Creatine and Beta Alanine

The combination of creatine and beta-alanine just may be the best kept secret. This stack yields muscle gains, and improved strength and endurance.

The effectiveness of creatine supplementation is well known. Creatine increases lean muscle mass, boosts strength, and provides you with more energy during intense workouts. Combine the effectiveness of creatine with the fact that it has no side effects, and you have a recipe for a best-selling supplement. It can’t get any better then this, right?

Wrong. New research is revealing a synergistic, beneficial relationship between creatine and the popular bodybuilding supplement beta alanine. A study by Hoffman, J., et al. (2006)¹revealed that a group of males supplementing with the combination of creatine and beta-alanine gained more lean mass and lost more bodyfat than a group supplementing with only creatine.  It is also noteworthy to mention that this study was performed on collegiate football players, and not on inexperienced lifters.

A second study by Zoeller RF, Stout JR, O'kroy JA, Torok DJ, Mielke M.(2006)², analyzed the aerobic benefits of beta alanine as a stand alone supplement compared to the creatine/beta-alanine combination. 55 subjects participated in the study, and it was revealed that “a significant time effect” was observed for the individuals supplementing with the creatine/beta-alanine combination, in 5 out of the 8 measured parameters. Simply put, researchers noted that creatine used with beta-alanine boosted endurance performance.