Do any of these situations sound familiar...Struggling to eek out another rep, losing stamina during a long run, stopping early because the burn in your muscles is too great?

You most likely haven’t been using Beta-Alanine then...

Do any of these situations sound familiar...Struggling to eek out another rep, losing stamina during a long run, stopping early because the burn in your muscles is too great?

You most likely haven’t been using Beta-Alanine then.  That’s a shame, too, because it is a safe, all-natural supplement any trainee or athlete shouldn’t be without.  The supplement world is littered with products claiming this or that with no substantial evidence to back up those proclamations.  

Beta-Alanine is one of those tried and true supplements that has stood the test of countless trials and possesses a wide array of benefits including:

• Improved endurance

• Delayed muscular fatigue

• Increased work capacity

• Increased strength and power output

Beta-Alanine’s benefits aren’t isolated to a single group of trainees either, its effectiveness spans the realm of the athletic spectrum, among those:

• Football

• Hockey

• Sprinting

• Rowing

• Weight-lifting / Bodybuilding

• Endurance Events

What is Beta-Alanine?

Beta-Alanine is a non-essential amino acid produced in the liver, but in the world of fitness, it’s an absolute essential.  It’s a hybrid of two other well-known neurotransmitters in the body, L-glycine and GABA.

Where does it come from?

Your own body can produce it in 3 different ways, but that’s a more in-depth discussion that you can read in your spare time.  Additionally, beta-alanine can easily be obtained through the diet, especially if you’re a meat-eater.  Pork, poultry, beef, and fish are all rich sources of this invaluable amino acid.

How does it work?

Once ingested, beta-alanine is transported to your muscle cells where it binds to L-histidine (an essential amino acid) and forms carnosine.  This is where beta-alanine starts to shine as carnosine is a potent antioxidant that displays some impressive acid-buffering capabilities.  The catch here is that carnosine levels are limited by how much beta-alanine is available to synthesize it.

We you exercise, lactic acid starts to accumulate in your muscles and this creates an acidic environment in your cells.  As acidity increases (from the breakdown of lactic acid into hydrogen ions), you start to feel that typical “burning” sensation in your muscles and they gradually lose the ability to fully contract.  This all leads to decreases in your endurance and ability to generate force.

When supplementing with beta-alanine, carnosine levels increase and the acid-buffering capability of your muscles increases.  This allows you to work out longer, harder, and really test the limits of your physical endurance.

What to look for?

When you’re looking to invest in a quality beta-alanine supplement, make sure to get a brand with CarnoSyn® on the ingredient label.  CarnoSyn® is the only beta-alanine supplement that has the numerous research studies validating its claims.

If a particular product doesn’t mention CarnoSyn® anywhere on the bottle or label, you may just be buying a bottle of regular L-alanine, which is a completely different beast than beta-alanine and prevents different benefits for the body.  This is one area where you don’t necessarily want to buy the cheapest brand without doing some verification.

Dosage

Research shows that the effective dosage ranges from 2g - 5g/day with the optimum being 3.2g.

A word of warning here, high doses of beta-alanine cause parathesia, the dreaded “tingling” sensation that some people find irritating about this amino acid.  To avoid this, split your doses into 2-1.6g servings taken whenever you choose during the course of the day.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking to maximize your time in the gym or on the field, beta-alanine is a real no-brainer.  As one of the few supplements on the market that can back up its claims with multiple studies, you would be sorely mistaken to leave this one out of your repertoire.

	RANK		PRODUCT	REVIEWS	OVERALL	EFFECT	VALUE
	#1		Beta Alanine (NutraBio)	11	8.9	9.0	8.6
	#2		Beta Alanine (PrimaForce)	7	8.1	8.1	8.1
	#3		Beta Alanine (Blonyx)	2	7.9	8.0	7.5
	#4		Essentials Beta Alanine (Platinum Labs)	2	7.8	7.9	7.7
	#5		Beta-Alanine (NOW)	6	7.8	7.8	7.8
	#6		Beta Alanine 2000 (EverBuild)	1	7.7	7.7	7.7
	#7		Beta-Alanine (Prozis Sport)	1	7.6	7.6	7.7
	#8		Beta Alanine (Bodybuilding.com Platinum Series)	1	7.6	7.6	7.6
	#9		Beta Alanine Powder (Optimum)	1	7.6	7.6	7.5
	#10		Beyond Raw Beta-Alanine (GNC)	1	7.6	7.7	7.4
	#11		Beta Alanine (ProSource)	2	7.6	7.6	7.6
	#12		Black Betas (EBN Sports)	1	7.5	7.6	7.4
	#13		Beta-Alanine (BSN)	1	7.2	7.2	7.3

Don't see a product? Suggest one!