One week off creatine: muscle breakdown or a minor hiccup?

You won’t notice much difference if you stop taking creatine for a week. Your body and muscles usually become saturated with creatine after about 3 weeks of taking about 5 grams per day. It also takes up to 3 weeks for creatine stores to leave the body once you stop using it. So, realistically, if you stop taking creatine for just one week, your muscles will still have ample stores of creatine. Additionally, don’t forget that creatine is naturally produced in muscle cells and is found in many food sources as well.

One week is not long

I will state categorically that if you stop taking creatine for a week it will not make any difference.

In fact, if you “feel” as though your energy levels or workouts suffer during a week of rest, it’s likely a placebo effect.

The whole point of taking it is to flood the muscles with creatine, which in turn helps the muscles produce energy.

This of course can lead to better strength and lean muscle gains.

However, it usually takes about 3 weeks of 5 grams per day to flood your muscles with creatine.

This also explains why there is a loading phase, it allows you to get there faster.

So, the goal is to infuse your muscles with creatine and then return to a maintenance dose of 3 to 5 grams per day.

Now, the fact that your Being full of creatine means your muscles cannot be depleted overnight.

In fact, your creatine supply will not start to run out until at least two weeks after you stop taking it.

For most weight lifters taking the recommended dose, it will take up to 3 weeks for creatine stores to completely leave the body.

However, depending on the amount you have taken, this may take up to 4-6 weeks.

In other words, not taking creatine for a week won’t make much of a difference.

You should also remember that muscles naturally produce a basal level of 1-2 grams of creatine per day anyway.

Additionally, many foods, especially red meat and fish, contain high levels of creatine, which means you can “supplement” naturally through nutrition.

Don’t believe the creatine hype

You’ll often hear that if you stop taking creatine for a day or two, let alone a week, it will have an effect on you.

Some will say that you will lose a little weight, mainly water weight, as the muscles become less saturated.

Then there are those who claim that their strength has decreased in the few days since they stopped taking creatine.

There are also people who will tell you that they lose size and muscle within a week.

As I mentioned earlier, if your muscles are saturated with creatine supplements, it will take at least two weeks for any form of creatine depletion to begin to occur.

So, if anyone notices immediate differences, it’s either the placebo effect again, or simply their muscles weren’t saturated with creatine in the first place.

However, it is completely ridiculous to claim that you have lost size or strength in a couple of days.

In fact, I’m sure you realize that your gains are being made outside the gym while you are recovering.

Therefore, your muscles repair themselves and grow back bigger and stronger when you are not exercising.

“Holiday effect”

This also explains why you can often come back from holiday looking better than when you went away.

You knew you were going on vacation so your training levels went through the roof in anticipation.

In fact, I was on the verge of overtraining.

You then spend a week or two eating, drinking and relaxing, perhaps not going to the hotel gym more than twice a week.

And yet you look cool somehow.

So, anyone who says stopping creatine for a few days or a week has severely affected size and strength is nonsense.

I would go so far as to say that the companies that make and sell creatine will specifically tell you not to miss a day.

To me, this is nothing more than marketing hype so you keep buying creatine and eating more of it.

Don’t believe the hype.

Should you cycle creatine?

You will read a lot of confusing and conflicting information about creatine that is enough to put you off taking it altogether.

Sorry if I’m adding to your problems.

Again, there will be people who swear Cycling creatineWhoever believes that there is nothing wrong with taking it regularly.

In fact, I think this comes down to personal choice, as well as how your body reacts to creatine.

You’ll often hear that you should load up on creatine for a week, take it for another 7-10 weeks in a maintenance period, and then take a week or two off.

The reason for this is that your body will typically adapt to supplements, so it’s a good idea to reset everything internally and then go back to taking creatine again.

Then there are people who will tell you that there is no need to cycle creatine.

Well, actually, there’s no need to completely stop taking creatine (because you’ll still be recycling it somehow).

This may involve taking a higher dose, eg 10g, for around 4-5 days before returning to maintenance levels again.

In fact, your body has adapted, so you raise the levels to literally overwhelm the body.

I’ve always preferred to follow a creatine cycle, but that’s just me.

What happens if I stop taking creatine completely?

Deciding to stop creatine supplementation triggers a series of physiological changes, especially if your body has previously responded positively to it.

It is estimated that up to 30% of people are “creatine non-responsive,” meaning that creatine has no effect on them at all.

So, if you’re one of the 30% of people, stopping creatine supplements won’t make much of a difference.

Initially, one of the most noticeable effects is decreased water retention within muscle cells.

Creatine has the property of enhancing water absorption in the muscles, which contributes to a plumper appearance and slight weight gain.

When you stop taking the supplements, this effect reverses, resulting in decreased muscle size and possibly muscle cramping Slight decrease in total weight due to water loss.

Besides immediate changes in vision and weight, stopping creatine can affect your performance, especially in activities that require quick bursts of energy or high-intensity effort.

Creatine plays a crucial role in rapidly replenishing ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the primary energy carrier in cells, which is especially vital during short, intense physical activities.

Without the additional support of supplements, you may find a slight decrease in your ability to maintain peak performance levels, affecting your strength, power output, and speed of recovery between workouts.

🚫Stop creatine? What to expect 🚫
Creatine non-responders	Up to 30% of people see no effect from creatine, so stopping has no effect.
It’s time to deplete your creatine stores	3-6 weeks for most individuals.
Immediate effects	Loss of water weight and muscle fullness.
Long term effects	Possible decreased strength and power, affecting gym performance.
Brought to you by mybodyweightexercises.com 💪

Your body will eventually adapt

However, the human body is remarkably adaptable.

Over a period of usually three to six weeks, your body will adapt to the absence of additional creatine.

Natural creatine synthesis within the body, along with dietary sources, will begin to compensate, although not at the levels achieved with supplements.

This adjustment phase varies between individuals but eventually results in measures of performance and physical abilities stabilizing to pre-supplementation levels.

It is also worth noting that the effects of stopping creatine supplements are not permanent.

If you choose to reintroduce creatine into your diet, the previous benefits can be regained, such as enhanced muscle water retention, improved high-intensity performance, and faster recovery.

This inverse nature emphasizes the effectiveness of creatine as a supplement and the body’s ability to adapt to dietary changes.

So, while stopping creatine supplements will likely result in some noticeable changes, especially for those who respond well to it initially, these adjustments are part of a natural process as the body returns to its baseline state.

Understanding these shifts can help manage expectations and maintain a balanced approach to your fitness and supplementation strategy.

Final thoughts

So, I hope you have a better idea of ​​what happens when you stop taking creatine for a week.

In fact, very little.

It takes at least 2 weeks for creatine stores to begin to run out, and up to 3 weeks (4-6 weeks in some cases) for creatine to completely leave the body.

There is a lot of marketing hype claiming that you should not skip a day of creatine supplementation.

However, once the muscles are saturated, there is no need to worry for a while.

I recently discussed another common question when it comes to supplements, which is: Is it possible to take creatine without protein?.