Three to four weeks at 5 g per day. That is how long muscle creatine stores take to fill from a standard daily dose, and it is the number to plan around.
A loading protocol compresses it to 5 to 7 days, at the cost of taking four servings a day. Neither route changes the end point, only how fast you reach it.
Nobody notices anything in week one, and any page telling you otherwise is describing something other than creatine saturation. Here is the actual timeline, including the part where nothing happens.
At 5 g per day, expect 3 to 4 weeks to reach full muscle saturation. With a loading protocol, 5 to 7 days. Week one on a standard dose is, by design, uneventful.
Initially, ingesting smaller amounts of creatine monohydrate (e.g., 3-5 g/day) will increase muscle creatine stores over a 3-4 week period, however, the initial performance effects of this method of supplementation are less supported.
Kreider et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:18
The ISSN position stand notes that the early performance effects of a standard 3 to 5 g daily dose are less well supported, which is a fair warning that the first fortnight is quiet.
The most effective way to increase muscle creatine stores is to ingest 5 g of creatine monohydrate (or approximately 0.3 g/kg body weight) four times daily for 5-7 days.
Kreider et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:18
Four servings a day means 20 g daily for 5 to 7 days. With gummies that is 12 gummies a day, which is a real cost in both pouches and willingness. Loading is optional, not required.
| Period | At 5 g per day | With a loading phase |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 7 | Stores rising from a 60 to 80 percent baseline. Nothing to notice | Saturation reached at 20 g/day |
| Week 2 | Still filling | Maintaining at 5 g/day |
| Weeks 3 to 4 | Saturation reached | Maintaining |
| Ongoing | 5 g/day holds stores full | Identical. The routes converge |
| If you stop | 4 to 6 weeks back to baseline | 4 to 6 weeks, same |
Whichever route you take, the destination and the decay are identical. Loading buys about three weeks, once.
Creatine draws water into muscle cells, so early weight change of roughly 0.5 kg to 1.5 kg is common in the first few weeks. That is water, not tissue, and it stabilises. It is a sign the compound is being taken up rather than a result in itself.
The experiment that actually settles the loading question was run decades ago, and a recent review restates it:
For example, in the classic 'loading' vs. daily 'maintenance' dose comparison study by Hultman et al., creatine accumulation in muscle was similar (~ 20% increase) after participants consumed 3 g/day for 28 days or 20 g/day for 6 days.
Antonio et al. (2021), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
The same 20 percent increase either way. Loading changes how fast you arrive, not where you arrive, and 28 days at a normal dose reaches the same place as 6 days at nearly seven times the dose.
A pouch of Supps is 90 gummies, which at one serving of three a day is 30 days, and happens to be about the length of the standard saturation window. Each serving is 5 g of creatine monohydrate. Every batch is independently tested by RSSL and Eurofins UK, with measured results at our lab results page, in grams, for every batch.
Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. This benefit is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. Three Supps gummies provide 5 g.
Shop Supps Creatine Gummies3 to 4 weeks at 5 g per day, which is how long muscle stores take to reach saturation. A loading protocol of roughly 20 g per day reaches the same point in 5 to 7 days.
Plan for 3 to 4 weeks on a standard 5 g daily dose. The research itself notes that early effects from this approach are less well supported, so a quiet first fortnight is expected rather than a sign something is wrong.
No. Loading reaches saturation in 5 to 7 days instead of 3 to 4 weeks, and that is the only difference. Both routes end at the same place and both decay over the same 4 to 6 weeks if you stop.
Because muscle stores start around 60 to 80 percent full on a normal diet and rise gradually at 5 g per day. Creatine is a stored reserve rather than a stimulant, so there is no acute effect to feel.
No. Roughly 0.5 kg to 1.5 kg in the first few weeks is water drawn into muscle cells, and it stabilises.
Stores stay full for as long as you take 5 g per day. If you stop, they return toward baseline over 4 to 6 weeks.
Every creatine guide we publish is listed in Creatine Guides: Further Reading.
Last reviewed: August 2026. Sources: Kreider et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:18, CC BY 4.0. Antonio et al. (2021), same journal. GB Nutrition and Health Claims register, version 19 May 2026. Supps batch certificates of analysis, RSSL and Eurofins UK, published at suppsgummies.co.uk/pages/verify.
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