The Results Are in!

An exciting new study has just been completed where the effects of beta-alanine supplementation on endurance and body composition have been analysed.

The study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, was set up to test and evaluate the effects of combining High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with beta-alanine supplementation. The focus was on measuring the participants’ endurance performance, aerobic metabolism and lean body mass.

Confirmed that HIIT delivers fast results

We already know that using HIIT as part of your fitness & exercise program can have dramatic results, usually resulting in fast fat loss and delivering quick results in lean body mass. The study confirmed this link and also supported the fact that aerobic and endurance levels are increased overall when HIIT is used as part of your overall fitness regime. In fact they even say that the effects of HIIT can be seen in as little as 3 weeks after introducing it into your program.

Beta Alanine Delivers Increased Exercise Endurance

Beta Alanine Delivers Increased Exercise Endurance

Where Does Beta-Alanine Fit In To This?

So where does Beta-alanine come into all this? Well, here’s the low down. When you perform HIIT, you’re using energy fast. As you burn energy, your muscles create by-products which eventually result in muscle-fatigue as your body simply can’t get them away from your muscles fast enough.

The study showed that supplementation with beta-alanine significantly increased the body’s ability to get rid of these by-products which meant more intense exercise could be performed for a longer period.

Specifics Were Measured And Results Were Amazing!

The addition of beta-alanine enhanced results in a number of areas measured, including:

* Total amount of work performed
* Time taken to reach exhaustion
* VO₂ peak
* Lean Body Mass

Beta-alanine supplementation resulted in up to a 53% improvement of total work done during the first three weeks of training and a 32% improvement in weeks 4-6. Whatever your training program, the study suggests that supplementation with beta-alanine will deliver spectacular results!

Conclusion

In conclusion the study suggests that supplementing with beta-alanine can significantly increase muscular endurance by reducing the effects of muscle fatigue caused by the intramuscular by-products of intense exercise. This can lead to greater gains in strength, aerobic performance and lean body mass – in other words you can exercise harder & longer, and transform that ugly fat into lean muscle faster!

Now Add It To Your Fitness Program!

So, the message seems clear. You already know that your fitness regime should be a mix of weights (resistance) training and cardio (aerobic) training with the cardio including a healthy mix of HIIT. Add beta-alanine to your supplement stack alongside your creatine, and watch your body transform before your eyes!

It is very difficult to glean anything specific that applies to you and is tailor made to fit your needs. Having said that, there is a lot of information out there, and there is a lot of great information on this site on how to structure a fitness program, and more specifically how to structure a resistance training program. But sooner or later, you have to leave the nest and push off into the flight of your own program. How will it work, and what will happen? A program has to develop with you, at your rate and nobody else’s.

This series of blogs is meant to show you, warts and all, how a program can develop. It is my program of winter resistance training, and I will take you through it from constructing it, and the reasoning behind it, right through to execution of the exercises, sets and repetitions. I’ll talk about gains or losses in strength, lean muscle and loss of fat. Now, I’m not saying my workout program will be for everyone, far from it. But the principles I apply in carrying out the program can be applied to any program, including your own. The idea is that you share in my experience, and by doing so, benefit from the things that work, and if I make any mistakes, I’ll tell you about them so that you can avoid the same pitfalls.

Goal Setting

I Don’t Want To Look Like A Body Builder. I Want The Extra Lean Muscle That Will Help Me To Be Fitter And Stronger

I Don’t Want To Look Like A Body Builder. I Want The Extra Lean Muscle That Will Help Me To Be Fitter And Stronger

Here comes the next admission: I am a competitive cyclist. If you can put that aside for a moment, you will see that my goals are similar to those of many trainers. I am looking for increases in strength, power and lean mass. Like many of you out there, women and men, I don’t want to look like a body builder. I want the extra lean muscle that will help me to be fitter and stronger. The type of fitness that will be good for your overall health, as well help you in your everyday life, be it having a strong core, keeping your lower back fit and strong, or giving you an extra yard of pace and strength in your weekly local game of soccer. Improved lean mass, reduction in stored fat and enhanced metabolism. The program is designed to deliver results fast.  And if I look better into the bargain, so much the better.

My goals are specific to my sport in particular, but the program I will tell you about will be good for anyone with similar goals. That is improved strength and fitness that will be applicable to your life and sport, and not only good for building muscle or lifting more metal discs on a bar.

Incorporating Cardio

I will also be undertaking a full program of cardio, so you can see how that can be blended in with a resistance training program, including active recovery methods. Admittedly, that will be mostly cycling for me, but the principles will be equally applicable to whichever form of cardio you choose to carry out. Whether Rowing on the best Rowing Machine you can find, running on a treadmill or outdoors, cycling on an exercise bike or on the road or any form of sport. My program will include intervals, steady state cardio, and active recovery cardio.

So there it is – I am putting my money where my mouth is, and using myself as the guinea pig.

I’ll start in the next blog ‘Resistance Training For Lean Mass And Strength – Part 2: The Program’ by outlining the specifics of my resistance training program and the thinking behind it.