Most adults who use creatine monohydrate take 3 to 5 grams per day. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s position stand, once muscle creatine stores are saturated they can generally be maintained with 3 to 5 g/day, although some studies suggest larger athletes may need 5 to 10 g/day.
An optional loading phase fills muscles faster: about 0.3 g per kilogram of body weight per day (roughly 5 g taken four times a day, or about 20 g/day) for 5 to 7 days, followed by 3 to 5 g/day. Skipping the loading phase and taking about 3 g/day reaches similar muscle levels more gradually, over roughly 3 to 4 weeks (the ISSN cites a 28-day 3 g/day protocol).
Image: Creatine monohydrate powder by Awkwafaba, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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