Most people do well on 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate a day. Take it every day, rest days included, and your muscles fill up with creatine in about 3 to 4 weeks. You can skip the loading phase, and you can take it at whatever time of day suits you.
What creatine does
Your muscles store creatine and use it for short, hard efforts like a set of squats or a sprint. Your body makes about 1 gram a day, and you get a little more from food. Beef and salmon have about 2 grams per pound, so if you eat meat, you get around 0.75 to 1.5 grams a day from food. If you're vegan, you get close to none.
When you take creatine, you raise the amount stored in your muscles by about 20%. With more stored, you can often get an extra rep or two on hard sets, and over weeks of training you can build more strength and muscle from them. For a short definition, see creatine in our fitness dictionary.
How much creatine to take a day
Take 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate once a day, going by the serving size on the label. Your muscles fill up in about 3 to 4 weeks, and you keep them full by taking the same dose every day after that.
Do you need a loading phase?
No. With a loading phase, you take about 20 grams a day for the first week to fill your muscles faster. A 2021 review pointed to studies where people who took 3 grams a day for 28 days raised their muscle creatine by about the same amount as people who took 20 grams a day for 6 days. You end up in the same place without loading. Loading also means four servings a day and more water weight up front, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) lists stomach upset among the side effects people report.
When to take creatine
Take it whenever you'll remember. A 2022 review found that young and older adults got similar muscle results whether they took creatine before or after training. A 2021 review saw a slight lean toward after a workout, but its authors said the studies were too limited to draw firm conclusions.
You'll get more out of taking it every day, including days you don't train. You can mix the powder into water, a shake or coffee, or take it with a meal.
What results to expect
You'll see the most from creatine when you lift. A 2022 meta-analysis of 35 trials found:
- With resistance training: people gained about 2.4 lb (1.1 kg) more lean mass than people on a placebo.
- Without exercise: people saw no real change.
Lean mass includes the extra water your muscles hold on creatine, so part of that 2.4 lb is water.
For strength, a 2025 meta-analysis of 69 trials found that people taking creatine while lifting added about 3 lb (1.4 kg) more to their bench press and about 12 lb (5.6 kg) more to their squat than people taking a placebo. The researchers found no clear difference for the leg press or grip strength.
Muscle size gains are smaller. In a 2023 meta-analysis, researchers measured muscles with scans and found that people on creatine added about 0.04 to 0.06 inches (0.10 to 0.16 cm) of muscle thickness over at least 6 weeks of training, an effect they called very small. They also noted that about 20 to 30% of people respond very little to creatine.
Your training and your protein do most of the work, and creatine adds a small edge on top. See Progressive overload explained and How much protein do I need a day?
Does creatine make you gain weight?
A little, and most of it is water. The NIH puts the gain at about 2 to 4 lb (1 to 2 kg) over a month of strength training, and the 2021 review found that your muscle cells hold most of that water.
If you're trying to lose fat, expect the scale to jump in your first few weeks on creatine. Watch your weekly trend over the following weeks to see where you stand.
Is creatine safe?
For healthy adults, yes, based on the research so far. The NIH calls creatine safe in the short term for healthy adults and notes evidence for safe use over several years.
- Kidneys: the 2021 review found no kidney harm in healthy people at recommended doses. The case reports behind the worry involved people who already had kidney disease, took other medicines, or took extreme doses.
- Blood tests: creatine can raise creatinine, a marker your doctor uses to check your kidneys, even when your kidneys are healthy. Tell your doctor you take creatine before blood work.
- Hair loss: this worry started with one older study that found a rise in DHT, a hormone linked to hair loss. In a 2025 trial, researchers gave 45 men who lift either 5 grams of creatine or a placebo for 12 weeks and found no difference in DHT, hair density or hair thickness. They tested men at one dose for 12 weeks.
- Cramps and dehydration: the 2021 review concluded that creatine causes neither, though the studies behind that conclusion are older.
Check with your doctor before you start if you have a kidney problem or any other health issue, or if you take medicines.
Which creatine to buy
Buy creatine monohydrate. Researchers used it in most of the studies, and it costs the least. A 2022 review found that other forms, like ethyl ester and buffered creatine, raise muscle creatine no more than monohydrate. Brands that say creatine HCl absorbs 38 times better are quoting a lab test of how well it dissolves in very strong acid, and the review said that test tells you nothing about how much your body takes in.
In a 2022 study of 175 creatine products sold on Amazon, researchers found that the other forms cost about twice as much per gram as monohydrate, and that an outside lab had tested 8% of all the products. Look for a seal from an outside tester like NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport. These testers check that the label matches what's inside.
We couldn't find any published lab tests of how much creatine gummies contain, so we'd stick with powder or capsules.
Does creatine work for women?
Yes. A 2026 meta-analysis of 34 studies in 692 women found that creatine improved their exercise performance. A 2021 review of women's health found it helps strength and performance, and women use the same 3 to 5 grams a day.
Creatine for vegetarians and vegans
If you skip meat and fish, you get almost no creatine from food, and your muscle stores tend to run about 20 to 30% lower. A 2020 review of 9 studies found that vegetarians who took creatine raised their stores, often above the levels of meat eaters, and gained lean mass and strength. The studies disagreed on whether vegetarians gain more than meat eaters, and the reviewers rated their risk of bias moderate to high. For the rest of a plant-based plan, see How to get enough protein on a vegan diet.
A note on the research
Many of the scientists who study creatine advise or get funding from companies that make or sell it, and we list those ties under Sources. The independent reviews we found, including a 2026 meta-analysis of 63 studies with no ties declared, show the same pattern: people who take creatine and lift gain a bit more strength and lean mass, with no change in fat mass.
Common questions
Should I take creatine on rest days?
Yes. You keep your muscle stores full by taking it every day, so take your 3 to 5 grams whether you train or not.
Do I need to cycle off creatine?
We couldn't find recent research that supports cycling off. The NIH notes evidence for safe use over several years, and researchers give the daily dose without breaks in their studies.
Does creatine work if I don't lift?
Very little. In the 2022 meta-analysis, people who took creatine without exercise saw no real difference in lean mass. People gained when they combined it with resistance training.
Can I get enough creatine from food?
It's hard. Beef and salmon have about 2 grams per pound, so you'd need to eat about 2½ lb of meat to get 5 grams.
Sources
- Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dietary supplements for exercise and athletic performance: fact sheet for health professionals (updated 2024).
- Antonio J. et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2021). (Disclosure: several authors advise or have worked for companies that make or sell creatine.)
- Kreider R.B. and Stout J.R. Creatine in health and disease. Nutrients (2021). (Disclosure: a creatine maker paid the publishing fee, and one author chairs its advisory board.)
- Candow D.G. et al. "Creatine O'Clock": does timing of ingestion really influence muscle mass and performance? Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (2022). (Disclosure: several authors advise a creatine maker.)
- Ribeiro F. et al. Timing of creatine supplementation around exercise: a real concern? Nutrients (2021). (Disclosure: one author has received grants and fees from a creatine maker.)
- Delpino F.M. et al. Influence of age, sex, and type of exercise on the efficacy of creatine supplementation on lean body mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Nutrition (2022). (Disclosure: two authors have advised creatine companies, as stated in their other papers.)
- Kazeminasab F. et al. The effects of creatine supplementation on upper- and lower-body strength and power: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients (2025). (Disclosure: one author advises a creatine maker.)
- Burke R. et al. The effects of creatine supplementation combined with resistance training on regional measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Nutrients (2023). (Disclosure: three authors have advised creatine or supplement companies.)
- Wang H. et al. Resistance training combined with creatine supplementation: a three-level meta-analysis of multidimensional outcomes from strength enhancement to body composition remodeling. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2026).
- Lak M. et al. Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2025). (Disclosure: several authors advise or have received products from creatine and supplement companies.)
- Kreider R.B. et al. Bioavailability, efficacy, safety, and regulatory status of creatine and related compounds: a critical review. Nutrients (2022). (Disclosure: a creatine maker paid the publishing fee, and several authors advise or consult for the industry.)
- Escalante G. et al. Analysis of the efficacy, safety, and cost of alternative forms of creatine available for purchase on Amazon.com: are label claims supported by science? Heliyon (2022). (Disclosure: several authors work for or advise supplement companies.)
- Lin Y. et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on exercise performance, physiological outcomes, and body composition in females engaged in exercise or training: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition (2026).
- Smith-Ryan A.E. et al. Creatine supplementation in women's health: a lifespan perspective. Nutrients (2021). (Disclosure: two authors advise a creatine maker, which paid the publishing fee.)
- Kaviani M. et al. Benefits of creatine supplementation for vegetarians compared to omnivorous athletes: a systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2020).
