Creatine Dosage Calculator
Based on ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition) guidelines: 0.3 g/kg/day during a 5-7 day loading phase, then 0.03 g/kg/day ongoing. Skipping the loading phase and starting at the maintenance dose reaches the same full muscle saturation — it just takes about 3-4 weeks instead of about a week. This is general guidance, not personalized medical advice.
Free creatine dosage calculator using ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition) guidelines — see your exact loading-phase and maintenance-phase doses by body weight, plus how much longer it takes to saturate your muscles if you skip loading.
How it works
- Enter your body weight in kilograms
- See your ISSN-based loading-phase dose (0.3 g/kg/day, split into 3-4 doses, for 5-7 days) and your ongoing maintenance dose (0.03 g/kg/day)
- Compare loading vs. skipping it entirely — both fully saturate your muscle creatine stores, loading just gets there in about a week instead of about a month
Frequently asked questions
Do I actually need to do a loading phase?
No. Research confirms skipping the loading phase and starting directly at the maintenance dose reaches full muscle creatine saturation just as effectively — it simply takes about 3-4 weeks instead of about 5-7 days. Loading is a matter of how soon you feel the effects, not whether you'll get them.
How much creatine should I take per day?
The ISSN's evidence-based guideline is 0.3 g per kg of body weight per day during a 5-7 day loading phase (split into 3-4 smaller doses), then 0.03 g per kg per day ongoing for maintenance. For a typical adult this maintenance dose commonly lands around 3-5 g/day, which is why that flat number is so often quoted.
Is more creatine better?
No — creatine dosing above ISSN guidelines hasn't been shown to produce additional benefit once muscle stores are saturated; the extra simply isn't absorbed and used the same way. Following a weight-based dose avoids both under- and over-dosing.
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Update history
- 2026-09-08 Launched: ISSN-based creatine dosage calculator with loading-phase and maintenance-phase doses by body weight, and a loading-vs-no-loading saturation timeline comparison.