Muscle creatine loading in men
Hultman, Soderlund, Timmons, Cederblad & Greenhaff (1996) · Journal of Applied Physiology
Topics: Dosing & Loading, Muscle & Body Composition
- Study type: Randomized trial
- Population: Healthy men
- Sample: n=31
- Dose: 20 g/day loading vs 3 g/day slow-load
- Duration: Up to 28 days
- Published: 1996
What the study found
The study that defined creatine dosing protocols. It showed that a 20 g/day loading phase rapidly saturates muscle creatine within about a week, and that a slow 3 g/day approach reaches the same saturation over roughly a month.
Key findings
- 20 g/day for 6 days rapidly maximized muscle creatine stores.
- 3 g/day for 28 days achieved the same saturation more gradually.
- Once saturated, a low maintenance dose keeps stores topped up.
The practical takeaway
Loading is optional: 3-5 g/day gets you to the same place in ~3-4 weeks without the higher-dose phase.