Beta Alanine Cycling Endurance Supplements Guide
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Beta Alanine for Cycling
Beta Alanine is one of the most studied performance supplements for runners, weight training, and you guessed it, cyclists.
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Beta Alanine first came to attention in 2006, as it has been shown to have a significant benefit on anaerobic and aerobic power production by increasing the ability of the body to create muscle carnosine.
If you are looking for an endurance supplement for cyclists to help you, a hard charging athlete, powering a consistent training load, then this endurance supplement is going to have a huge positive impact on your performance! Beta alanine for endurance cycling is a must!
We will outline the beta alanine benefits for cycling and how to use beta alanine for cycling in this article.
Is beta-alanine good for cycling?
Beta Alanine is great for cycling, however Lactigo is much more effective since it is a topical gel that you rub on and works in just 30-45 minutes! No more need to cycle beta alanine or pre-load beta alanine for performance benefits.
How long should you cycle beta-alanine?
Beta alanine should be cycled every 10-12 weeks ON, 10-12 weeks OFF, seems to work best for most athletes.
Does beta-alanine affect testosterone?
According to a 2008 study, Beta Alanine does not affect testosterone.
Can you take beta-alanine everyday?
You can take beta alanine every day, but you should cycle off of it every 10-12 weeks.
Does beta-alanine help distance?
Beta alanine is mostly known for it’s aid in short, explosive actions, but some riders have noticed that they feel stronger even at the end of a 3-5 hour endurance activity. This could be from overall strength gains made from the usage of beta alanine, and not the direct consumption of it. This is completely anecdotal though and would be hard to test in a lab.
What is Beta Alanine?
Beta Alanine is a nonessential amino acid; nonessential meaning our bodies CAN produce the stuff on its own. Our body uses beta alanine, and the essential amino acid L-histidine, to produce carnosine, which in turn regulates acidity levels in our muscles.
When you begin to ride hard above FTP, lactate will begin to appear in the blood. Lactate dissociates within the blood and causes the muscles to become more acidic. This is what causes the burning sensation in your legs when you are going hard. When riding above FTP, it’s only a matter of time before you can’t sustain the pace any longer. Carnosine works as an intracellular buffer within the muscle and prevents the accumulation of lactate in the blood. The result is that you can go harder for longer.
Our bodies can consume and store a lot of L-histidine, but athletes will see a significant increase in muscle carnosine - 80% - after a 10 week routine of supplementing Beta Alanine. More beta alanine supply → more carnosine → better muscular performance → better depth in workouts and races.
Top Supplement For Cyclists
Cyclists see improvement in Cycling Maximum Output ergometer tests from the 30 second range all the way out to about 4 minutes, with improvements of 3% when compared to a placebo. 3% might not seem like a lot, but when you are dealing with the marginal gains of training, this sort of edge might just be exactly what the difference between 3rd and 1st! For a full 3 minute effort, this is a free 10 watts for most Cat 3’s, and a free 15 Watts for a Cat 1! If you are looking for endurance supplements for cyclists, this is one you really want to start utilizing.
Athletes in the gym are able to get more than a few more reps when sets last more than 30”. At first glance, it would seem that the elevated levels of carnosine in the muscles don't affect 1RM strength. After all - we’re talking about the top supplement for endurance gains, right?
Well, not quite. The elevated performance when doing reps at your working weight, 1RM will go up more than when compared to placebo. That is, the ability to get in a greater number of efforts before fatiguing in your workout means harder training sessions, and better stimulus for growth.
Is Beta Alanine Good For Cyclists?
Absolutely yes! Having any amount of extra kick at crucial moments of an event is worth having. By being able to train harder, you can teach your legs to go just that little bit deeper into the pain cave. You’ll feel that little extra gear - that little something left in the tank that’s ultimately the difference maker, putting you, a beta alanine cyclist, on the podium.
Although beta alanine cyclists haven’t been specifically studied, both EVOQ.BIKE Leaders Patrick Walle and Brendan Housler have felt a big benefit to using beta alanine when racing and training for short and long durations. Trust us - you’ll feel that extra kick on those last few climbs in the 4th and 5th hour of a hard century. Beta alanine and endurance cycling go well together!
Additionally: Fatigue Slower and increase TTE! This study from 2006 found:
“Scientists examined the effects of 28 days of beta-alanine supplementation on the physical working capacity at fatigue threshold (PWC(FT)), ventilatory threshold (VT), maximal oxygen consumption and time-to-exhaustion (TTE) in women. Twenty-two women (age 27 years) participated and were randomly assigned to either the beta-alanine or Placebo (PL) group. Before (pre) and after (post) the supplementation period, participants performed a cycle ergometry test to exhaustion and found that beta-alanine supplementation delays the onset of neuromuscular fatigue and the ventilatory threshold (VT) at submaximal workloads, and increases the time to exhaustion during maximal cycle ergometry performance.”
When Should I Take Beta Alanine?
There is no hard-set rule on when to take beta alanine for cycling. You can take beta-alanine before or after workout, but really whenever convenient. Although Beta alanine will give you a tingling sensation, known as paresthesia, you don't get a performance benefit directly after taking it. Beta alanine needs to be converted to carnosine and build up in concentration in your muscles over the loading supplementation period.
How Often Do I Take Beta Alanine?
You’ll want to cycle your beta alanine usage. A beta alanine cycle off of 10-12 weeks ON, 10-12 weeks OFF seems to work best for most athletes.
1:1 levels will fall after you stop supplementation, but they don’t fall all the way down to pre supplementation levels right away. A maximum limit of carnosine stored in the muscles has not been found, so after a full 20-24 week cycle, you should continue to see even higher carnosine levels and even better performance if your legs are up for the training!
Related Post: Citrulline Malata for Cycling Performance
How Long Does It Take For Beta Alanine To Work?
Most research has shown that you can see beta alanine benefits in as little as four weeks. However, it takes 12 weeks to fully see the effect of beta alanine on levels of carnosine.
Beta Alanine Cycling Dosage
If the sensation of paresthesia bothers you, consider simply taking 3 grams 2x a day. If you don’t mind it, you can go with 6g daily in one dose. You’ll want to do this for 10 weeks on and then 10 weeks off, or 24 weeks on and 24 weeks off.
Is Beta Alanine Allowed in Races?
There have been a significant number of studies for beta alanine and long term use has shown no negative side effects. It is a completely legal supplement approved by USADA and WADA
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