hello there! after loosing ~60 pounds in 6 months, i started lifting this january. I wanted to gain some muscle
back and get rid of that flabby feeling. Now when i have much free time i thought it might be good to start
creatine+whey route. Yes, i've read many stickies and stuff about creatine, but I still need to ask something
just to be sure. I'm going to the seaside next week, all alone with my weights, galons of water and sun cream,
planning to stay 5-7 days which is great to start with creatine. After I get back home, I'll hit the gym and
continue. So here are the questions...

How hard should I lift while in loading phase and in maintenance, is it like relevant to train harder while loading/main?
Would it be good if i split like all the muscle groups in those 5 loading days and cycle that through the maintenance aswell?
Should I do any cardio or HIIT while in loading/main?
My stats are 5'10, 150, calculations say ~2100cals, should that be okay?

Thanks in advance!

-sEi

Your routine and creatine are seperate things and there is no reason to even consider the two together.

There is also zero reason to do a loading phase. Start with 5g a day and just do that everyday. Loading is just pissing your money away.

I agree with that, not sure why loading phases became popular in the first place

I also can't see any reason why your training and diet should change while taking creatine either

Yep, no reason to change training.

While loading does work, its primary purpose is to make you use up creatine sooner, so you buy more.

Science has proven that it takes approx. 21 days of daily 3-5g servings to reach saturation.
Most loading phases are designed to have you take about 20 doses in 5 days. So its the same amount of creatine, but used up in 1/3 the time. Its harder on the body since excess creatine has to be handled by the kidneys (that's a nice way of saying 'you piss it all out').

Plus creatine isn't some miracle supplement, so there's just not a good reason to rush the saturation process with a loading phase.

Loading phases are also where most people feel the side effects like stomach cramps, loose stool, and muscle cramps.

thank you for quick answers guys!

Congratz on the weight lost and your plan on gaining muscle. Here is the deal, are you mentally ready to do the weight gain switch? I did some weight lost last year and trying to put back on muscle was rather difficult for me mentally as I had to EAT a tons more CLEANLY. While on my diet, I was used to being in defecit soo long that it was arkward and weird to force myself to be in surplus.

So the good news is that you get to eat, but how much? Whatever you calculate your baseline metabolism to be, try to add 250-500 calories per day via carbs. I'd suggest to go on 40% protein / 20% fat/ 40% carb diet and roughly 2,500 calories for you. Play with the #'s / percentage for your body and metobolism.

As for the creatine, it is meant to give you that extra oomph to lift a little more b/c your muscle will recover from fatigue faster. You WILL lift heavier as the weight will seem lighter; push yourself and you will be surprise. Instead of creatine loading, I'd rather carb load for a few days if you have not already to recover/refill your energy supply. Simply put, when I am on a diet, my strength and lift drops about 20% less then when I am on weight gain + creatine. That's just me... Good luck and lift HEAVY, go for 5-8 reps for 3-5 sets (sticking to 3 mostly).

yeah, thanks for pointing that out. since i've started to train harder i had some problems with that,
mainly because i felt like i should lose that last pound of fat/skin. now im okay with that,
i talked to many specialized people who said i should not worry and start eating more and lift to tighten my whole body. i feel 100% ready to start with creatine

thanks for your replies guys!