may or may not be effective at improving this saturation.

Did you know that creatine has some side effects you should be aware of? Find out more at http://www.supplementzone.org/creatine. Alan Glender is one of the chief editors and contributors at SupplementZone.org, a website devoted to telling you the truth about supplements before taking them.