Beta-Alanine | The Best Pre Workout Supplement?

What Is Beta-Alanine:

Beta-alanine is a modified version of the amino acid alanine. It has been shown to be useful and effective as a pre workout supplement, when ingested it converts to a molecule called carnosine, this acts as an acidic buffer inside the body. Carnosine is stored within cells and is released in response to pH drops in the body.

Heightened stores of carnosine can protect against diet induced drops in pH, such as those during ketosis, as well as protect from exercise induced lactic acid production, which is what is responsible for that burning feeling you get during a set!

Beta-Alanine As A Pre Workout:

Beta-alanine has been shown to improve muscular endurance, some people report being able to perform one or two extra reps when training in sets of 8-15 reps. Beta-alanine supplementation may also improve moderate-high intensity cardiovascular performance, such as running and sprinting.

Pre workout usage of beta-alanine is a very common way to use this supplement, it is generally dosed at 2-5 Grams a day, this can be taken all in one dose safely or split into multiple smaller doses! However, there is one side effect which is prominent, its called paresthesia, it is a tingling effect which some people often get after taking beta-alanine, it is completely harmless though.

Effects Of Beta-Alanine Supplementation:

The benefits of beta-alanine greatly outweigh the potential side effects of this supplement, which is why I recommend it! It is great for use as a pre-workout, it may help build muscle and also has a fairly large array of other benefits:

• Beta-alanine may slightly improve muscular endurance. A meta-analysis was done to assess this, which resulted in a 2.85% median increase in performance!
• May be effective at reducing fatigue and increasing time-until-exhaustion.
• Possibly reduces fat mass and may possess a hypertrophic effect, however this could be due to higher work volume, it isn't clear.

The side effects of beta-alanine are almost non-existent and currently consists of just paresthesia, the tingling effect some people feel, which by the way is completely harmless.

Overall beta-alanine has proven itself to be among the top muscle building and pre workout supplements available. Capable of improving muscular endurance, reducing fatigue and increasing lean mass and improving body composition, as shown in the studies above!