How to Use the Creatine Loading & Maintenance Dose Calculator
Creatine is one of the few supplements with a dose that scales cleanly with body weight. Enter your weight and this calculator returns two numbers: the daily dose for a "loading phase" that fills your muscle creatine stores quickly, and the daily dose for the "maintenance phase" that keeps those stores topped up afterward. The common approach uses about 0.136g per pound for 5-7 days of loading, then about 0.0136g per pound every day for maintenance.
The loading phase only exists to get you saturated faster — it isn't required. Research shows that taking just the maintenance dose from day one reaches roughly the same muscle saturation level after about 3-4 weeks, so if you'd rather skip the higher loading doses and any digestive discomfort that can come with them, starting straight at maintenance is a perfectly reasonable choice.
Drinking enough water alongside creatine generally helps with absorption and how you feel while taking it, and most recent research suggests pairing it with caffeine doesn't meaningfully blunt its effects. That said, these numbers are general guidance — if you have kidney disease or another condition, or take medication, talk to a doctor or dietitian before starting or adjusting your dose.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it's optional. Taking only the maintenance dose (about 0.014g per pound of body weight) daily without loading will reach roughly the same muscle saturation level after 3-4 weeks. Loading simply gets you there faster.
Since the goal is keeping your muscle creatine stores topped up, it's generally recommended to take the same dose every day, including rest days.