How to calculate your optimal creatine dose?

The optimal creatine dose depends on several parameters that vary among individuals: your weight, gender, age, and also your sports goals.

There is a lot of talk about creatine: water retention, exaggerated side effects, contradictory recommendations… It’s not easy to know whom to trust. Yet, it is one of the most studied supplements, and especially one of the most effective when properly dosed. But you still need to know how to adjust the quantity to your profile (and not just copy what your gym neighbor takes).

With our tool, there’s no need to complicate things. Just provide three key pieces of information:

• Your body weight,
• Your gender,
• Your main goal (mass gain, performance improvement, recovery, etc.).

And if you are vegetarian, remember to check the box provided for this purpose (people following a vegetarian diet often have lower creatine reserves, which may justify a dosage adjustment).

In just a few clicks, you will get:

• Your recommended daily dose,
• The ideal distribution of intakes throughout the day,
• Personalized advice tailored to your practice and profile.

Why do weight and gender influence creatine dosage?

Because the ideal creatine dosage is not decided randomly and must be calculated. According to the work of Brosnan & Brosnan (2007), it is directly linked to your muscle mass, which is influenced by your weight and gender.

Wondering why? Simply because creatine is mostly stored in your muscles, which represent about 30 to 45% of your body weight (Wyss & Kaddurah-Daouk, 2000). The more muscle mass you have, the more storage capacity you have… and therefore the greater your potential need for creatine.

Here are some benchmarks to better understand:

What creatine dose based on weight?

Harris et al. (1992) showed that the absorption and storage capacity of creatine is proportional to muscle mass. Simply put, a heavier or more muscular person will often need a higher dose of creatine to effectively saturate their reserves, logically.

Another observation, by Candow et al. (2019), indicates that women might require different supplementation strategies, especially if they want to achieve similar benefits to those observed in men.

What creatine dose for a woman?

Studies by Smith-Ryan et al. (2021) concluded that women have intracellular creatine reserves about 70 to 80% lower than men. This is mainly due to generally lower muscle mass.

But it’s not all about muscles: despite these generally lower reserves, some studies highlight that women can have resting intramuscular creatine levels about 10% higher than men, which could slightly limit their response to supplementation.

This also means that an excessively high dosage wouldn’t necessarily bring more benefits, hence the importance of precisely adjusting the amount taken.

Male-female difference for creatine

Men and women do not have the same creatine needs, and it is useless to apply standardized recommendations without considering these differences. A more massive man will need a higher amount, while a woman, even athletic, will often benefit from a more moderate dose, adjusted to her morphology and goals.

What creatine dosage based on sports goals?

The right creatine dosage does not solely depend on your weight or gender, but also on your type of physical activity. According to the meta-analysis by Branch (2003) and the official position of the ISSN (Kreider et al., 2017), needs vary depending on your goals and the muscle stress generated by your practice.

In short, the more your sport demands intense solicitation of your rapid energy system and muscle fibers, the higher the creatine demand will be.

Bodybuilding and CrossFit

For bodybuilding and CrossFit athletes, the research by Vandenberghe et al. (1997) is unequivocal: creatine boosts strength, power, and promotes muscle development. Why is that? Because during explosive efforts or heavy loads, your phosphocreatine reserves deplete quickly. And as shown by Jagim et al. (2012) in their research, this type of intense session justifies higher doses of creatine to maintain optimal performance and aid in better recovery.

Team sports

For those who practice team sports (football, rugby, handball…), you might be wondering about the use of creatine in your routine. So if the needs are more moderate, the benefits are still very much present. The study by Cox et al. (2002) highlighted significant improvements in repeated sprints among elite female soccer players, and Ramirez-Campillo et al. (2016) confirmed these results with adapted doses.

Here, creatine will mainly help to chain explosive efforts without loss of speed or power throughout the match.

You understood, to optimize your results, you will need to adjust your creatine intake according to your discipline.

Should I take more creatine if I’m vegetarian?

According to the study by Delanghe et al. (1989), people following a vegetarian diet have significantly lower endogenous creatine levels than omnivores. The study by Kaviani et al. (2020) shows that vegetarians’ daily creatine intake is significantly lower, since meat and fish are the main dietary sources (about 0.7g per 170g portion of meat).

In terms of performance, the study by Rae and Broer (2015) revealed particularly interesting results: vegetarian athletes show a more marked improvement in cognitive performance during creatine supplementation. Benton and Donohoe (2011) confirmed these results, observing a better response to supplementation in vegetarians compared to omnivores (likely due to their initially lower reserves).

What are the dosages for therapeutic use of creatine?

Unlike sports creatine doses, therapeutic doses can be significantly higher, especially to support brain health.

Yes, you read that right, research has focused on its potential in areas like cognition, depression (we wrote an article on creatine and depression) or brain injuries, with rather promising results.

Here’s what recent research indicates:

• Improvement of cognitive functions: Turner et al. (2015) observed a notable progression with a loading phase of 20 g per day for 5 days, followed by maintenance at 5 g per day. This approach improves brain processing capabilities and memory.
• Treatment-resistant depression: According to Kondo et al. (2011), a dose of 5 g per day for 8 weeks allowed a 56% reduction in depressive symptoms in women not responding to conventional antidepressants (evaluated via the CDRS-R scale).
• Brain injuries: The study by Sakellaris et al. (2006) tested higher doses, with 0.4 g/kg/day for 6 months. Again, the results showed significant improvements in post-traumatic cognitive and motor functions.
• Prevention of cognitive decline: McMorris et al. (2007) recommend 20 g per day for 7 days, followed by maintenance at 5 g per day. This would improve memory and protect brain functions related to aging.

Finally, an interesting discovery by Lyoo et al. (2003) indicates that creatine supplementation leads to a significant increase once again in brain levels after only 7 days.

Creatine would therefore also have a role to play in the health field, especially concerning the brain.

How does creatine quality influence its effectiveness?

Let’s not beat around the bush, the choice of your creatine is not a detail. In fact, it’s even one of the key points to avoid disappointments.

Analyses conducted by Alzchem, manufacturer of Creapure®, have shown that some generic creatines exceed the thresholds set by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) regarding undesirable substances like DCD and DHT, potentially harmful in the long term.
Studies

Scientific publications on creatine dosage

• “Position Stand of the International Society of Sports Nutrition: Safety and Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation in Exercise, Sport, and Medicine” (Complete document on dosage recommendations according to uses) DOI: 10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
• “Creatine Supplementation in Women: A Lifespan Perspective” (Detailed study on specific dosages for women) DOI: 10.3390/nu13030877
• “Common Questions and Misconceptions about Creatine Supplementation: What Does the Scientific Evidence Really Show?” (Analysis of different dosage protocols) DOI: 10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w
• “Creatine Supplementation and Brain Health” (Study focused on therapeutic dosages) DOI: 10.3390/nu13020586
• “Increase in Muscle Creatine by Oral Supplementation in Normal Subjects” (Fundamental study on dosage protocols) DOI: 10.1042/cs0830367
• “Effect of Oral Creatine Supplementation on Skeletal Muscle Phosphocreatine Resynthesis” (Research on dose optimization) DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.1994.266.5.E725
• “Creatine During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” (Specific dosages during pregnancy) DOI: 10.3390/nu12061780