Nutrition calculator
Creatine calculator
Work out your creatine monohydrate dose from body weight — loading or maintenance — with the timeline for each. Free, instant, no sign-up.
- Days 1 to 5–7: 24 g a day, split into four servings.
- From then on: 3 g a day, one serving, any time.
- Skipping the load: 3 g a day from day one reaches the same place in about 28 days.
Save these targets — the coach adjusts them as your weight moves.
Free — no card, 30 seconds. Your result comes with you.
Should you load creatine or just take a maintenance dose?
Both routes end in the same place: full muscle creatine stores. Loading gets there in about a week by taking a large dose split across the day; skipping it and taking a steady 3–5 g daily gets there in about four weeks. Loading is not required — it is a shortcut, and the larger doses are the ones most likely to cause the mild stomach upset some people report.
How does this calculator work?
The numbers follow the International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand on creatine: 0.3 g per kilogram of body weight per day for 5 to 7 days to load, split into four servings, then about 0.03 g per kilogram per day to maintain. We hold the maintenance dose inside the 3–5 g per day window the research actually used, so a lighter body weight is not handed a dose below anything that was studied.
Practical notes
Creatine monohydrate is the form with by far the most research behind it, and the cheapest. Timing matters far less than consistency — daily intake is what keeps stores topped up, and a missed day is not a reset. Expect a small jump on the scale early on: that is water drawn into muscle, not fat. This page is general information, not medical advice; if you have a kidney condition, take medication, or are pregnant, talk to your doctor before starting a supplement.
How much water should you drink with creatine?
A creatine dose in grams does not convert into a fixed extra water allowance. Dose, water retained in muscle, and how much you need to drink are different questions. Early water-weight changes, especially during loading, do not mean you need to force an extra gallon each day.
A 2021 review of creatine research found that the evidence does not support creatine causing dehydration or cramping in healthy users. That does not remove ordinary fluid needs during exercise, particularly in heat.
Use the daily water-intake calculator as a rough starting estimate. For a workout, the sweat-rate calculator uses your before-and-after weight, drinks and duration to estimate sweat loss. Match the conditions you train in; a creatine dose alone cannot tell you that loss.