Creatine Loading Calculator
Calculate your personalized creatine loading dose and maintenance dose based on your body weight — metric or imperial.
Creatine Loading Calculator
Loading phase & maintenance dose
Creatine monohydrate is the most researched sports supplement. Doses are calculated using established sports science formulas: 0.3 g/kg/day for loading, 0.03 g/kg/day for maintenance.
Loading vs Steady-State Protocol
| Method | Dose | Time to Saturation | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loading | 0.3 g/kg/day × 4 doses × 7 days | 5–7 days | Competition approaching |
| Steady-state | 3–5 g/day continuously | 3–4 weeks | Long-term use, no GI issues |
Creatine Loading: How It Works and Whether You Need to Load
Creatine monohydrate is the most extensively researched performance supplement in sports science history, with over 500 peer-reviewed studies confirming its efficacy and safety. It works by increasing phosphocreatine (PCr) stores in skeletal muscle, which rapidly regenerates ATP during high-intensity efforts lasting 1–10 seconds — sprints, heavy lifts, explosive power. Full muscle creatine saturation increases work capacity in these efforts by approximately 5–15%, with comparable improvements in total training volume, strength, and muscle mass over multi-week training cycles.
There are two primary supplementation protocols: Loading Phase (20–25 g/day split across 4–5 doses for 5–7 days, then 3–5 g/day maintenance) achieves muscle creatine saturation within approximately 1 week. Steady-State Dosing (3–5 g/day from the start, no loading phase) achieves identical saturation within 3–4 weeks. The performance improvement is identical between methods — the only difference is how quickly saturation is achieved. Loading is beneficial if you have a competition or performance test within 2 weeks; otherwise, simple daily dosing with no loading phase is equally effective and avoids the initial water retention and gastrointestinal discomfort some users experience at high loading doses.
Dosing should be calibrated to body weight: maintenance is approximately 0.03–0.05 g/kg body weight per day. For a 70 kg person, that's 2.1–3.5 g/day; for a 100 kg athlete, 3–5 g/day. Creatine works best when taken consistently every day — timing (pre- vs post-workout) appears to matter less than daily consistency per recent meta-analyses. Creatine monohydrate is superior to all other creatine forms (HCl, buffered, liquid) in both cost and evidence base. All other forms have no credible advantage over monohydrate and cost significantly more. This calculator generates your personalized loading and maintenance protocol based on body weight.
When and How to Take Creatine
Timing matters less than consistency. Some evidence suggests post-workout with a carbohydrate source improves uptake slightly. During loading, split into 4 doses throughout the day to minimize GI discomfort. Take with water — at least 300 ml per dose.
What Type of Creatine Should I Use?
Creatine monohydrate is the gold standard — cheapest, most studied, and the only form with consistent evidence for performance gains. Other forms (HCl, ethyl ester, buffered) have no evidence of superiority despite higher prices.