Here is a great workout for those who are first starting out and looking to workout 2-3 times per week.

Keloland Living visits Cuong Strong for work out!

What is it?

Beta alanine is a non essential beta amino acid which raises muscle carnosine levels and increases the amount of work you can perform at high intensities. Beta alanine is also known for causing the “tingle” you might have felt when you tried a pre workout supplement containing beta alanine.

How does it work?

When consumed, beta alanine enters the body and binds with the amino acid L-histidine to form carnosine. Carnosine is responsible for buffering hydrogen ions during exercise which allows you to weight train harder and longer. The increase in hydrogen ions during exercise causes a pH imbalance within the muscle cells which results in muscle fatigue.

Who should take it?

Anyone who is looking to increase high intensity exercise performance or endurance could benefit from beta alanine. Specifically, anyone following a bodybuilding style training program with short rest periods or anyone looking to increase HIIT performance can benefit from beta alanine.

When to take it and how much?

Beta alanine is usually consumed pre workout, but the timing is not very important because the benefits of consuming beta alanine are based on increased muscle carnosine concentrations that can take weeks to increase significantly. 4-6g/day is the ideal dosage to increase muscle carnosine concentrations and performance. The dosage may be divided into smaller doses throughout the day to minimize paresthesia. Many pre workout supplements are underdosed and won’t deliver the full benefits of beta alanine make sure to read the label and check the dosage.

Are there any side effects?

Beta alanine can cause a “tingle”, “pins and needles”, itching, or flushed feeling throughout the body. This is called paresthesia. The feeling usually last 5 to 15 minutes, but the intensity depends on the dosage and current stomach contents. Beta alanine consumption on an empty stomach will increase blood concentrations faster and increase paresthesia.

In conclusion

Beta alanine is one the most consistently effective supplements in sports nutrition since creatine. I highly recommend beta alanine for anyone who is looking to build muscle, perform better at higher intensities, and increase endurance.

Order Beta Alanine

All too often, people want to lose weight and the first thing they do is cardio. Cardio increases the amount of calories a person uses which leads to weight loss…at first. The problem with cardio is that eventually, the metabolism adapts to the cardio and then weight loss stops. After the metabolism adapts to cardio, the amount of cardio must be increased to continue losing weight. Eventually, the metabolism adapts again and the vicious cycle starts over.

In many cases, people don’t reach their goal weight because the amount of cardio required is too overwhelming to continue. In some cases, people reach their goal weight, but once the metabolism has adapted to a set amount of cardio the same amount of cardio is required to maintain the weight loss.

Excessive amounts of cardio can decrease fat, but can also decrease lean body mass which will slow the metabolism. Not all weight loss is equal.

The key to losing weight and keeping it off is weight training. Weight training will cause muscle tissue to grow and become stronger. Stronger muscles use more calories than smaller weaker muscle. The increase in muscle strength and size will increase the metabolic rate. The increase in metabolic rate will lead to fat loss (assuming all other variables stay constant).

Weight training three times a week for 45 to 60 minutes can significantly increase your strength, metabolism, & fat loss.

Other side effects of weight training include:

• Increased strength of connective tissue and tendons
• Improved bone density
• Increased flexibility
• Increased self-esteem and confidence
• Improved heart health
• Better Sleep

All of which contribute to improved quality of life