5 Tips to Help You Get the Most Out of Beta-Alanine Supplements

Beta-alanine supplements can enhance athletic performance and endurance, but they don’t work as well as advertised if you don’t take them correctly. Beta-alanine works by increasing your muscle carnosine levels. That means that the higher your muscle carnosine levels, the more strength and power you can exert when you exercise, the longer you can exercise before fatigue sets in, and the faster you can perform an exercise before exhaustion hits. Here are seven tips to get the most out of beta-alanine.

1.   Choose the Right Beta-Alanine Supplement

The beta-alanine supplement is an ingredient that many bodybuilders and athletes take to improve their performance and endurance. However, there are different types of beta-alanine available on the market, and not all provide you with optimum benefits. Therefore, it’s essential to choose a high-quality product that will help you get optimal results.

For example, a sustained-release beta-alanine formula can be more effective than one that doesn’t offer long-lasting effects. It’s also essential to look for products that contain other ingredients such as arginine and ketoglutarate. All of these can enhance your results when combined with beta-alanine.

2.   Take Beta-Alanine with Other Supplements and Ingredients

Research has shown that taking beta-alanine with other nutrients—such as B vitamins, calcium, and magnesium—may increase overall results. If you’re not already taking a pre-workout supplement, consider trying a balanced formula before jumping in headfirst.

The best products to combine beta-alanine with include citrulline malate and arginine. These three ingredients work together synergistically to boost endurance, increase strength, and improve recovery time. Also, a combination of creatine and beta-alanine is popular among bodybuilders and athletes for giving them an extra edge in training—and it can also make a significant difference when trying to lose weight.

3.   Spread Beta-Alanine Intake Throughout the Day

When supplementing with beta-alanine, you’ll want to spread out your doses evenly. The best practice is to take smaller quantities three times throughout your day instead of a single large dose. The strategy helps minimize potential side effects from taking too much at once. Such possible side effects may include tingling or flushing sensations in your skin. It also keeps your muscles more consistently saturated with beta-alanine for extended periods.

Taking beta-alanine four times per day may also be an option for some people who find it challenging to stay consistent with their intake during work hours and when working out. Thus evenly spreading your intake of beta-alanine supplement over several small doses will help you get optimal benefits while minimizing any unwanted side effects.

4.   Power Up with Protein Powder

When taking beta-alanine, it’s essential to pair it with a source of protein. That is because beta-alanine converts into carnosine, stored in muscle tissue. The more muscle you have, the more carnosine you can store. And since supplementing with beta-alanine increases your muscle mass, you’ll want to make sure you have enough protein available for conversion.

For every gram of beta-alanine, you take, consume about two grams of protein. If you don’t eat meat or fish regularly, consider adding a plant-based protein powder to your diet—you can mix it into water or smoothies and still get those two grams per one gram of beta-alanine.

5.   Train Harder and Longer

You can only benefit optimally from beta-alanine if you’re carrying out high-intensity workouts. The beta-alanine helps you train harder and perform better by increasing your body’s ability to buffer acidity levels in your muscles. That allows you to push yourself harder for a more extended period before fatigue sets in, leaving you exhausted.

For example, if you can run on a treadmill at a max of 8 mph for 30 minutes, but if you take beta-alanine supplements, you could run ten mph for 33 minutes—and get better results. Beta-alanine acts as a buffer against lactic acid buildup, allowing you to sustain a higher activity level for longer without becoming fatigued. You should notice an increase in muscle endurance within two weeks after starting supplementation. Working out at a higher intensity helps with beta-alanine absorption.

Conclusion

Whether you’re taking beta-alanine to break performance barriers or feel better while you exercise, it’s crucial to ensure that your body reaps maximum benefits from this supplement. Regularly taking beta-alanine supplements can help boost your athletic performance and health. However, avoid taking high doses. Generally, stick to between 1.6 and 3 grams per day. Taking too much beta-alanine has potential side effects such as tingling sensations on your skin, dizziness, nausea, and headaches. To minimize these symptoms, try spreading out your daily dose into smaller amounts throughout the day. Keep your performance at its peak by using these tips to get the most out of your beta-alanine supplements.