Complete Guide to Beta-Alanine
Identifying the impact of different supplements available on the market is essential to boosting your athletic performance. Beta-alanine is respected within the industry for increasing endurance and fighting fatigue, thus increasing performance. But how, and why?
What is Beta-Alanine?
On a scientific level, beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid. This means that our bodies produce this substance internally, making it not essential for us to ingest from outside sources. However, it has slowly become essential for performing athletes, bodybuilders, and even newcomers on the gym floor. When you’re tired first thing in the morning or right after work and looking for a way to keep your energy levels up to make sure you give peak performance throughout your workout, beta-alanine supplements are indeed essential. Taking these supplements will create a spike in your exercise capacity and you will be able to fight any fatigue you felt, thus allowing you to push your body to a higher potential.
How Does It Work?
Now we know that beta-alanine will help us fight fatigue in the gym and push out those extra reps. But how? Beta-alanine is essential in the creation of carnosine within the body. Carnosine reduces lactic acid accumulation in your muscles during exercise, which in turn reduces muscle fatigue. Not only does it reduce fatigue, but it also improves the time to exhaustion. This is what allows you to feel more energized for longer periods of time during your most intensive training sessions.
Why Take Beta-Alanine Supplements?
Beta-alanine has been shown to enhance muscular endurance. Many people have reported being able to complete one or two additional repetitions in the gym when training in sets of 8–15 reps each. It is also important to note that although beta-alanine supplements are widely known and highly coveted within the weight-lifting industry, this amino acid can be beneficial to any type of athlete. Taking these supplements right before high-intensity cardiovascular exercise such as rowing or sprinting has also been proven to increase performance. Increasing the levels of carnosine within your body will allow your muscles to achieve high levels of performance for longer periods of time before fatigue hits. If that isn’t essential to all of your workouts, whether you’re new to training or an expert performer, then we don’t know what is.
Debunking A Common Myth
Many sources on the web will tell you that beta-alanine hasn’t been shown in studies to directly increase muscle gain. While this is technically true because the way your body interacts with the supplement doesn’t directly lead to muscle mass, the supplement has been statistically proven to boost energy levels. Beta-alanine will give you the added strength and empower you to plow through your workouts, push that last rep out, and squeeze in that last exercise. These may seem like such small incremental changes but pushing your body’s limits on a regular basis will undoubtedly lead to overall muscle gain. That being said, statistics cannot prove that beta-alanine supplements directly cause muscle gain because taking these supplements won’t do much if you don’t put in the work. The most important part is that you let the power increase your performance and that you actually choose to perform. That is when improvements will be made, and new muscle mass will be formed.
Dosage
To maximize athletic performance, take 2.4-6.4 grams of beta-alanine daily for up to 10 weeks. Beta-alanine supplements are to be taken by mouth whether in pill form or as a key ingredient found in most pre-workout powders and supplements.
Side effects
Consuming a large dose of beta-alanine can cause a tingling sensation called paresthesia. It is a harmless side effect and can easily be avoided by taking smaller doses (0.8–1 g) several times throughout the day or by using a time-release formulation. If this is too much work for you, remember that as your body adjusts to your beta-alanine consumption, the effects will slowly dwindle. It is recommended to start off with a smaller dosage while your body adjusts to the side effects and continue to increase the dosage until the maximum is reached.
Conclusion
Overall, it is essential to realize that beta-alanine supplements are like a spare tool in your toolkit. In our opinion, taking your beta-alanine should be paired with your favourite pump up music and your ultimate game face. Once that beta-alanine starts to kick in, you’re going to be ready to crush any workout.
Resources:
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1222/beta-alanine
https://examine.com/supplements/beta-alanine/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/beta-alanine-101#what-it-is
https://www.transparentlabs.com/blogs/all/is-beta-alanine-the-best-pre-workout-ingredient-ofall-time
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1038/carnosine
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