Why you absolutely need these two SUPPLEMENTS for MUSCLE BUILD-UP!
The combination ofCreatine andBeta alanine could be the best kept secret in bodybuilding. This stack promotes muscle growth, increased strength and endurance.
The effectiveness of creatine supplementation is well known. Creatine increases muscle mass and strength and provides you with more energy during intense training sessions. When you combine the effectiveness of creatine with the fact that it is virtually free of side effects, you get the recipe for a supplement bestseller.
The "dream couple" of the supplement industry?
It can't really get any better, right? Wrong! New research reveals a synergistic, positive relationship between creatine and the popular bodybuilding supplement beta alanine. A study conducted by Hoffman, J., et al. (2006) (1) showed that a group of male subjects who supplemented with creatine and beta alanine gained more lean muscle mass and lost more body fat than a group who supplemented with creatine alone. It is worth noting that this study was conducted with college football players and not novice athletes.
A second study (2) conducted by Zoeller RF, Stout JR, O'kroy JA, Torok DJ, Mielke M.(2006) analysed the aerobic benefits of beta alanine as a sole supplement compared to a creatine & beta alanine combination. In this study, which involved 55 subjects, a significant positive effect was observed in 5 out of 8 parameters measured in subjects supplementing with creatine and beta alanine. In simple terms, the scientists were able to observe that creatine, when used in combination with beta-alanine, improves endurance performance.
Even experts are impressed
Lyle McDonald, author of The Protein Book and The Ketogenic Diet and well-known expert in the field of body recomposition says the following about the beta alanine & creatine combination:
Beta alanine is another amino acid that is used together with the amino acid histidine to produce the acid buffer carnosine in the skeletal muscles. It has been shown that athletes who engage in high-intensity activities have higher levels of carnosine in their skeletal muscles, which can improve muscle performance by buffering acidosis.
Studies show that beta alanine can indeed increase endurance performance and a combination of creatine and beta alanine makes sense. After all, it allows the exerciser to perform more repetitions with a given weight, which could increase the rate of gains. It is obvious that beta alanine can act as an effective enhancer for creatine and this combination can lead to more endurance, more strength, increased fat loss and increased muscle gains.
A brief summary of beta-alanine
Beta-alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that works by increasing intramuscular carnosine concentrations. Higher carnosine concentrations help to provide you with higher energy levels, increased endurance and enhanced athletic performance.
Numerous studies have shown the following benefits of beta-alanine supplementation:
Increase in explosive strength and power
more muscle mass
improved muscular anaerobic endurance
better aerobic endurance
longer and harder training
The benefits of beta-alanine supplementation increase with increasing duration of use. Exercisers who supplement with 4 to 6 grams of beta-alanine per day can expect to increase their muscle carnosine concentration by 60% within a month. After a further 35 days of beta alanine supplementation, a further increase in muscle carnosine concentrations of up to 20% is possible.
Combination cycle for maximum gains
As the benefits of beta alanine supplementation increase over time, when using creatine cyclically it may be of interest to frontload with beta alanine for a few weeks before starting the creatine intake cycle. Creatine is often used for 4 to 12 week phases. For longer creatine intake cycles, a front load with beta-alanine is not absolutely necessary.
Your daily beta-alanine supplementation should include taking about 800 mg at least four times a day. Beta Alanine has a limited half-life in the body and the effects of supplementation will be dramatically reduced if this intake protocol is not followed. You should consider taking beta alanine every 4 hours for optimal results.
It should also be noted that the benefits of beta alanine supplementation will have completely disappeared after 3 weeks without beta alanine intake. During this time off, carnosine levels will slowly return to baseline. For this reason, a noticeable reduction in performance can be expected after the end of a creatine & beta-alanine intake cycle.
There is no scientific evidence of any dangers associated with long-term beta-alanine or creatine supplementation. However, it is generally recommended to take both supplements for a maximum of 12 consecutive weeks.
Concluding thoughts
A very small minority of exercisers, also known as creatine non-responders, experience little or no benefit from creatine supplementation. Here, a creatine & beta-alanine stack can definitely be useful. Basically, every exerciser should give this stack a try. It is inexpensive and is probably the best legal and natural performance support in the supplement industry. The combination of these two ingredients may be the most underrated and best kept secret in sports supplementation.
My recommendation:
Beta alanine capsules
Beta alanine powder
Creatine Creapure
Kra Alkalyn
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