Why Beta-Alanine Makes You Tingle (and Why That’s a Good Thing)
What Is Beta-Alanine?
Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid found in many pre-workout supplements. Unlike essential amino acids, your body can produce some on its own, but additional supplementation helps you reach levels proven to boost performance.
The key role of beta-alanine is to increase carnosine levels in your muscles. Carnosine acts as a buffer against lactic acid, delaying fatigue so you can push harder and longer during high-intensity workouts.
Why Does Beta-Alanine Make You Tingle?
If you’ve ever felt a prickly, pins-and-needles sensation after taking a pre-workout, you’ve experienced paresthesia - a harmless, temporary tingling caused by beta-alanine.
Here’s what happens:
- Beta-alanine binds to receptors in your sensory neurons.
- These receptors send signals to the skin, creating a tingling or itching effect.
- It usually shows up in the face, neck, arms, or hands and fades within an hour.
Good news: The tingles are completely safe, and many athletes actually embrace them as a sign that their pre-workout is kicking in.
The Benefits of Beta-Alanine
- Delays Fatigue: By buffering lactic acid, beta-alanine helps you fight the burn and extend your time-to-exhaustion.
- Boosts High-Intensity Performance: Sports like weightlifting, CrossFit, sprinting, and HIIT see big benefits from beta-alanine supplementation
- Supports Muscle Growth: Training harder for longer = greater stimulus for strength and muscle gains over time.
- Pairs Perfectly with Creatine: Together, they form a performance powerhouse.
Beta-Alanine in AlphaFit Charged Pre-Workout
Both versions of our Charged Pre-Workout are performance dosed with 1,200mg of beta-alanine per serve - enough to deliver endurance benefits and that signature tingle.
- Charged Pre-Workout (Stim): Includes natural caffeine for explosive energy
- Charged Pre-Workout Stim-Free: All the performance benefits without the caffeine hit.
Every batch is HASTA certified, giving you confidence that what’s on the label is exactly what’s in the tub - clean, safe, and trusted by athletes.
Time to give Beta-Alanine a go?
The tingles you feel from beta-alanine might surprise you at first, but they’re nothing to worry about. In fact, they’re a sign your body is getting enough of this powerful amino acid to fuel performance.
With benefits that include delayed fatigue, improved endurance, and better overall training output, beta-alanine is a proven ingredient worth having in your pre-workout stack.
At AlphaFit, our Charged Pre-Workout range delivers a performance-dosed, HASTA-certified formula so you can train harder, recover faster, and embrace the tingles knowing they’re working in your favour.
Charged Pre-Workout Range:
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References
Hobson RM, et al. Effects of Beta-Alanine Supplementation on Exercise Performance: A Meta-Analysis. Amino Acids. 2012.
Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE. Effect of Beta-Alanine Supplementation on Performance and Body Composition in Collegiate Athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2015.
Sale C, et al. Beta-Alanine Supplementation Improves High-Intensity Exercise Performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010.
