Beta-Alanine for High-Intensity Training and Endurance

Beta-alanine is a popular sports supplement to boost athletic performance. It’s a non-essential amino acid, meaning that our bodies produce it on their own without needing to get beta-alanine from food sources.

Though our bodies don’t need extra beta-alanine, supplementing with beta-alanine can be good for improving athletic performance. It can help boost your endurance and improve how long you can keep doing high-intensity training. The benefits might be especially noticeable for older adults. 

Beta-Alanine Benefits

Studies on beta-alanine show mixed results, but there are indications that it really can boost athletic performance. You shouldn’t expect it to make a dramatic difference, but over time, the effects can give you some nice benefits. 

• Longer Workouts Before Exhaustion. Taking beta-alanine supplements can increase your time to exhaustion. In other words, you can work out for longer without getting so tired. This can help boost performance in endurance exercises, as well as letting you train for longer before becoming exhausted. 
• Improved High-Intensity Performance. Acidity levels in muscles often limit how long people can do high-intensity exercises. Beta-alanine can reduce muscle acidosis and boost performance for high-intensity exercises. 
• Higher Endurance for Elderly Adults. Taking beta-alanine can be especially helpful for active older adults. There is no evidence that it directly improves strength, but it does help boost training volume and reduce fatigue.

Taking Beta-Alanine Supplements

Your body naturally produces some beta-alanine, and it’s also found in many animal-based protein sources. If you want to get enough to boost athletic performance, though, you’ll need to take a supplement. 

The suggested daily dose varies between studies. It is usually used in doses of 1.6 to 6.4 grams per day for adults. Studies show it can be used safely for up to 24 weeks at those doses, but there aren’t yet studies on long-term use. One common side effect is an itching or tingling sensation that typically goes away after an hour. You can reduce the chance of this side effect by taking a lower dose of beta-alanine, choosing a slow-release formula, or breaking your daily dose up into 2 or 3 smaller servings taken with meals. 

Nutrition accounts for over 80% of your fitness and health results. Finding a food and supplement routine that works for you can have a huge impact on the results you see when working toward your fitness goals. Contact us today to set up a meeting with a nutrition coach.