How Much Is 5 Grams Of Creatine?
Just how much is 5 grams of creatine? Well, this is a question that’s constantly asked by many people simply because measuring creatine is a bit of a mystery to most.
The reason for this is due to the fact that when you buy a tub of creatine, you just get a bunch of white powder basically. It’s not neatly divided into evenly sized chewable tablets and it doesn’t come packaged as individual serving sachets either.
Nope. You’re just left to your own devices. But to answer your question, 5 grams of creatine is equal to 1.4 teaspoons. In other words, if you were to scoop up creatine with a teaspoon and shake off any excess without making it level, that would give you roughly 3.6 grams.
If you don’t like the idea of trying to measure 0.4 teaspoon of creatine, you can grab the whole 5 gram serving with a single heaped teaspoon. I’m talking about a big ‘ol scoop. Get as much as you can on that teaspoon!
That will give you 5 grams. So what about 10 grams of creatine? What does that look like? Well, a medium tablespoon of creatine is pretty much equal to 10 grams so that’s really convenient if that’s your typical serving or if you’re doing a creatine loading phase.
Is there an easy way to know how much is 20 grams of creatine? Yes, there is! It’s two tablespoons which are a little more than level scoops. Visually, this is a lot of creatine to consume but this is actually the recommended loading phase amount.
You might also be wondering what a 25 gram serving of creatine looks like and to be honest, it’s a lot. It’s almost two heaped tablespoons or 5 heaped teaspoons!
How Much Creatine In A Teaspoon Or Tablespoon?
Hopefully every creatine container you purchase comes packed with a scoop designed to give you a consistent and accurate measurement with each serving but if you’re unlucky in that respect and your container is missing its scoop, it’s good to know how to measure with a simple teaspoon or tablespoon.
Typically, a teaspoon of creatine will contain 3.6 grams of creatine. Here, we’re not talking about a flat, levelled teaspoon of creatine, nor should the teaspoon be heaped. Aiming for a nice level in between the two is the sweet spot.
In order to get the right amount, dig up a good amount of creatine with your teaspoon and then give it a nice tap on the rim of the container to make it drop the excess creatine and you’ll find you’ve got a perfect, medium amount of creatine on your teaspoon.
This isn’t the most scientific approach, but you have to make do with what you’ve got at hand. And besides, the daily recommended creatine dosage for the average person is between 3 and 5 grams any way.
Now how much creatine do you get in a single tablespoon? This is simply a matter of basic multiplication. If you’re familiar with baking, you’ll know that one tablespoon is equal to three teaspoons so that means there is 10.8 grams of creatine in one tablespoon.
How Much Is A Scoop Of Creatine?
If you’re actually making use of a regular creatine scoop instead of trying to measure with kitchen cutlery, its good to know how much is actually in that scoop.
The good news is that supplement companies have made life easier by standardizing the amount of creatine these scoops can dig up and that amount is 5 grams, which is the daily recommended amount.
Keep in mind that you should always take level measurements when using a scoop, unlike other methods like using a teaspoon or tablespoon.
How Many Scoops Is 5 And 20 Grams Of Creatine?
Adding to the above point, it’s very easy to calculate the amount of creatine contained in a single scoop since we know that each levelled scoop equals 5 grams. So if you’re aiming to get in a daily dose of 20 grams of creatine, that would simply be four scoops.
If this is part of your loading phase, you can take one levelled scoop at breakfast, one at lunch, one after supper and one before bed or whatever schedule works for you.
How To Measure Creatine Without A Scoop?
Measuring creatine without a scoop is no simple task. This is a very common question and one that seems to have a range of answers. The answer is straightforward once you know how many grams you plan on taking.
If you’re aiming for the standard amount of 5 grams per day and you don’t have a scoop at your disposal, all you need to do is take a huge, heaped scoop with a regular teaspoon. That mini mountain of creatine is pretty much going to give you 5 grams.
If, on the other hand, you’re trying to measure 10 grams, go for a medium scoop using just a tablespoon. One tablespoon of creatine is roughly 10.8 grams. For a smaller server of maybe 3 grams, you can simply take a medium amount of creatine using a teaspoon again.
This time you’re making sure to not create a giant heap but instead, shake off the excess but leave just enough so your teaspoon isn’t completely levelled. This is what 3 grams will look like.
Is 2.5 Or 3 Grams Of Creatine Enough?
If we consider the fact that, on average, your body produces 1-2 grams of creatine naturally, it’s clear to see that supplementing with 2.5 or 3 grams of creatine is more than doubling the amount of creatine available to you.
In addition to this, we know from countless studies that any amount from 2.5 to 5 grams daily is perfectly fine for reaching any fitness goals you may have. Don’t underestimate how powerful creatine is!
Is 5 Or 10 Grams Of Creatine Too Much?
When it comes to taking creatine every day, you might wonder how safe it is and what amounts you should take so you don’t develop any side effects. It’s normal to think this way with any supplement but when it comes to creatine, it’s been dubbed the safest supplement for a reason.
After decades of research, it’s been proven to have no negative side effects after long-term use as well as the fact that the recommended daily does has been established as anywhere from 3 to 5 grams so taking this much is very safe.
There’s no need to worry about 5 gram servings. If you plan on taking 10 grams daily, this is also fine if it’s part of a loading phase, which is typically 20 grams taken every day for a week. Creatine is arguably the safest supplement on the planet.
5 And 10 Grams Of Creatine A Day
The recommended daily maintenance dose of creatine is universally accepted as 3 to 5 grams per day. This schedule has been shown to be safe in both short and long term periods exceeding one year!
Following the standard loading phase of 20 grams per day, there isn’t much benefit to continue taking that much creatine or even smaller amounts like 10 grams per day.
The whole point behind a loading phase is to saturate your body’s creatine stores and once that point is reached, any excess creatine will actually be disposed of by your body as it can’t make use of that much creatine per day.
Summary
In short, how much is 5 grams of creatine? One heaped teaspoon. As for a tablespoon, this equals 10 grams of creatine if it’s very slightly heaped.
A regular creatine scoop is also equal to 5 grams but this needs to be levelled. 2.5 to 3 grams of creatine per day is plenty to enhance your physical performance and taking 5 grams every day isn’t too much.
In fact, it’s the recommended daily dose. 10 grams of creatine a day isn’t harmful but it isn’t beneficial either once you’ve completed the loading phase since your body’s creatine stores will be a maximum levels.
Now that you’ve gotten your head around all those numbers, it’s time to get on with it and take your next serving!