I'm starting creatine this weekend. SImply put, i dont want to load. So instead I'm going to fill up on creatine over the month.

Ought i start with 5g or 10g / day? Thanks

It depends on your weight, I believe it says on my bottle anyone 200 something pounds and below is 1 to 2 scoops which is 5 to 10 grams and anyone over its 2 to 3 scoops 10-15 grams, by the way if you dont mind me asking, whats the reason for not wanting to load?

i dont want to load because I'm very carefully monitoring my weight gain during my bulk, on a week to week basis. so a huge spike due to water retention could mess up the caloric adjustments I'm making each week.

Also, i want to avoid as much of the water retention as possible associated with creatine.

I'm fairly sure that creatine itself works because of the water retention in the muscles... correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm fairly sure that creatine itself works because of the water retention in the muscles... correct me if I'm wrong.

i think the main reason it works is because the phosphate molecule in creatine binds with adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) to become adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is energy

Correct me if i am wrong.

~v

Do 10gm's for 3 days in a row and you should be good to go. If you don't feel comfortable with that, then up it to a regular 5gm's 4 times a day for only two days. After that, you should only need to take 5gm's per day to maintain your creatine levels. You can use your own judgement on whether you want to take that before or after training. I take 5gm's post workout.

Taking it just once I noticed a bit of bloating, Ive been taking it for a week and a half and I do notice bloating because of the retaining water, but I think it helps alot. I dont know wether or not a non loading phase would do too too much.