Creatine is one of the best-supported supplements in sports nutrition: it improves performance in short, repeated high-intensity efforts (lifting, sprints, the burst to a loose ball) and, combined with training, supports gains in lean mass. Yet gym advice on how much to take still varies wildly. This guide pins down the dose using the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s creatine position stand (Kreider et al., 2017) and its common-questions papers (Antonio et al., 2021; Part II, 2024).
Not medical advice. This is general information. If you have kidney disease, diabetes, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your doctor before using creatine.
What creatine is and how it works
Creatine is made in your liver, kidneys and pancreas and is found in red meat and fish. Muscles store it mainly as phosphocreatine, which rapidly regenerates ATP during maximal efforts lasting a few seconds. Supplementing typically raises muscle creatine stores by roughly 20–40%, with bigger effects in people who start low, such as vegetarians and vegans.
Creatine is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list, so tested athletes can use it. Because supplements can be contaminated, competitive athletes should choose third-party tested products (for example NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport). In the EU, an authorised health claim states that 3 g a day improves performance in repeated short bursts of high-intensity exercise.
The two ISSN dosing protocols
The ISSN 2017 stand describes two routes:
| Protocol | Dose | Time to saturation |
|---|---|---|
| Loading | 0.3 g/kg/day for 5–7 days (about 20 g for most people, as 4 × 5 g), then 3–5 g/day | ~1 week |
| No loading | 3–5 g every day | ~28 days |
Loading only changes the speed; after a few weeks both groups end up with similar muscle creatine levels. The ISSN notes that very large athletes may need 5–10 g a day for maintenance. The 2021 paper summarises the general recommendation as “3–5 g per day or 0.1 g per kg of body mass per day”.
Worked examples: 70 kg (154 lb) and 80 kg (176 lb)
70 kg / 154 lb lifter
- Loading: 0.3 × 70 = 21 g/day → in practice 4 × 5 g = 20 g, spread across breakfast, lunch, post-workout and dinner.
- 5-day loading total: 20 × 5 = 100 g; 7 days would be 140 g.
- Maintenance: 3–5 g/day. The 0.1 g/kg rule gives 0.1 × 70 = 7 g, a reasonable upper end.
80 kg / 176 lb lifter
- Loading: 0.3 × 80 = 24 g/day → 4 × 6 g.
- 5-day loading total: 24 × 5 = 120 g.
- Maintenance: 3–5 g/day; 0.1 g/kg gives 8 g.
If you think in pounds: 0.3 g/kg equals about 0.136 g per lb, so 154 lb × 0.136 ≈ 21 g, matching the metric result.
How long does a tub last?
A 300 g tub at 5 g a day lasts 300 ÷ 5 = 60 days. With a 5-day load at 20 g (100 g used) the remaining 200 g lasts 200 ÷ 5 = 40 days, so 45 days in total. On a budget, skipping the load makes sense.
Creatine does not build muscle on its own; you still need training and enough protein. Set your daily target with the protein calculator and track strength gains with the one-rep max calculator.
Which form, and when to take it
Creatine monohydrate is the most researched, cheapest and proven form. More expensive forms such as creatine HCl, ethyl ester or “buffered” creatine have no strong evidence of being better; ethyl ester has even been shown to be worse. Micronised monohydrate dissolves more easily but is the same compound.
Timing: the ISSN Part II paper (2024) notes a possible small advantage for post-exercise intake, but the evidence is inconsistent. What really matters is taking it every day, rest days included. Taking it with a meal containing carbohydrate and protein may slightly increase uptake into muscle.
Mixing: stir the powder into water, milk or juice and drink it straight away. Creatine slowly degrades into creatinine in liquid over time, so don’t pre-mix bottles for the whole week.
Water retention and other myths
Antonio et al. (2021) worked through the most common myths:
- “Creatine makes you bloated”: a gain of roughly 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) in the loading week is common; most of that water is inside muscle cells, not under the skin. Long term, total body water stays in proportion to muscle mass.
- “Creatine is a steroid”: no. Its structure and action are unrelated to anabolic steroids.
- “It causes hair loss”: the claim rests on one small study reporting a change in a hormone (DHT); no study has directly shown hair loss.
- “It causes cramps and dehydration”: research has not found higher rates of cramping, injury or dehydration. Still, drink enough when training in heat.
- “It makes you fat”: creatine does not increase fat mass; the scale change is water and muscle.
Safety: who should be careful
According to the ISSN 2017 stand, short- and long-term use in healthy people (in some studies for years, at up to 30 g a day) has not shown serious adverse effects. The most common complaint is stomach upset from a large single dose, which splitting the dose avoids.
Be careful if:
- You have kidney disease: data are limited; use only under medical supervision.
- You have blood tests: creatine can slightly raise serum creatinine. That does not mean kidney damage, but it can skew interpretation, so tell your doctor you take it.
- You are under 18: the ISSN found no safety signal in adolescents, but training, sleep and food come first, and use should be discussed with parents and a physician.
Quick summary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Form | Creatine monohydrate |
| Loading | Optional: 0.3 g/kg/day for 5–7 days |
| Maintenance | 3–5 g/day (5–10 g for very large athletes) |
| No-load route | 3–5 g/day, saturated in ~28 days |
| Timing | Daily consistency; post-workout may help slightly |
| Cycling off | Not required; stores return to baseline 4–6 weeks after stopping |
Sources
- Kreider et al., “ISSN exercise & sports nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation”, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017.
- Antonio et al., “Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?”, JISSN, 2021.
- Antonio et al., “Part II. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation”, JISSN, 2024.
- WADA Prohibited List, 2026; EU Regulation 432/2012 on authorised health claims.