What Makes You Tingle or Itch In Pre Workouts?

If you’ve tried a few pre workout supplements, then you’ve probably experienced a strange itch or tingling on your skin. It can be quite uncomfortable, and even ruin your workout – but what causes it?

Answer: It’s a sensation called ‘paresthesia‘ and it’s caused by Beta-Alanine, a popular pre workout ingredient.

In this article, you’ll find out:

• What’s Beta-Alanine?
• What’s Paresthesia?
• How to Avoid This
• Best Pre Workout Without Beta-Alanine
• Conclusion

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What’s Beta-Alanine?

Beta-Alanine is a molecule that can be consumed naturally in high-protein foods; such as pork, beef, chicken, and fish.

However, you won’t consume enough of this ingredient from your meals, to experience it’s benefits – or side effects.

Supplement companies often add Beta-Alanine into their pre workouts, due to its ability to improve muscular endurance in the gym. But, it comes with one drawback – it can cause tingling or an itch on your skin, as a result of a side effect known as paresthesia.

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What’s Paresthesia?

Simply put, paresthesia is when you feel a tingling (or itch) on the skin of your face, chest, hands, and extremities. If you haven’t experienced this side effect before, it’s similar to ‘pins-and-needles’.

How is it caused?

Studies have shown that Beta-Alanine causes paresthesia in dosages over 0.8g-1g per serving. This isn’t a large dosage, considering most pre workouts contain at least 1g of this ingredient.

However, there isn’t any scientific reasoning behind paresthesia yet. All that’s known about this side effect, is that Beta-Alanine is directly responsible for it – many believe that Beta-Alanine affects your central nervous system, putting it under mild stress, and resulting in paresthesia.

The good news it that it’s not harmful either, but it might get in the way of your workout if you’re busy itching your skin.

How To Avoid This

One simple way to avoid paresthesia is by staying away from pre workouts containing Beta-Alanine – ultimately, it’s this ingredient that causes this side effect.

However, if you insist on consuming Beta-Alanine, then try and consume less than 0.8g-1g per serving, and you might avoid paresthesia.

But there are many better alternatives to Beta-Alanine that provide the same benefit (enhances muscular endurance) that don’t cause paresthesia.

Here’s your best options:

• Creatine Monohydrate – This is known as one of the most reliable ingredients in the industry. Bodybuilders have been using Creatine for decades, to improve their strength and endurance in the gym.

• Caffeine – This stimulant is probably the most popular commodity in the world. It’s consumed on a daily basis around the world (in products like tea, coffee & chocolate).

More importantly, it can boost your strength, endurance, and focus in the gym; which are all key benefits in a pre workout supplement.

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Best Pre-Workout that DOESN’T Make You Tingle Or Itch

We don’t like suffering from paresthesia as much as you. As a result, we went on a mission, in search of pre-workouts that didn’t contain Beta-Alanine – but this was more difficult than it seems.

Simply put, we were actually surprised by how many pre-workouts on the market contained this ingredient. It seems as though many companies copy each other, without really researching about the effects of certain ingredients.

Well, this led us to search for the ‘trend-breaker’ that would go against the grain and offer something different. A formula without Beta-Alanine.

After months of testing pre-workouts, we were relieved to find a pre-workout that didn’t cause us to tingle or itch during our workouts.

Check it out:

4 Gauge by Roar Ambition

This product caught our attention after we saw it came packaged in a shot-gun shell. Finally, a product different that was delivered in something different to the usual small tub.

However, we were more interested in whether it was likely to cause tingly or itchy skin. For this reason, we analyzed 4 Gauge’s ingredient list, and was extremely happy to see that it didn’t contain Beta-Alanine.

But we weren’t just going to leave things to chance. After being impressed by their website, we ordered a bottle of 4 Gauge in the hopes that it would deliver on it’s claim to ‘load up your guns’.

It’s been quite a long article, but we’ll fit in a short review, highlighting our experience with 4 Gauge below…

 

Pros

• Clean Energy Boosts – experience raised energy levels without suffering from the dreaded jitters or crashes.
• Next Level Strength & Endurance – never feel tired during your workout again, lifting with the same intensity from the start till finish.
• Intense Mind-Muscle-Connection – really focus on your muscles, making the most of every rep and set.
• Crazy Muscle Pumps – feel blood rushing to your guns as you pump iron, making you feel invincible.

Cons

• You can only buy from their official website: www.4Gauge.com
• Premium price – more expensive than less effective pre-workouts on the market
• Only available in 1 flavor – Fruit Punch

Key Features

Made by premium supplements company, Roar Ambition, this pre-workout contains optimal dosages of tried-and-tested nutrients; so it’s no surprise that 4 Gauge has become the best pre-workout we’ve tried this year.

Not many supplements contain an optimal 6,000mg of Citrulline Malate, which is scientifically proven to enhance endurance and muscle pumps in the gym. It’s easy to see why 4 Gauge demands its premium price, and after testing it for ourselves, we can safely say it’s worth it.

If you’re looking for intense focus, energy, strength, endurance and muscle pumps in a bottle, then 4 Gauge is for you. The best thing is, it didn’t cause any side effects during the month we used it – so no tingly or itchy skin, or jitters either.

To Buy, Visit
www.4Gauge.com 
or
Learn More In Our
Full 4 Gauge Review Here

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Conclusion

Basically, if you’ve experienced a tingling or itching on your skin after taking a pre workout supplement, it’s because the product contained Beta-Alanine.

Beta-Alanine causes this sensation, known as paresthesia, in dosages over 0.8-1g – which isn’t a lot, considering the usual daily dose is between 2g-2.5g.

As a result, if you want to avoid suffering this side effect, then you should choose a pre workout that doesn’t contain Beta-Alanine – there are numerous better alternatives that provide the same benefit (enhances muscular endurance), so replacing this ingredient isn’t a problem.

Here are the best replacements for Beta-Alanine:

• Creatine Monohydrate
• Caffeine

Both of the above ingredients promote endurance, as well as strength – so they’re actually more beneficial than Beta-Alanine.

Ultimately, 4 Gauge is the best pre-workout that doesn’t contain Beta-Alanine. As a result, we experienced intense boosts in energy, strength, endurance and muscle pumps, without suffering from tingly and itchy skin – exactly what we set out to find.