Add Beta Alanine to Your Stack to Increase Muscle Mass
Table of Contents
Add Beta Alanine to Your Stack to Increase Muscle Mass
Beta-Alanine is a nonessential amino acid that in combination with the essential amino acid, histidine, results in the formation of carnosine within the muscle cell. Carnosine is recognized as a pH buffer, because of its H+ buffering capability, increased carnosine concentration in skeletal muscle has been associated with enhancing muscle buffering capacity and attenuating fatigue. Being able to crank out a few more reps and do a few more sets is what muscle growth is all about! If you are not the high intensity type, than beta-alanine may not work well for you as previous research reported that beta-alanine supplementation may not affect performance unless exercise intensity and duration induced high levels of blood lactate.
Researchers found that increases in training volume and significantly lower subjective feelings of fatigue during 60-second maximal exercise, thus supporting the notion that beta-alanine supplementation may be most effective under high lactate producing conditions.
Researchers examined the effectiveness of beta-alanine as an ergogenic aid in tests of anaerobic power output after 8 weeks of high-intensity interval, repeated sprint, and resistance training in previously trained collegiate wrestlers and football players. Each subject ingested either 4 grams per day of beta-alanine or placebo in powdered capsule form. Here are some kick ass findings: After 8 weeks, the group of wrestlers who received beta-alanine increased lean mass (+1.1 lb) despite losing overall body weight. Despite similar calorie levels, the control group lost lean muscle mass. Both football player groups, supplement and placebo, gained nearly identical amounts of body weight (about 2.5 lb), but the group taking beta-alanine gained 1 lb more lean mass. The football-consuming group taking beta-alanine doubled their muscle mass compared to the control group. So beta-alanine can be used while dieting for a show to increase muscle mass as demonstrated by the wrestling group whom were on a calorie restricted diet or you can take beta-alanine in the off-season to pack on additional mass as demonstrated by the football group.
Kern BD, Robinson TL. Effects of β-Alanine Supplementation on Performance and Body Composition in Collegiate Wrestlers and Football Players. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jul;25(7):1804-15.
