#1) 5-10 grams a day total is about right for most people. Their are different types of creatines though, so if you end up buying something like CEE (creatine ethyl ester) etc you can probally tweak the dosage. The 5 gram split between preworkout and post is pretty common, just make sure you take it with enough liquid. Anything that your body can't use is just pissed away.
#2) Postworkout I would take it as soon as you can. Just throw it in with a drink mix or just toss it into your protein shake. For your preworkout I would just take it the same time you take your preworkout meal/shake. For me this is 45 mins before I workout as I prefer not to go to the gym with a full stomach and I like to let thngs settle a bit. This will help with the absorbtion. Really take it whenever you feel you are getting the most benefit from it preworkout.
One other thing alot of people suggest is going on a "loading" stage when you first begin using creatine to saturate your body. This usually means taking a higher dosage for the first week or so and then going to a normal amount once your body is saturated. Some people believe in it others do not but here is some science behind it. I would say just do it so you know your body is saturated (creatine is so cheap anyhow):
Quote:
4.1: What dosage should be used? Is a loading phase necessary?
"Loading" refers to the practice of taking larger than normal doses for the first few days of supplementation to maximize muscle creatine stores as quickly as possible. This is followed by a maintenance phase, during which a smaller dose is taken daily to maintain the high levels of creatine.
Loading is not necessary, but it is beneficial. In one study, a maintenance dose (3 g/day) took thirty days to maximize creatine stores. On the other hand, a loading dose (20 g/day) maximized muscle creatine levels in only two days. Normal maintenance doses fall in the 3-5 g range (2 g has been found to be insufficient), although some take as much as 10 g, while 20-30 g (usually 20 g) is used for loading. Some sources recommend a loading phase of 6-7 days, but this appears to be unnecessary. Given that stores are maximized after two days of loading, 2-3 days should be sufficient. One study indicated that resistance training athletes can utilize around 50 mg/kg daily of creatine. A maintenance dose of 5-10 g daily is recommended to ensure that enough is being taken. Taking more than this for maintenance is generally a waste of creatine.
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