This site has limited support for your browser. We recommend switching to Edge, Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.
Congratulations! Your order qualifies for free shipping You're just $75 away from free shipping
All guides
Beta Alanine

Product user guide

Beta Alanine

Helps delay fatigue in hard efforts of 1–10 minutes.

Overview

  1. 1Take 1 scoop in the morning and 1 in the evening
  2. 2Take it every day, including rest days.
  3. 3There's no need to time it around training.
  4. 4Start at least 4 weeks before a competition.
Beta Alanine

Your daily dose

2 scoops a day

Morning

1 scoop, with about 8 oz (240 mL) of water

Evening

1 scoop, with about 8 oz (240 mL) of water

Each scoop contains 3 g of beta-alanine. The recommended dose is 2 scoops a day (6 g), split into two servings:

Take beta-alanine every day, including rest days. For best results, take each serving with a meal.

Good to know

  • Tingling after a dose is harmless, and it fades on its own.

How to take Beta Alanine

Should I adjust my dose for body weight?

No. Beta-alanine is taken as a fixed daily dose, not a dose based on body weight. Research typically uses 4–6 g per day, split into smaller doses to reduce tingling.

Do I need a loading phase?

No separate loading phase is needed. Taking 6 g a day, every day, is the loading process: your muscle carnosine levels rise steadily over the first several weeks.

What if I miss a dose?

If you remember later the same day, take it. If not, carry on with your normal schedule the next day. Missing the occasional dose won't undo your progress. Once your carnosine levels have risen, they fall very slowly, by about 2% a week (AIS), so what matters is taking beta-alanine consistently over weeks.

Timing

When to take it and when it works.

Why do I need to take it daily?

Beta-alanine isn't a pre-workout. It works by gradually building up a compound called carnosine in your muscles. Carnosine helps buffer the acid that builds up during hard efforts, which is part of what causes the fatigue and burning feeling that force you to slow down.

As your carnosine levels rise over several weeks, your muscles can keep working hard for longer. According to the ISSN position stand, the benefits are most pronounced in high-intensity efforts lasting about 1 to 4 minutes, such as middle-distance races, sprint intervals, rowing, and repeated efforts in team sports.

Because the benefits come from building up carnosine over time, taking beta-alanine only on training days, or just before a session, won't work. You need to take it every day.

When should I take it?

Take 1 scoop in the morning and 1 in the evening, ideally with meals. You don't need to take it before training. Beta-alanine's benefits come from your carnosine stores, not from the dose you took that day, so timing it around your workout makes no difference.

How long before I notice the benefits?

Beta-alanine takes time. Here's what to expect:

AfterWhat's happening
2 weeksCarnosine levels are rising. Some athletes start to notice a difference.
4 weeksCarnosine levels have risen significantly, by up to about 60%. This is when most athletes notice the benefits.
10 weeksCarnosine levels can be up to 80% higher than when you started.

These figures come from a study that measured muscle carnosine directly, which increased by 58.8% after 4 weeks and 80.1% after 10 weeks. The ISSN found that 4 to 6 g a day for at least 2 to 4 weeks improves exercise performance.

If you're preparing for a competition, start at least 4 weeks beforehand.

FAQ

Tingling, food and other supplements.

Why does beta-alanine make me tingle?

Beta-alanine can cause a harmless tingling, prickling, or pins-and-needles feeling called paresthesia. You're most likely to notice it on your face, neck, hands, arms, or upper body.

It happens because beta-alanine briefly activates sensory nerves in your skin. It usually starts soon after a dose and fades on its own. It isn't an allergic reaction, and the ISSN notes that tingling is the only reported side effect, with beta-alanine appearing safe for healthy people at recommended doses.

Does tingling mean it's working?

No. Tingling is simply a short-term reaction to the dose. It doesn't mean your muscles are absorbing more beta-alanine or that you'll get a bigger benefit. Beta-alanine works by building carnosine over time, whether you feel tingling or not.

How can I reduce the tingling?

Tingling is linked to how much beta-alanine you take at once. The ISSN notes that it can be reduced by taking smaller, divided doses of around 1.6 g. If tingling bothers you, you can:

  • Take it with a meal. This can make the tingling milder.
  • Split your dose further. For example, instead of 1 full scoop twice a day, take ½ scoop four times a day. You'll still get the full 6 g.

If the tingling is still very bothersome, you can reduce your daily total to 1 scoop (3 g), taken as ½ scoop twice a day. Your carnosine levels will still rise, just more slowly, so expect it to take longer to feel the benefits.

Should I take it with food?

You can take beta-alanine with or without food, but meals are the better choice. As well as reducing tingling, taking it with meals helps your muscles build carnosine more effectively. In one study, carnosine rose by 64% when beta-alanine was taken with meals, compared with 41% between meals (AIS).

Can I take it with other supplements?

Yes. You can take beta-alanine alongside common sports supplements, including creatine, HMB, HMB+ Creatine, Hydra+, electrolytes, and carbohydrates. There's no need to space them apart.

Works well with

Pair it with these.

Keep it going

Never run out of Beta Alanine.

Subscribe and save 15% on every delivery. Skip, change or cancel anytime.

Cart

Congratulations! Your order qualifies for free shipping Spend $75 for free shipping
No more products available for purchase