We’ve all been there. You chug a scoop of pre workout and feel on top of the world. Within minutes you are feeling a rush of energy surging through your veins and you feel unstoppable!
Then, without notice, you start feeling your skin burning, tingling, and seeming like it’s crawling! Don’t worry, this is unfortunately all too normal.
I remember the first time this happened to me. I grabbed my shaker and filled it with this new pre workout powder called LIT that I had never tried before.
I chugged that sucker down and about 5 minutes later I felt so uncomfortable that I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room.
Thankfully, my brother Mark, one of the Founders at Cracked Supplements, knew more about pre workout supplements than I did. He assured me I would be fine and informed me it was because of a specific ingredient known as beta alanine.
Beta alanine is found in nearly all pre workout drinks and one of the side effects of this ingredient is known as “paresthesia.”
Although beta alanine certainly has its pros, it also carries with it several very real cons.
Pros of Beta Alanine in Your Pre Workout
One of the reasons you tire out mid set while lifting weights is lactic acid build up. Lactic acid causes that burning sensation in the muscle that eventually overpowers you and causes you fatigue.
Beta alanine fights this fatigue by minimizing lactic acid build up in your muscles. This can be a great benefit because it will allow you to get a few extra reps in as well as recover faster between sets.
Another study found that beta alanine may help to increase muscle strength, although this may be due to the “placebo effect.”
Cons of Beta Alanine in Your Pre Workout
If you are somebody who works out in the early morning before work like I do, then it is a no-brainer that sitting down at your desk while your skin is still creeping and crawling from that beta alanine really sucks.
Another little known negative side effect of beta alanine is that it can wreak havoc on your kidneys. Over time, beta alanine can deplete taurine from your bodily tissues, including that of your kidneys, thereby up-regulating the synthesis and activity of TauT.
That being said, unless you love feeling this itching and burning sensation, then you should give a beta alanine free pre workout such as Cracked™ Energy and Focus a try.
Cracked™ Energy was specifically formulated to provide its users with a healthy energy kick without the itch and burn from beta alanine.
Instead of beta alanine, Cracked™ Energy utilizes natural energy amplifying ingredients, as well as organic functional mushrooms such as Lions Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps. These also help with recovery in a natural way that won’t harm your body long term.
All in all, you are not alone if you freaked out the first time you tried a pre workout with beta alanine in it. Just know that other products exist that can give you the same energy producing benefits without the nasty itch and burn of beta alanine.
Thanks for reading!