Should You Take Creatine on Rest Days or is it Unnecessary?

Should you take creatine on rest days or that’s overloading and does more harm than good?

There is a lot of wrong information regarding Creatine Monohydrate. Some say it’s a must-have supplement and some say it causes hair loss.

So, can you attribute huge gains or losses to creatine just like that?

Let’s talk about creatine and answer some of the most asked questions about it.

Should You Take Creatine on Rest Days?

Let’s start from ground zero and answer these questions below:

Is this your first time taking creatine?

If yes, you should know two methods:

• Loading Creatine

There is this thing called “Loading Phase” in taking creatine. The concept is simple; you take more than the maintenance amount of 3 grams per day in this phase, like 20 grams a day for a week.

It’s one of the most known methods regarding taking creatine. However, is it necessary?

• Skipping the Loading Phase

Well, you can actually skip the loading phase and not miss any gains but, it only takes a bit longer for the smaller dose to show the effects. So, how much longer? Well, only around 3 weeks longer.

We recommend you simply start taking creatine daily for a dose of 3 to 5 grams and not load 20 grams per day.

The reason for that is, some people have weak stomachs or it takes their body some time to adjust to changes. Your body can react negatively to that much creatine and make you nauseous.

If you take your creatine by making it dissolve in water, sometimes it doesn’t dissolve and once you try to drink it as it is; it can feel disgusting. (Yep, been there)

So, you can also take creatine in a capsule form and it won’t change a thing. Here is a great creatine supplement in capsule form: Nutra One’s CNSix

Should You Take Creatine on Rest Days?

There are some people who cycle on and off creatine. They take creatine 2 days in a row and don’t take any for the following 2 days.

First of all, why do they do that?

Most people reason for this behavior by saying that they lower the “negative effects” of creatine like hair loss. We’ll talk about it after this section.

Let’s get straight to the point:

You shouldn’t “cycle off” creatine. That’s because creatine is not a pre-workout supplement, it only properly works if you take it consistently.

Creatine helps you build muscle, improve strength and recover more quickly! Your body recovers on rest days, so, what’s the point of cycling off creatine?

Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss?

The infamous myth; “creatine leads to hair loss”! How shocking and scary for men. Are you going to risk losing your beautiful hair in order to make muscle faster??? What if being bald doesn’t make you look like the Rock?

It’s not as dramatic as one would think at all because creatine DOES NOT lead to hair loss. Let’s explain:

There is this 2009 study of college-age rugby players on the association of creatine and hair loss. This study says increased creatine consumption could increase DHT levels which lead to male pattern baldness.

Sounds scary right?

Well, this study had only 20 participants and observed them for a mere 3 weeks.

Also, it NEVER states linking creatine use with hair loss.

Hair loss happens because of these three main factors: age, genetics, and hormones. According to the U.S National Library of Medicine, over 50% of the people above the age of 50 will suffer some hair loss.

It happens due to male pattern baldness (MPB), stress, poor diet, low testosterone, and health complications.

So, in short, there are tons of huge factors that actually lead to hair loss before you can even consider creatine.

Is Creatine a Must-Have Supplement?

Creatine can come from natural sources like meat and fish. It helps your body to produce energy during exercising which helps your overall performance.

Also, creatine can help your muscles to look beefier by water retention. This can help your body against inflammation and repair your muscles.

So, is creatine a must-have supplement? Yes and no.

We believe that no supplement can replace whole foods because we promote healthy and natural bodybuilding. Also, that’s the general consensus for supplements.

However, regarding creatine: even though you can get creatine from natural resources: it might not be enough.

If you are a powerlifter or a bodybuilder; after heavy workout sessions, you need to eat a lot of pounds of meat to reach the necessary creatine levels that can actually make a difference.

For example, One pound of raw beef or salmon has 1 to 2 grams (g) of creatine.

If you want to get quicker and better results instead of eating a couple of pounds of beef every day; take creatine. Also, if you are a vegan, you kind of need to use creatine supplements because it’s super hard to reach creatine levels that actually make a difference.

Vegans have a hard time finding proper protein powder, read “Best Plant Based Protein Powder that Makes You Healthy” to find one that ticks all the boxes.

Check the creatine supplement below to see if it fits your needs:

ANABOLIC WARFARE’s Creatine CarnageWhat makes a creatine supplement distinctive of others when there are hundreds of different products? Awesome reviews you can find like the ones below:

“I have 22 years worth of creatine experience dating back to the completely unregulated supplement era of the Mid 90’s. I have never in all those 22 years felt an impact on my workout from the very first dosage, Until I tried creatine carnage! From the First rep to the last set, my endurance was through the roof, My power output was off the charts, and the pumps I felt were jaw dropping!! This effect has not worn off either! With each consecutive dose I continue to see my work capacity and strength sky rocket! This product is a can’t miss 10/10!”

What do you think? Can Creatine Carnage actually makes a difference or not?

Check it Out

Conclusion

Let’s conclude our article by saying: you should take creatine on rest days to not lower the recovery speed.

Also, even though creatine is simply a supplement; it’s close to the must-have spectrum of fitness because it’s hard to get enough creatine from whole foods.

Before you go, let us know in the comments, how has been your experience with creatine? Do you think it makes a difference?

Thank you for reading.

Also, if you want to help us, please share this image!