Work out how much creatine monohydrate to take from your weight: maintenance (from 3 g) and an optional 5–7 day loading phase split into 4 doses.
How much creatine to take per day
This creatine calculator turns your body weight into grams of monohydrate. Maintenance comes from 0.03 g per kilo, with a 3 g floor: below that, muscle saturation just takes longer. Loading, 0.3 g per kilo for 5 to 7 days, is optional. It gets you there sooner, not to a bigger effect.
The maths runs in the browser. It is not a substitute for a doctor's advice if you have kidney disease or take medication: creatine is well studied in healthy people, and that is the context of these numbers.
5–7 days, optional · 4 doses of 5.6 g
Loading is optional. The maintenance dose saturates muscle the same way, it just takes about 3–4 weeks instead of one. You do not need to cycle it or take it only on training days.
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Creatine monohydrate is the supplement with the strongest evidence for strength and muscle. The dose does not depend on your aesthetic goal: it depends on body weight, because what gets saturated is the muscle.
Maintenance
The ISSN puts maintenance at 0.03 g per kilo per day, with a practical 3 to 5 g range that covers almost any adult. Under 3 g, saturation just takes longer for no benefit. You do not need to take it fasted or only on gym days: the muscle store stays full with the daily dose, at any time.
Loading, only if you want it faster
0.3 g/kg for 5–7 days, split into 4 doses, fills the muscle in a week instead of three or four. A single 20 g dose often upsets the stomach, which is why it is split. After those days you return to maintenance. Skipping the load does not shrink the end result, it only delays it.
Frequently asked questions
How much creatine should I take per day?+
For most adults, 3 to 5 g of monohydrate a day. This calculator uses 0.03 g/kg and does not go under 3 g; it only goes past 5 g when body weight calls for it.
Do I need a loading phase?+
No. Loading (0.3 g/kg for 5–7 days, in several doses) saturates muscle in a week. Without it, 3–5 g a day reaches the same place in 3–4 weeks.
Should I cycle off for a few months?+
There is no reason to cycle it. The store stays full while you take it and drops when you stop. Time of day barely matters.