As a cyclist, you are probably looking for ways to improve your endurance and performance every time you hit the road. Luckily for you, beta-alanine is a scientifically proven supplement that improves endurance and performance during workouts such as sprinting, cycling, and weightlifting. It is possible to enjoy such benefits with only four weeks of beta-alanine supplementation.

Beta-Alanine Effects on Cycling Performance

Several studies on the effect of beta-alanine supplements in the sport of cycling have proven that it is effective in increasing muscle carnosine levels, which delays fatigue when training. Beta-alanine naturally occurs in the body but at limited levels, and it is one of the ingredients that form carnosine.

So when you take beta-alanine supplements orally, they increase your carnosine levels which buffer lactic acid and allow you to exhaustion. As you may already know, lactic acid accumulates during any period of high-intensity performance, whether you are racing up a hill or sprinting to the finish leading to fatigue. Therefore more carnosine levels delay the lactic acid accumulation resulting in better performance.

Beta-Alanine is Effective for Short Bursts of Exercise

Research has shown that beta-alanine is effective for any short bursts of activity, whether at the beginning of the training or several minutes into the bout. In a study by Van Thienen and his colleagues, participants performed a testing exercise before and after 8week supplementation with 2-4mg of beta-alanine per day.

After a 110minite stimulating cycling race, the cyclists demonstrated increased maximum power output by 11% compared to the placebo. The average power output during a 30seconds sprint test was 8% greater after supplementation. The study concluded that beta-alanine improves bursts of speed in the context of regular races.

The Efficacy of Beta-Alanine is Between 3-6mg Per Day.

Although the maximum limit of carnosine levels is unknown, scientists believe it continues to increase with every beta alane supplementation. According to studies taking 3.2mg of beta-alanine every day can increase muscle carnosine levels by 42%, while 6mg can boost the percentage to 64%. That strongly suggests a continuous increase of carnosine levels with every beta-alanine intake.

There is No Need to Cycle Beta-Alanine

At the moment, there is no scientific evidence to show whether beta-alanine supplementation is harmful after using for an extended period. So there is no proven suggestion for cycling beta-alanine.

When you take beta-alanine supplements for an extended period and stop, it takes a while for the carnosine levels to return to normal, which means that it is a stable metabolite. After halting the supplementation, it would take about 15weeks for the carnosine levels to return to baseline.

It Has a Side Effect Known As Paresthesia.

Beta-alanine supplementation has one side effect known as paresthesia, which many describe as a tingling sensation in the muscles. While some people experience it intensely, mainly in the face and hands, others do not experience it. It is only a side effect, and it goes away in days.

Wrapping Up

Beta-alanine is one of the thoroughly researched workout supplements, and its effectiveness in cycling is proven.

Sudarsan Chakraborty

Sudarsan Chakraborty is a professional Blogger and blog writer. He lives and breathes in the blogging industry. He regularly writes on Widetopics to keep all the readers updated with the latest facts on wide range of topics.