How Much Creatine Is Enough?

Hey Sam, I am a 155-pound male, aboout 5-feet 8-inches tall. I want to begin supplementing with creatine. Can you tell me about how much I should take? --Michael, Los Angeles

As with any supplement, let me first advise you to seek your doc's approval before starting. That being said, creatine is probably the most heavily researched supplement on the market. During the past 10 years, dozens of studies have confirmed that athletes may increase strength performance by taking creatine.

Honestly, the optimum dosage has yet to be determined. You may have heard that you should "load creatine" first and then cut back to a maintenance phase, However, most studies seem to negate the need to load creatine first.

Creatine levels in the muscles are approximately the same after one month of supplementation, whether you use 3 grams a day for 30 days (for a total of 90 grams) versus if you load with 20 grams for 7 days and then maintain with 5 grams for 23 days (for a total of 265 grams).

Therefore, I'd recommend 3 grams per day.