Calculate exactly how much water you should drink on creatine supplements in litres. Optimize your hydration for maximum muscle gains, performance, and health with our free creatine water intake calculator.
Based on your profile with creatine
Profile
28 year old male, 80kg
Creatine
5g daily (maintenance phase)
Exercise
1.5 hours, moderate intensity
Recommended Daily Intake
(4,500 milliliters)
Our science-based creatine water intake calculator considers your body weight, creatine dosage, and exercise habits to determine your optimal water intake in litres for maximum results.
Note: This calculator provides an estimate based on general hydration guidelines for creatine users. Individual needs may vary based on health conditions, medications, and other factors. Always consult with a healthcare professional for medical advice.
Proper hydration is crucial when supplementing with creatine. Here's why you should pay attention to your water intake.
Adequate hydration ensures optimal creatine absorption and storage in muscles. Research shows proper water intake can increase creatine uptake by up to 60%, maximizing strength and power gains.
Creatine draws water into muscle cells, improving cellular hydration and performance. Studies show properly hydrated muscles with creatine can generate 5-15% more force and power during high-intensity exercise.
Sufficient water intake when using creatine helps prevent muscle cramping and strain. Research indicates that maintaining proper hydration can reduce exercise-related cramping by up to 40%.
Creatine metabolism produces creatinine, which is filtered by the kidneys. Proper hydration supports kidney function and helps process creatine byproducts efficiently, reducing stress on these vital organs.
Creatine has cognitive benefits that are enhanced with proper hydration. Studies show that well-hydrated individuals taking creatine experience 8-12% improvements in memory, attention, and mental processing speed.
Adequate water intake minimizes potential side effects of creatine supplementation like bloating and digestive discomfort. Research shows proper hydration can reduce reported side effects by up to 70%.
We've built a specialized hydration calculator that accounts for all factors affecting how much water you need when taking creatine.
Automatically adjusts water needs based on whether you're in the loading phase (20g/day) or maintenance phase (3-5g/day) of creatine supplementation.
Calculates exact water requirements based on your specific creatine dosage, not just generic recommendations.
Factors in not just exercise duration but also intensity level, which significantly impacts hydration needs when taking creatine.
Accounts for your specific body weight in kg or lbs to provide a truly personalized hydration recommendation.
All considered in our calculator
See what fitness professionals and athletes have to say about our creatine hydration calculator.
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Competitive Powerlifter
Sports Nutritionist
Find answers to common questions about creatine, hydration, and our calculator.
The general guideline is to drink an additional 0.09 litres (90ml) of water per gram of creatine. For a standard 5g maintenance dose, that's about 0.45 litres of extra water daily. For a 20g loading dose, you need approximately 1.8 litres of additional water. This is on top of your baseline water needs, which our creatine water intake calculator determines based on your weight and activity level.
Creatine draws water into your muscle cells through osmosis. This cell volumization effect is part of how creatine works, but it means your body needs additional water. Each gram of creatine stored in muscles brings approximately 3-4 grams of water with it, increasing your overall hydration needs.
While not immediately dangerous for most healthy individuals, insufficient water intake when taking creatine can lead to dehydration symptoms like headaches, muscle cramps, and reduced performance. It may also increase stress on your kidneys and diminish the effectiveness of creatine supplementation.
Yes, significantly more. During a typical loading phase (20g of creatine daily), you need approximately 1.8 additional litres of water compared to the 0.45 additional litres needed during the maintenance phase (5g daily). Our creatine water intake calculator accounts for this difference.
For healthy individuals, the additional water recommended with creatine supplementation is unlikely to cause issues. However, excessive water intake (gallons beyond recommendations) could potentially lead to hyponatremia (low sodium levels). Our calculator provides balanced recommendations to avoid both dehydration and overhydration.
Separate fact from fiction with these evidence-based insights about creatine and hydration.
"Creatine causes dehydration and cramping"
Many believe creatine itself causes dehydration and muscle cramps, leading some athletes to avoid it.
Creatine increases water needs but improves hydration
Research shows creatine actually draws water into muscle cells, improving cellular hydration. Cramps occur from insufficient water intake, not from creatine itself.
"You need to drink gallons of extra water with creatine"
Some believe you need excessive amounts of water when taking creatine, leading to overhydration concerns.
Moderate additional water is sufficient
Scientific studies show you need approximately 3 oz (90ml) of additional water per gram of creatine - not gallons. For a standard 5g dose, that's only about 15 oz (450ml) extra.
"Creatine is hard on the kidneys"
A common misconception is that creatine supplementation damages kidney function, especially with inadequate water.
Creatine is safe with proper hydration
Multiple studies show creatine is safe for healthy individuals when proper hydration is maintained. Research has found no adverse effects on kidney function in numerous long-term studies.
Discover your optimal daily water intake when taking creatine supplements with our free creatine water intake calculator. Maximize your gains, performance, and health with proper hydration.
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The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.