Update 3/8/23. When it comes to creatine supplements, few questions are as common with athletes and gym rats as “do I need to cycle creatine.” I understand why this is so because while the easy answer is no, you don’t have to cycle creatine, the real answer is both yes and no. Let’s address this question from both sides and see if I can help you out if you have been wondering about what you should do.
Other Creatine Reviews
See these additional reviews for more insights:
- Creatine Nitrate Review
- Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss?
- Is Creatine Safe For Kids?
- Is Creatine Good For Women?
- Does Creatine Cause Injuries?
- Can Creatine Improve Memory (video)
- Does Creatine Cause Rhabdomyolysis (video)
Why Cycle Creatine?
The idea of cycling creatine is a throwback to the thinking about steroids. Strength trainers and bodybuilders would cycle steroids because they wanted to reap the benefits of steroids while avoiding the possible dangers of steroid abuse. While that makes some sense, creatine is different. Creatine is not a steroid. So does that mean it doesn't have to be cycled? Let's answer this question by looking at the research.
Creatine Cycling Research
Over the years, I've read countless creatine studies. I don't think I've ever seen a study where people took creatine for a few weeks or months and then went off it for a period of time, only to go back to it again. Generally, in studies, researchers give people a certain amount – say 3-5 grams for a period of time (say a month or two), do some type of exercise study, and write up the results. Maybe they did a loading phase too at the beginning of the investigation too. That's normal.
Another thing to consider is we make 1-2 grams of creatine each day. If we really did need to cycle off creatine periodically, then our body's body would occasionally stop its natural production. But this doesn't happen.
Based on this, there's not much evidence for cycling.
Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss?
Watch on my Youtube channel.
Is Cycling Creatine Safer?
Sometimes people say that it’s good to cycle creatine because when you take creatine supplements, your body stops its natural creatine production. This is true. it does. Periodically going off creatine supplements, they say, is safer because it gives your body a chance to recover and start making creatine naturally again.
I see no evidence for this in healthy people. They also say if we didn't cycle, the body would forget how to make creatine if we took it for many years at a time. But I don’t see any proof of this either.
Creatine supplements have not been shown to be harmful to adults who take it responsibly. I have never seen a study finding creatine supplements that caused kidney damage or liver damage – or cause any damage, for that matter, in healthy adults. That said, if you’re not healthy, I would not take creatine without first talking to your pharmacist, dietitian, or doctor.
Something to consider is there are people who have been taking creatine for medical reasons for years in small amounts. I’ve never seen any proof that creatine harmed these people.
What About Injuries?
If someone took creatine on a regular basis (say, daily) would it increase their risk of injuries during exercise? I don't think so, but the idea of getting injured while taking creatine is a real thing. I've gotten several emails from people about this. Please read the creatine and injuries review of this for more insight. See the review on is it OK for kids to take creatine too.
So Should You Cycle Creatine? It Depends
While it may seem like I'm saying not to cycle, I'm not. I'm just pointing out the research doesn't seem to do it, and I don't think taking a few grams a day would hurt anyone who is healthy. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't cycle it. Here's why I say this:
I feel cycling can be smart because unless you are working out at a very high intensity, you are not really using creatine as an energy source. This supplement is best used when you are performing some activity that requires a high degree of muscle power (very heavy weight lifting, sprinting, etc.).
If you are lifting weights and can knock out 15 reps, then leave the creatine supplements alone. Any weight you can lift for 12-15 reps is light. You only need it when you are lifting very heavy.
My own opinion is creatine supplements are best used when you are using a resistance that you can only lift between 1 to 6 times. That’s a pretty heavyweight. Since people don’t lift super heavy all the time, then it makes sense to cycle creatine. It's smart for your muscles – and your bank account.
Hi
i am 41 M, weight 67 kg and started doing workout 1 month back. i want to add more poundage to my workouts for bigger muscle mass.
So what i have learnt from this article that i should go for 20 gms creatine for 3-4 days in loading phase and then maintenance of 2g / day.
is it ok ?
Also how many days i can continue its consumption @ 2 g/day.
Thanks
Hi Rohibee, since you have just recently started lifting weights, dont use creatine. yes it will help you lift a little more but this also adds to the stress on your ligaments and tendons. The strength of these are not improved by creatine and it takes them longer to get stronger. This may increase the risk of injury.
See this review of creatine and injuries for more
Also research is now starting to show the lighter weights also increase strength too. Its not just about how much you lift. Strength is improved even when lifting a weight for 20 times (20 reps). Since you’ve only been at this for a month or so, try this: when you lift, aim for 15-20 reps. If you are starting to feel fatigued when you get within 2 reps of this goal, stop. that’s enough to get your muscles to grow.
If you still want to use creatine, I dont feel the loading phase is needed. Sticking with 2 grams a day is fine and if you are health, doesn’t seem to have any long term side effects (other than a gain in weight due to water retention). If you are not healthy then speak to your doctor/pharmacist first. If you are not lifting heavy, then there is no reason to use creatine.
Any other questions, just ask
Thanks a lot Joe for your reply. This will help me a lot. Many thanks.
You are right. after just 3 weeks i increased weights up to double and started doing sets like this e.g.
(Dumbbells Hammer curls 10 kg – 10 reps (1st set), 12.5 kg – 8 reps (2nd set, 15 kg – 6 reps (3rd set).
This schedule has resulted in injury.
So now after recovery of a week i restarted. Now i have reduced poundage. Now i am doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps with same weight say 10 kg.
Is it ok ? as i will slowly increase reps per set to 15-20 as you suggested.
Thanks a lot again.
Hi Rohibee, glad to help, yes that is fine what you are doing although I should add that since you are just starting out 1 set of an exercise will get you almost as strong as 3 sets for the first few months. yes, 3 sets are better overall but 1 set also increases strength significantly in beginners. I dont think you need to pyramid the weights at this stage but if you like it, great.
Why dont you try this: every other week change it up and do a total body circuit. That would be 8-12 different exercises that target your main muscles. do 1 set of each and take little to no rest between exercises. Circuit training has many benefits. It will
improve strength
improve muscle power (yes it does!)
improve muscle endurance
improve aerobic endurance
While circuit training doesn’t optimally improve any of these, it reduces injury, its not boring and lets you get an efficient workout in a short period of time.
Let me know how you like it 🙂
Thanks a lot Joe.
This is new viewpoint to workout.
Will definitely try this new routine.
like i understood.
Week 1,3,5,7….
– Day wise training like Chest mondays, Arms tuesday, shoulders wednesday, Thursday rest, back friday, Abs and legs saturday, sunday rest (6-8 exercise of particular part)
Week 2,4,6,8….
Circuit training- 8-12 overall body exercises one set each without rest. Same schedule for whole week.
Thanks a lot for this input.
Sounds good Rohibee, let me know how it goes!
Awesome info thank you. Do have a couple questions though. Sorry for the long post in advanced.
I’m considering taking creatine for next rugby season. Last season I took a mass gainer but it didn’t help much. I’m 6’2, 175lb, 21 years old with about 8-9% body fat, heaviest I’ve ever been is 185lb, have a very high metabolism so I need to eat 3200+ calories a day if I want to gain weight however with college, 2 jobs and my small appetite its tough to intake all that each day.
I’m lean but I feel I am relatively strong for my build but have never trained consistently in the 1-6 rep range, however that will change closer to season. Wanted to ask how many months out from season I should start taking creatine to get my max/peak results, or is creatine a situation where you just keep getting bigger and bigger?
My goal is to be around 188-195 in season and possibly 10-12% body fat. Another thought was during cycling periods should I be taking a week off with hypertrophy workouts and then back on another 3 weeks for low reps or is there a better option than that, for example just 3-4 hypertrophy days in between? Last one, why take creatine supplements if red meats and fish contain about 3-5g each serving? Is this going to work better than heavily eating meats?
Hi Matthew, you can indeed just eat meat, chicken etc to get creatine. Any food that ever had a mom and dad will have creatine. its not just red meat. where the supplements help is by giving you a lot of creatine without the bulk of the food. I dont think you need to load creatine. I think taking 3-5 grams will do you just fine and save you money (no need to spend more since you are working 2 jobs). as you know the problem with creatine is that it can make you heavier and that might slow you down in rugby. Dont just lift. do cardio too. I dont think you should train consistently in the 1-6 RM range. thats a lot of stress to sustain for a long time. while rugby does require power, it also requires a lot of muscle endurance – you need that to run up and down the field during the game. If you do go heavy, Id only do it for a week or two and then cut back to lighter loads you can lift for more reps. I hope some of this helps.
I’m a 126 pound, 5’6″ guy and I workout 6days a week… It’s been a month and few more days since I started to take creatine monohydrate. Do I have to continue taking it in maintenance phase or stop it for a few days before starting the entire thing again?
PM15, how old are you and what kind of workout are you doing (how many sets, reps)? Generally, they say take the loading phase and then cut back to the maintenance phase. I personally feel people only need to do the maintenance phase.
Once you go into the maintenance phase there is no need to go back to the loading phase again.
Joe,
I am 17 years old and I workout 5 days a week(weight lifting) and the other 2 days a week(for cardio).. I just want to know what is the best supplement I should take to see better results.. However I want to get ripped with more lean muscle..
Until now I was using a mass gainer because I was on bulking phase which it contains 60grams of protein with 5 grams of creatine monohydrate as amino acid per serving. I have been taking this supplement for two months 5 days a week and i got almost 4kg on.
Now because I want to get ripped as I said above I would probably go on whey protein… I have been looking on the internet which is the best supplement(in whey proteins) to take and I found that NITRO-TECH is one of the best supplements but it contains 3 grams of creatine monohydrate. Is it good for me to take it or should I take a protein such as Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey which contains only protein without creatine inside it??
What are you suggesting me to do and what supplement should I take?
Hi Andrew, While you didn’t tell me what your weight and percent body fat, I can tell you that getting ripped is not about whey protein or creatine. Its about cutting your calories a bit to reduce body fat so you can see the muscle you are building. Why don’t you try upping your cardio to 3 days per week for 30-45 min and do some interval training. Because creatine can retain water, it might hinder your getting ripped goal. I don’t think you need 60 grams of protein per shake. Aim for 20-25 grams per meal as that does a very good job at stimulating muscle protein synthesis. Also eat more fruits and vegetables (contrary to what some “experts” say, fruits are not bad for you).
Most importantly, remember that at age 17, you already have something that no supplement on earth can give you – youth. Don’t underestimate that because of your youth, you are naturally peaking in your ability to build muscle and you will be this way for at least another 10 years. I recommend you eat well, lift and do a bit more cardio.
Bro be careful about taking about creatine, it almost is like a steroid. I put on at least 2-3 lbs. I used all the creatines, but the Dr Max Creatine 3X is by far the best. My strength shot through the roof and endurance was crazy. Libido = CRAZY , Sex Drive = Insane. I know what you’re thinking , I’m probably lying, BUT i’m not .
My bench shot up about 3 reps , my squat went up about 2 reps. People started asking me at the gym ‘what I was on”
Christinamom7, as far as I can tell Dr Max Creatine is just creatine monohydrate and creatine pyruvate. It doesn’t seem have anything other than that. Im happy for you but I don’t think this adds anything to its effects over other brands of creatine.
I am a fitness enthusiast and a 6 days gym goer, doing intense workouts. I have just started taking Creatine Monohydrate with my Whey Protein shake post-workout to better my workout and recovery. I have also planned to get ripped and pack some hard muscle on, (though I am taking only the maintenance amount).
My question is will it really help me reach my goal without any negative affect and do I need to cycle it..? pleez help.
Avi, if you are healthy -no heart, liver, kidney, or blood pressure problems – then I am not aware of any issues with the maintenance phase (3 g per day) long term. That said if you are not lifting heavy (for example a wt you can lift maybe 1-6 times only) then I dont think you need to take it all the time. Id save the money and only use it when you are lifting very heavy.
Remember creating makes you retain water so that will hinder your quest to “get ripped” -another reason not to use it all the time.
Hope that helps Avi 🙂
Creatine causes muscles to retain more water*. Definitely will help your quest to get ripped
Patrick yes, the muscles retain the water. Thanks for helping make my statement to Avi more specific 🙂
Hey Joe! I do high volume training that is very intense! Im talking 12 plus sets with only 30 seconds of rest in between sets. I hit 2 muscle groups a day, each muscle group 2 times per week. How many grams of creatine should I be taking per day? I drink about 2 gallons of water a day as well
Jamison, from what I read, people can just stick to the maintenance phase amount.
Hey joe.. im a 16 year old kid that plays sports and I always want the edge on people when competing. Recently ive been taking this product called c4 extreme. . This is a pre workout supp but has creatine nitrate.. can you explain to whats the difference compared to other creatines
HI John, I personally don’t think you need creatine at all but I will say that I think creatine nitrate is total baloney until I see several published human studies showing that it works better than regular old creatine monohyrate. John, I can tell you that ever since creatine first started to get popular in the US, in the early 1990s, companies have been trying to “build a better mouse trap” as a way to jack up the price. Thats why you see stuff like “micronized creatine” “hydro creatine” “ethel ester creatine” “liquid creatine” etc. I’m not aware of very many studies on any of these and those that do exist show they are not as good as their marketing claims they are. There are hundreds – if not thousands – of studies on creatine monyhydrate proving it works.
Here’s something you can do to see if I’m right or not. Call the maker of the product and ask if they can show you “a published peer reviewed human study showing creatine nitrate works better than creatine monohydrate.” If you get an answer, I’d be really interested to see that study.
Hope that helps John 🙂
The only reason I have ever recommended someone to “cycle” off creatine was when they have been on it for a prolonged period of time because of its ‘potential’ in your body stopping its natural production. I could be wrong but is it the Pancreas that controls natural creatine production? I believe that is what I have researched in the past.
Also do you have any links to studies online I could read on a study that may support the idea that supplementation dose NOT stop natural production over prolonged periods. I also am having trouble finding a solid study on this claim.
Hi Nick, good question and Id be hard pressed to find a study on this but Ive never seen any proof we “forget” to make creatine if we use the supplements long term.
creatine is made in the liver pancreas and liver.
My resouce page has some creatine books that might be good to look at also http://supplementclarity.com/resources/
Thanks !!!
Joe,
When cycling off creatine, what is a good product to start cycling? For example at the end of your creatine cycle would you start a test cycle? What works best to keep your improved strength?
Also, if you take pre-workouts with caffeine, is it best to use creatine in the a.m.? That way the caffeine doesn’t interfere before my workout in the p.m.(4)
Great article!
Jonathan, I’d just use regular creatine monohydrate. dont worry about any brand name. The cheap stuff will do fine if creatine monohydrate is all it has in the product. I dont think any test cycles are needed and in fact Im not totally convinced cycling is needed although I also dont feel you need creatine if you are not lifting super heavy either.
As for caffeine and creatine, I’ve looked in this and there seems to be only 1 study that noted that caffeine interfered with creatine. Ironically it doesn’t appear to ever have been reproduced. This makes it hard to know if it really is a problem or not. When I was writing my book on supplements I tried to track down the author of that study to ask about it but could not locate the person anywhere. That said, if you are lifting heavy I’d separate the creatine and caffeine by at least 3 hours just in case.
Joe,
Similar to Josh, I have been taking creatine for approximately 10 weeks 5 days per week(my workout days). I am doing strictly weight training currently and am trying to gain some mass. My question is basically what is the creatine doing for me? and should I be taking it daily as opposed to only on workout days? I take it because it is in a pre-workout drink I purchased called ‘C4’ I am very happy with the effects of this drink it gives me good energy before my workout but I am not sure what the creatine in it is doing for me.
Rob, most preworkout drinks usually contain caffeine or arginine, niacin and other stuff. some like C4 also have creatine. createine is designed to make muscles more powerful. that said unless you are lifting really heavy, you probably don’t need it. you make creatine so when you take it via supplements you temporarily stop making it. If you are having good results thats fine. how much is about the creatine is anybody’s guess.
Hey there Joe, I liked the article it was nice and informative. I had a question though. Is it okay to not cycle if you don’t take it everyday? I have been actively working out with supplements for what would be my tenth week(my supplement suggests cycling off every twelve weeks). But I take it only three to five times a week. So would it be okay if I kept going? Should I have been taking it seven days a week?
Hi Josh, Id say that if you are not taking it every day then you kind of are already cycling it. As such I don’t think you need to cycle creatine any further.
Hi Joe,
Firstly I’d like to thank you for this great and thorough article. I was curious about the uses of creatine and I am debating on adding it to a morning protein shake. Are there an specific brands that I should know of?
Secondly, I was surprised at your Statements regarding the after effects of creatine. I’ve consulted a few biologists and a doctor as well, both have explained to me that creatine had negative impact on your kidney, ruining. How accurate is this? I have never found other sources that have proven this to be true except word of mouth.
Thank you for your time 🙂
Tyler, while I would not rule out that somebody who takes massive amounts of creatine might have kidney problems, I have never see a study showing that creatine supplements were bad for the kidneys. I’d ask the doctors to show you a study showing that it was bad. I did a quick check and found these studies showing that creatine supplements did not hurt kidneys
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18188581
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21574777
Everything has side effects but if you and your kidneys are healthy and you stick to the recommended dosage, I think it should be fine.
As for types of creatine, I would just look for regular creatine monohydrate. you dont have to worry about buzz words like “hydro creatine” or “micronized creatine” those words are used because they are not regulated so anybody can say them without worry of the FDA coming after them. They are just fluff words. regular creatine monohydrate – with nothing added to it- is all that should be needed.
Hi Joe,
Firstly, I’d like to thank you for your informing review on creatine. I am following the P90X program but have not used any supplements other than Whey protein mixed with berries and other fruit. However I am considering adding creatine into this drink. Is this wise? Also I am doing this program primarily to get in shape and then to bulk-up in size as well. Secondly, I have consulted a few biologists on the long-term effects of creatine and apparently some of long-term users have ruined kidneys. (unfortunately I cannot recall the exact reason at this time).
Thank you very much for your time on the matter!
Tyler, personally Id just stick to what you are doing. If your doing P90X I dont think you need creatine. They have a little creatine in the P90x recovery drink, which I basically called an expensive creatine supplement. Regardless I think if you get 20-25 grams of protein with some carbs after exercise, you should be fine.
Great article Joe. I did a Google search and most of the cycle creatine articles were from years and years ago, thank you for having an up to date review. I have to questions however, what do you think of Creatine Hydro that is all the rage now, compared to mono. I heard it gets the saturation accomplished faster, but after that it is really no different. Hydro is more expensive but they say you use less, so I think it might be a wash. Also, you never did say what the cycle time should be. 2 weeks, 3 weeks? Thanks.
Brad thanks much and thanks for letting me know about hydro creatine. I have not heard of this type but Ill see if I can find any info on it. So far I have never see any research on it Ill still think its best to stick with creatine monohydrate over hydro for the moment until they can prove differently.
The cycling of creatine is is a hard question to answer since very few studies Ive seen have looked at it, but overall, Id say you dont need to take it when you are not lifting anything really heavy (say, 1-5RM weights)
Hi, I’d just like to reply to this 1-6 reps comment, if you look at the creatine phosphate energy system, you will find that any high intensity exercise lasting up to around 12 seconds will use predominantly creatine phosphate, after this it will taper off into the lactate system, therefore strength, size and most predominantly recovery between bouts of high intensity exercise will gain from creatine supplementation, in other words anyone from any sport that involves high intensity activity from weight lifters to sprinters to rugby players can gain dramatically from creatine supplementation.
Rob, its good point you make and I should have made myself more clear. I do agree that any high intensity/short lasting activity can benefit from creatine. I limited my discussion to weight lifting as that area seems to get the most creatine attention, at least in the people I encounter. when I said 1-6 reps I did mean 1-6RM. As you know the more reps we can lift the weight for, the lighter it is and hence the less creatine contributes to the energy generation equation.
Kelly, thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated 🙂
Very well put, and too have been preaching this for some time. A good article that more people need to read.
Good deal!
James, thanks much and dont worry; I have lots of other reviews planned…. 🙂
I’ve been preaching this for years… i love the website Joe!!! keep it up. geek in training