Do you know how much creatine do you need to take in order to build muscles?
Creatine is composed of 3 amino acids including glycine, methionine and arginine. This nutrient is responsible in providing energy to the muscles in order to do explosive and quick movements.
ATP or adenosine-triphosphate enables the muscles to contract. However, the ATP stored in your body isn’t enough or can’t sustain your system to continue. This is the reason why body builders and athletes creatine supplements.
Pork and beef are great sources of creatine. But, consuming red meat alone can’t guarantee that you’ll get the required quantity of creatine.
Creatine Dose Table
| Body Weight | Loading Dose/Day | Maintenance Dose/Day |
|---|---|---|
| 155 lbs. below | 12-16 grams | 4-8 grams |
| 156 to 175 lbs. | 13-17 grams | 5-9 grams |
| 176 to 199 lbs. | 14-18 grams | 6-10 grams |
| 200 to 225 lbs. | 15-19 grams | 7-11 grams |
| 225 lbs. above | 16-20 grams | 8-12 grams |
Is It Safe to Take Creatine?
As you want to know how much creatine should you take, you must always keep in mind DO NOT over supplement. Although it can fuel up your body, the truth is the dose that you can take depends on various factors.
This makes sense of knowing the right dosage appropriate to your needs. Likewise, you should also choose the type of creatine that will work best for you.
In general Creatine is safe, although when it is taken at high doses there is the possible for serious side effects, such as kidney damage (1).
Correct calculation of your creatine dose
When you are taking creatine you should know how much creatine you need to consume, the first thing to do is to understand the three stages of creatine supplementation.
- Loading stage
During the loading phase, creatine is quickly stored in your muscles. The recommended intake of creatine in this stage is maximum of 0.3 grams per kilogram of your body weight. Divide the dose into four and take one part four hours apart.
Dividing the dose will protect your liver and kidney from potential negative impact. Research showed that your body can absorb maximum of 10 grams of creatine or it depends on the total amount of your muscle mass.
It is not recommended to load within five consecutive days. It is during this phase that your muscles store creatine. Thus, once your muscular stores are loaded, your muscles won’t be able to absorb extra creatine.
- Maintenance stage
Maintaining your creatine requires taking at least 0.03 grams per kilogram of your body weight daily within a month. The goal of taking the maintenance is to replenish the degraded amount of creatine every day.
- Wash out stage
The last stage of taking creatine is the wash out phase. It is recommended as a precautionary measure to let your body recover after supplementation. Wash out should also be done in case you’re experiencing side effects of using creatine.
Creatine can help build your muscle. But, to achieve muscle mass you should perform intensity training workout. Likewise, intense lifting helps in recycling the ATP necessary to endure workout.
Prior of taking creatine supplementation, make sure to consult your health care provider. This is necessary especially if you are under medication or experiencing health issues.
Janice Thompson is a nutritionist. She loves to share her healthy lifestyle and diet tips.
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