Creatine dosage: When and how much to take?

Creatine is a supplement that has been experiencing a big boom over the past few years and its popularity has been steadily rising. Unfortunately for many, however, it is constantly shrouded in mystery and confusion regarding its proper use. In this article, I would therefore like to make it clear once and for all when creatine is appropriate to take and how many grams of creatine should make up a daily dose.

But first of all, let's take a look at what creatine even is. Creatine is an organic nitrogenous compound, the best source of which is meat. Its main role is to supply energy to muscle cells, but beyond that it is involved in many other important metabolic processes in the body.

Creatine dosage in detail:

• Creatine dosage before and after training

The fact is that creatine is one of the indispensable pre-workout supplements. The main role of this supplement is to release adenosine triphosphate, which acts as fuel for our muscles. And when else does our body need this fuel if not just before a workout? A post-workout dose helps recovery and speeds up some metabolic processes. The optimal pre- and post-workout dose is generally considered to be 5 grams.

• How is the dosage of Creatine Ethyl Ester different from monohydrate?

However, the dosage of creatine ethyl ester (hereinafter referred to as "CEE") is completely different from the dosage of creatine monohydrate. This revolutionary form of creatine delivers the improved positives of classic monohydrate and the elimination of all the negatives. With even better usability, you only need 3 grams of creatine per day. With CEE there is also no need to divide this dose into multiple servings, 3g in one dose 30-60 minutes before training is sufficient. This creatine is also available in capsule or tablet form. If you opt for this option, it is impossible to clearly determine the dosage, it is necessary to be guided by the content of the active substance (i.e. creatine) in one capsule.

• How to combine glucose with creatine?

Very often creatine is combined with glucose, i.e. with fast carbohydrates. The reason is simple, glucose will increase insulin secretion and it will be better absorbed into the muscle cells together with creatine. If you choose this combination, it is advisable to include 5g of creatine and 10-15g of glucose.

TIP: What to combine creatine with for maximum effect?

What are the ways to use creatine?

Creatine monohydrate is also specific in the ways it can be dosed. In fact, there are several ways to use it.

The first way is not exceptional and consists in taking 5g per day for 3-4 months.

The second way differs only for the first week, when the creatine intake climbs up to 25g per day. This week is referred to as the saturation phase and its purpose is to fill the muscle cells with water and thus increase their volume. This is followed by a maintenance phase where you again dose 5g of creatine for 2-3 months.
So in practice it might look something like this:

Is this satiation phase important?

Many people will tell you that without the saturation phase, creatine has no effect. But the opposite is true. If you want to avoid excess watering of the body and use creatine as a supplement in a reduction diet, a 5g dose before training is quite sufficient. Thanks to this, not only will you avoid the aforementioned dehydration, but you will also burn fat better and your metabolism will work faster. The saturation phase is therefore not important at all.

Is creatine to be discontinued?

The question of whether or not to discontinue creatine is still the subject of many would-be experts in the fitness industry. If you look at the abstracts of various scientific studies, they clearly show thatthat the use of creatine is effective and safe even with long-term use. The body does not build up a tolerance to it, but it is also necessary to point out that certain scientific meta-analyses that there is a relatively high percentage of people (about 30%) on whom creatine does not have as strong an effect as on others.

If I were to add my personal experience, I prefer to always take creatine without a saturation phase and over a longer period of time. I used to be a classic monohydrate user, but for the last few months I have been usingm creatine HCl in my favourite pre-workout Serious Pre and I must say that the effect is even better.

Is there a maximum dose of creatine?

Creatine is a completely natural substance for the body, which means there is no risk of any serious symptoms due to overdose or addiction, it's non-toxic, it doesn't damage the liver or kidneys. However, we have written about the possible side effects of large doses of creatine in a separate article entitled Can I Overdose on Creatine? The recommended daily dose of creatine, which each manufacturer states on the packaging, should be given to everyeveryone should respect, but exceeding this limit will not bring any side effects. Only at doses higher than 50g per day can it have a laxative effect.

• Creatine and the risks of its dosage

The only "danger" of creatine lies in combining creatine with alcohol or caffeine. Both of the above-mentioned substances are diuretic, which is contrary to the use of creatine, which is supposed to hydrate the body. If you don't want to give up your morning cup of coffee even when taking creatine, you need to increase your fluid intake.

TIP: 7 common myths about creatine

How to dose creatine on non-training days?

If you choose to take creatine, it is essential to take it on non-training days. If you are in a saturation phase, divide the 25g into 4-5 daily doses and consume them at any time of the day. If you are not in a satiation phase, you can take a 5 gram dose of creatine at any time of the day, preferably with a meal.

Is it appropriate to dose creatine at night?

Taking creatine is not limited by the time of day. Therefore, the possibility of dosing creatine at night is logical. If you take only one dose per day, it is ideal to include it before training. However, if you are following a saturation phase, one of the five daily doses should be just before bedtime. It's not a good idea to mix creatine with glucose at night, though, as the body may store these carbohydrates in fat stores.

More interesting articles about creatine:

• What to combine creatine with for maximum effect?
• A test of the best creatine supplements
• The 7 most common myths about creatine
• How creatine works in the body, its benefits and side effects
• Creatine HCl: The revolutionary form of creatine to replace monohydrate?

Everything you need to know about creatine (video):