• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Whey Protein
    • Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Beta-Alanine Improves Tactical Skills in Special Forces Operators

In a new study, beta-alanine increased jumping height, shooting accuracy, and sprint performance in soldiers.

Doug Dupont

Written by Doug Dupont Last updated on June 9, 2014

Beta-alanine is a popular pre-workout supplement commonly used to enhance performance. In a recent study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, researchers put this supplement to the test and found it might have more benefits than previously thought, specifically for special forces operators.

Beta-alanine is believed to be the limiting factor in the production of carnosine. In other words, the availability of beta-alanine is the primary determinant of the availability of carnosine. In fact, it’s possible that supplementation with beta-alanine alters carnosine levels more than supplementing with carnosine itself.

Carnosine has two known major effects. First, it acts as an acid-buffering agent. During times of shifts in acid balance in the body, carnosine assists in maintaining homeostasis. It also acts as an antioxidant. This means that it helps to protect you during times of oxidative stress.

As a result, it’s little surprise that beta-alanine has had some success in the scientific literature as an ergogenic aid, which means it improves exercise performance. This is especially true during intense short-term exercise, when acid levels and oxidative stress are at their highest.

Carnosine is found in high levels in what the researchers of the Journal study called excitable tissues. This applies to the muscles, including skeletal and cardiovascular muscle. Interestingly, however, these excitable tissues are also found in your nerves, which is why carnosine is found in high quantities in the brain.

So while we have a decent idea of the benefits of beta-alanine supplementation on physical performance, these benefits may also extend to the mind. The same energy-promoting and stress-resistant qualities could very well apply to your brain, but this has yet to be determined. Such benefits could apply in particular to soldiers, first responders, and anyone else whose job or sport requires a high level of tactical thinking.

The participants of the study were soldiers who were part of an elite combat unit. These soldiers were regularly expected to perform physically and mentally while in a state of fatigue. Some of the soldiers consumed two grams of beta-alanine three times per day. Some consumed similar-looking placebo pills for 28 days. Both groups continued with their regular training.

Before and after the four weeks of supplementing, the soldiers performed a battery of tests including jumping, shooting, sprinting, and math. The tests were performed after a four-kilometer run, which was intended to induce fatigue.

Unfortunately the beta-alanine did not improve the scores in the cognitive testing over placebo. The good news is, it did improve performance on every other test. The soldiers were faster, more powerful, and more accurate when taking beta-alanine than they were when not using the supplement.

While we have further support of the effectiveness of beta-alanine as a performance enhancer of the body, the jury is still out on its effects on the brain. While this study found no support on greater mental function in the face of fatigue, it was the first study of its kind, so it had some limitations. Future studies may find otherwise.

References:

1. Jay Hoffman, et. al., “ß-alanine supplementation improves tactical performance but not cognitive function in combat soldiers,” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2014, 11:15

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Doug Dupont

About Doug Dupont

Having grown up at the foot of a forest covered mountain in rural Vermont, Doug was active from a very young age. Hiking, running, and climbing were a part of everyday life in the Green Mountains. This culture of exercise led to dabbling in martial arts as a teen, and also getting work in a local powerlifting focused gym. Doug continued to pursue knowledge and training in exercise, becoming a certified personal trainer while still a teenager. Once in college he began his hand at the business side of fitness, taking a management position at a large local gym. During that time he became a founding member of the UVM Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club, and was the first among their competition team. After only a few months he was assisting in coaching, and ran conditioning program for the club.

Out of college Doug set up his own training center. He grew his list of clientele including several professional MMA athletes, eventually going so far as to corner a world title fight. He has continued ­­­to develop his business into today.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

beta alanine, beta-alanine, beta alanine supplementation, football, wrestling
Beta-Alanine Supplementation Increases Endurance
Hugh Jackman Deadpool 3 Workouts Spring:Winter 2023
Hugh Jackman Returns to Wolverine Condition in Workouts for “Deadpool 3”
Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Leg Workout
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Crushes 5 “Monster Sets” of a Leg Workout

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Legendary Ronnie Coleman Explains the Four Bodybuilding Poses That Built His Career

2023 Clash On The Coast Results — Sumer Johnson and Andrew Clayton Triumphant

Jay Cutler Believes Bodybuilding’s Men’s Open is Returning to Its Greatest Era

Sherine Marcelle (90KG) Scores All-Time Raw World Record Squat of 262.3 Kilograms (579 Pounds)

Latest Reviews

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More

Best Pre-Workouts for Building Muscle, Running, Taste, and More

Best Home Gym Machines

Best Home Gym Machines

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About