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Taking Creatine For Muscle Growth? This Is How Much You Need Daily
We're living in an era when it seems like everybody is working to get stronger—whether you're 25 or 65, new to strength training, or a seasoned gym-goer.
As you fine-tune your fitness routine (and work on that progressive overload), you may be wondering what else you can do to support your muscles and build strength. So naturally, creatine piqued your interest.
Creatine supplements do help people of all ages and fitness levels build muscle, get stronger, and recover faster.*
Here we'll break down exactly what you need to know about this popular supplement and how much to take to reap the compound's full benefits.
How does creatine work?
About 95% of the creatine in your body is stored in muscle tissue, where it's ready to be tapped for fast, explosive movement.
If your creatine stores aren't full, your muscles may not be able to perform at their maximum capacity. Since you use creatine during all movements—workouts and daily activities like walking and climbing stairs—you lose creatine on a daily basis.
Now, your body is able to make creatine from certain amino acids, and omnivores get some creatine directly from eating animal proteins like fish and meat. Combined, this is only enough creatine to maybe fill your stores to 60%-80% capacity1 (women, vegetarians, and older adults may be starting at even more of a deficit).
So, you have to take enough creatine to get your stores to 100% capacity—and keep them there.
What's a beneficial creatine dose for muscle growth?
Research consistently shows that taking 3 to 5 grams2 of creatine a day is beneficial for muscle health.
This daily 3- to 5-gram dose takes about a month to fully saturate your creatine stores, although you should start to notice improvements in muscle strength, power, and workout performance within the first two weeks of starting the benefits (which just build with time).*†
Don't forget about strength training
Now, creatine supplements support muscle health only when you pair them with exercise—particularly strength training.
Leading creatine researcher Darren Candow, Ph.D., previously shared on the mindbodygreen podcast that, "99% of all these benefits are driven by exercise. If you just take creatine without exercise, you're likely not going to get any of these substantial, beneficial effects."
What about higher doses?
Creatine is a safe and effective supplement (a review of 685 studies confirms that) at a variety of doses. Research consistently shows that this 3- to 5-gram daily dose is effective for muscle health.*
If you've done some of your own research into creatine, you may have come across the term loading phase3. This refers to taking a large creatine dose (say 20+ grams a day for five to seven days) to quickly saturate stores. Once that phase is complete, you then move to the 3- to 5-gram dose for daily maintenance.*
Research shows this dosing schedule does work. However, these larger doses often come with more GI issues (like cramping and bloating). However, starting with the more modest 3 to 5 grams a day is much better tolerated and results in the same benefits over time—it just requires a couple of more weeks to kick in.* (And is well worth the wait.)
But there are times when more creatine is helpful
Although a loading dose isn't needed, there are times when bumping your intake up to 10 grams a day is helpful.
- Highly active folks with high levels of lean mass1 may need up to 10 grams a day to maintain saturated stores.
- Those wanting to improve bone health and cognition may benefit more from a 10-gram daily dose of creatine for more significant benefits.
Choosing the right supplement
When choosing a creatine supplement, always look for creatine monohydrate. It's the most researched form of the compound, and 100% of the dose you take can be absorbed and used by the body. Also, opt for a powder over a gummy.
- For a 5-gram dose (that you can easily increase if needed), mindbodygreen's creatine with taurine+ is a great option. It provides 5 grams of creatine monohydrate along with 2 grams of the amino acid taurine. Taurine further supports exercise performance and recovery (as well as heart health).*
- For a 3-gram dose, consider this electrolyte powder that also provides creatine monohydrate. It's the perfect way to support your muscles and stay hydrated.
