Creatine Loading and Maintenance Planner

Calculate your personalized creatine loading and daily maintenance doses based on body weight. Supports kilograms (kg) and pounds (lb). This tool runs entirely in your browser—no data is sent online.

Educational only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.

Your Parameters

Unit System

Body Weight (kg)

Enter your current weight, e.g., 70 or 154.3

Loading Phase Duration (days)

Typical: 5–7 days. Set to 0 for no loading phase.

Your Creatine Plan

Daily Loading Dose

20 grams

For 7 days.

Daily Maintenance Dose

5 grams

After loading phase, or if skipping loading.

Total Loading Phase Creatine

140 grams

Interpretation

Based on a weight of 70 kg, a 7-day loading phase at 0.3 g/kg/day, followed by maintenance at 0.07 g/kg/day. This is a common protocol for saturating muscle creatine stores.

About Creatine Supplementation

Creatine is one of the most researched sports supplements, known for supporting strength, power output, and muscle recovery. A loading phase can saturate muscle stores faster, but is optional.

How to Use This Planner

Enter your current body weight and select your preferred unit.
Choose loading phase duration (5–7 days is common; 0 skips loading).
Review your daily doses and total required creatine.
Split the daily dose into 2–4 smaller servings to improve tolerance.

Examples

80 kg, 7-day loading: Loading: 24 g/day × 7 days. Maintenance: 5.6 g/day thereafter.
150 lb (≈68 kg), no loading: Skip loading, start directly with ~4.8 g/day maintenance.
90 kg, 5-day loading: Loading: 27 g/day × 5 days. Maintenance: 6.3 g/day.

Weight (kg)	Loading Dose (g/day)	Maintenance Dose (g/day)	Total for 7‑day Loading (g)
60	18	4.2	126
70	21	4.9	147
80	24	5.6	168
90	27	6.3	189
100	30	7.0	210

Frequently Asked Questions

Is creatine loading necessary?

No. Loading can saturate muscles faster (in ~1 week vs ~4 weeks), but you can skip it and start directly with the maintenance dose. Both approaches achieve the same final muscle saturation.

What are common side effects?

Some users report bloating or mild gastrointestinal discomfort during loading due to the higher dose. Splitting the daily dose and taking it with meals can help. Ensure adequate hydration.

When should I consult a doctor?

If you have pre‑existing kidney conditions, are taking medications, experience severe gastrointestinal distress, or have concerns about how creatine may interact with your health, speak with a healthcare professional before starting.

How do I measure creatine powder accurately?

Use a digital kitchen scale for the most accuracy. A level teaspoon of creatine monohydrate powder is roughly 5 grams, but this can vary by brand and compaction.

Formulas & Assumptions

Loading dose: 0.3 grams per kg of body weight per day. (US: 0.136 g/lb)

Maintenance dose: 0.07 grams per kg of body weight per day. (US: 0.032 g/lb)

Conversion: 1 kg = 2.20462 lb. Calculations use precise conversions.

Rounding: Doses rounded to 1 decimal place for display. Internal calculations use full precision.

Typical protocol: Loading phase 5–7 days, then maintenance indefinitely. Based on common research protocols for creatine monohydrate.

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Creatine Loading and Maintenance Planner

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