Creatine how much should you take

[tigerspawn]

Times got me interested in creatine. I have read several studies and books on the subject. I want to begin taking creatine. The problem that I’m experiencing is how much should I take? The studies all agree that there is no need for a loading phase but don’t agree on the dosage. This article has compiled multiple studies on creatine dosing. According to research compiled in this article I would have to ingest 9g of creatine four times a day to reach optimal levels. That is over seven times the recommended daily dose suggested on the creatine monohydrate container. Is that amount of creatine is necessary?

“The Dosing Rationale
Humans carry about two grams of creatine per kilogram of lean muscle mass (one gram per pound). The maximum we can put into muscles is about 3g/kg (1.4g/lb)[47]. To hit this level, a 150 pound male would need about 25 grams of creatine supplementation.

To increase the amount of creatine we carry to a level above the baseline (1g/lb), we need at least two grams per day for maintenance, plus 0.4g for every lean pound of muscle. For a 200 pound male carrying 60 pounds of lean muscle, a reasonable calculation would be:

(0.4g/lb * 60 lbs)/0.95 + 2g ≈ 27.3g

My hypothesis is that this would be the minimum amount of creatine needed, daily, to maintain maximum intracellular levels—with the division by 0.95 taking into account the amount of creatine absorbed by the rest of the tissue in the body. There may be a better way to estimate the minimum daily dose, but the data for this doesn’t yet exist.

This alleviates the need for a loading period. If you’re fairly lean, this leads to a simple formula:

POUNDS: Bodyweight * 0.15 = grams of creatine monohydrate to ingest

KILOGRAMS: Body mass * 0.3 = grams of creatine monohydrate to ingest

Dosing Considerations
Daily dosage of creatine has traditionally been broken down into three or four equal doses, taken every day throughout the day. Again, this has never been directly tested to see whether it’s necessary. In fact, one group of researchers may have proven that you don’t need to take creatine all day—and that you don’t need to take it every day—as long as you’re averaging the necessary amount per day[59]. Instead of taking 30 grams per day, it may be possible to take 60 grams every other day for the same results. This leads me to believe that taking creatine in divided doses all day long is probably unnecessary.

How should you plan your timing, then? Well, ingesting creatine with large amounts of carbohydrates can actually increase retention of creatine within muscles[49-52]. Although there hasn’t yet been heavy research on this, it’s believed to have something to do with an interaction with insulin [52].

Although I think researchers are on the right track here, I actually think it has more to do with an interaction with GLUT4, which I’ll get to in a moment. Suffice it to say, for now, that with Carb Back-Loading, the best time to ingest creatine would be immediately post-training, with carbs. You can divide this dose, but if you’re using creatine monohydrate, it’s also possible that one large load can do the job.

Avoid taking creatine with caffeine, because in the absence of carbs, it can actually prevent a rise in intracellular creatine levels[53-54]. Again, this may have something to do with GLUT4 transporters, since caffeine can prevent GLUT4 activation. Anything that increases GLUT4 content and translocation (carbs and resistance training) will improve the results of supplementation, and anything that doesn’t (caffeine and endurance training) will negate the effects.

Don’t take creatine with coffee. Do take it with training and/or carbs. Otherwise, take it however you’d like. Just make sure you take enough. “

Creatine: How Much Should You Be Taking? | Arnold Schwarzenegger

[jimmyinkedup]

3-5g /day in my opinion.

[OdinsOtherSon]

I dumped it totally when BW demonstrated reduced kidney function. Came off for about a week, drank a ton of water and had 24 hr urinalysis ran. Kidneys fine.

[Times Roman]

3-5g /day in my opinion.

Agree with Mr. Jimmy....

[skaz915]

I've always heard/ read 5g a day

[AD]

I dumped it totally when BW demonstrated reduced kidney function. Came off for about a week, drank a ton of water and had 24 hr urinalysis ran. Kidneys fine.

was it creatinine clearance test? or urine total protein?