May 05, 2025

Are You Overloading Your Supplements? When to Load — and When It’s Just Hype

Welcome to the front lines of supplement strategy — where oversized tubs, exaggerated promises, and “must-load” protocols flood your feed with the allure of faster gains, laser focus, and joint relief by lunchtime.

Let’s be blunt: the supplement industry loves a good loading phase. More scoops early on? More product used, more tubs sold. Everyone wins — except your wallet and, occasionally, your gastrointestinal tract.

So — do you really need to load your supplements, or is this just a cleverly marketed sprint to the bottom of your tub?

Let’s unpack it. Smartly, cynically, and with the science squarely on our side.

What Is a Loading Phase?

A loading phase involves taking a higher-than-standard dose of a supplement for a short period to accelerate the compound’s accumulation in the body — often followed by a lower maintenance dose.

Classics include:

  • Creatine: 20g/day for 5–7 days, then 3–5g/day
  • Beta-Alanine: 4–6g/day for ~4 weeks, then 1.5–2g/day 

Some compounds are occasionally lumped into the “maybe load” category — like fish oil, citrulline, or nootropics — but for most of these, the science is shaky, inconsistent, or simply non-existent.

In theory, loading accelerates benefits. In practice? Only sometimes — and often it’s just marketing in a lab coat.

Where Did Loading Come From?

Loading began in clinical and athletic contexts — where the goal was to rapidly replenish depleted physiological stores.

Think:

  • Electrolytes (e.g., magnesium or potassium post-diarrhoea or in clinical deficiency)
  • Creatine during in-season training (source)

But somewhere between peer-reviewed journals and product labels, the message mutated:
“Want results? Better load — hard and fast.”
Enter the supplement brands, keen to ride the scientific coattails — and move twice as much product in half the time.

What the Bros Say vs. What the Science Says

The Bro Logic: “Loading gets you results quicker. More is more, bro.”
The Evidence: “Sometimes, yes. But usually… not really.”

Here’s the breakdown:

  • Effective:
    • Creatine and Beta-Alanine — Loading accelerates tissue saturation and performance benefits. (source)
  • Situational:
    • Fish oil, citrulline, magnesium — Loading may help in specific cases (e.g., deficiency, acute inflammation, or performance prep), but consistent intake is usually sufficient.
  • Unnecessary (and sometimes counterproductive):
    • Adaptogens, joint support nutrients, nootropics, BCAAs, L-Arginine — No evidence that loading enhances effect. In some cases, it increases side effects or just wastes product.

Unless the compound requires tissue saturation, enzyme induction, or plasma build-up, loading isn’t physiologically justified.

Marketing vs. Mechanism: Where the Load Is Just for Show

Legit Reasons to Load

  • Creatine: Proven to speed up muscle saturation and enhance performance.
  • Beta-Alanine: Boosts muscle carnosine levels quicker, supporting endurance — though the tingling (paresthesia) is a common side effect.
  • L-Carnitine (conditional): Some clinical protocols use front-loading for deficiency or neurological support, but fat-loss effects are still debatable.

Loading That's Mostly Nonsense

  • MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin: These work slowly and cumulatively. No evidence that high doses improve speed or outcome — but they may cause GI upset.
  • BCAAs: Don’t require loading. And if your protein intake is on point, you likely don’t need them at all.
  • L-Arginine: Poor bioavailability. Loading = expensive flushing. Use Citrulline instead.
  • Adaptogens (Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, etc.): These regulate gradually via the HPA axis. No benefit to “priming” them.
  • Nootropic blends: Many act acutely (e.g., caffeine); others (like Bacopa or Lion’s Mane) require weeks of consistent dosing — loading won’t shortcut that.

The In-Betweeners

  • Fish Oil: Some clinicians recommend front-loading to raise plasma EPA/DHA levels quickly, especially for anti-inflammatory effects. Safe up to 5g/day, but consult a professional (EFSA).
  • Citrulline: May offer acute vasodilation benefits. Long-term loading shows limited additional value (PMC10167868, PubMed 26023227).
  • Magnesium: Only load under medical supervision if deficient. Otherwise, steady intake is ideal.
  • Bacopa Monnieri: Anecdotal benefits from front-loading, but may worsen brain fog or fatigue in sensitive individuals.

Red Flags: When “Loading” Is Just Salesmanship

When brands insist you must load:

  • Look for vague phrases like “system priming” or “synergistic activation”
  • Watch out for complex protocols with no references or mechanisms
  • Be wary of small tubs or underdosed products that mysteriously require “high-intensity” starts

If the science is missing, the motive is usually margin — not mechanism.

Biochemical Individuality: Why Loading Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

Your training partner might thrive on a loading phase. You might just get bloated.

Why? Because:

  • Baseline levels differ — e.g., vegetarians respond better to creatine than meat-eaters.
  • Genetics shape how we metabolise nootropics, adaptogens, and more.
  • Absorption is influenced by gut health, liver enzymes, even microbiota composition.
  • Tolerance varies — some build it fast (caffeine), others stay sensitive.
  • Subjective response matters — not everyone “feels” the same dose the same way.

    See our blog: ONE SIZE FITS NONE: THE SCIENCE OF BIOCHEMICAL INDIVIDUALITY

In short: biology over branding.

Smart Supplement Strategy: When to Load, When to Chill

Use this as a quick-reference checklist:

  • Load
    • Creatine – Speeds up muscle saturation
    • Beta-Alanine – Faster results, tingling is common
  • Maybe Load
    • Fish Oil – Useful in high-need or clinical scenarios
    • Citrulline – Effective acutely for pumps, not necessarily long-term
    • Magnesium – Only if deficient
    • Bacopa – Risk of cognitive side effects if overdone
  • Do Not Load
    • Glucosamine / MSM – Cumulative effect only
    • Adaptogens – No benefit to front-loading
    • L-Arginine – Poor absorption, better alternatives exist
    • BCAAs – Unnecessary with sufficient protein intake

Loading vs. Cycling: Strategy, Not Symmetry

Think of loading as your accelerator — and cycling as the clutch and brake.

They’re tools, not traditions. Loading gets a compound working quickly (if needed). Cycling preserves responsiveness over time (especially for compounds like caffeine or adaptogens that build tolerance).

Together, they form the supplement equivalent of smart periodisation — load, adapt, taper, reset.

Need a deeper dive on cycling? Check out our blog:
Adapt, Don’t Plateau: Why Cycling Your Supplements Matters
It’s the ideal companion to this piece — especially if you’re serious about long-term stack optimisation.

Final Word: Don’t Just Follow the Scoop. Follow the Science.

Loading isn’t snake oil. But it’s not a universal rule, either.

When it’s appropriate — creatine, beta-alanine, sometimes fish oil — it can be a smart play. But when it’s tacked onto everything from collagen to ashwagandha? That’s not physiology. That’s a sales funnel in disguise.

At One Life Foods, we’re not just here to sell tubs. We’re here to make sure your strategy is built on mechanisms, not marketing myths.

Smart supplementation isn’t just about what you take — it’s how you take it, when you pause, and why your approach actually respects your biology.

Because results aren’t just about speed — they’re about direction. And in the supplement game, slow and steady often wins the (metabolically appropriate) race.

Written by Chris Simon