Pre-Workout Supplement Tips: Which Ingredients Are Making Your Skin Crawl?

Ever felt like scratching at your face or arms after drinking a pre-workout supplement? This sensation is known as "Parasthesia". While Parestheisa is quite harmless to us, the effects can be a tad uncomfortable. When we take a regular amount of pre-workout powder, the feeling is usually quite mild and hardly noticeable. But other times, at a higher dose - the feeling can be quite overwhelming. Some people seem to be quite happy with the prickly feeling it gives, while others can't stand it.

Which 2 Ingredients Cause The Itchy Feeling? And Why?

Beta Alanine (Carnosyn)

Beta Alanine is an amino acid that is already found within our bodies. One of its purposes in regards to our muscles is to bind with another amino acid, called Histidine to form what we call Carnosine. The Carnosine in our muscles works to ward off certain chemical components that lead our muscles to feel faitgue, and fail over time. By increasing muscular Carnosine, we improve endurance, and boost recovery in the muscles. The itchy feeling arises from the beta alanine attaching itself to the nerves cells beneath our skin, which makes them fire at a faster rate.

Niacin (a.k.a. Vitamin B3, Niacinamide)

All the components of the B-Vitamin family mainly work to process the food we eat. Their primary function is tied to the production of energy within us. The itchy feeling referred to in regards to Niacin is called a "flush". This sensation comes up due to the niacin widening some of our smaller blood vessels, also known as capillaries, close to the surface of our skin.

Do I Have To Feel This Itchy?

For some people, this sensation is just way too uncomfortable to bare. The vast majority of pre-workouts do contain at least 1 of these two ingredients. The best way to approach them for the more sensitive people will be with caution. Start out with a very small dose (1/2 the recommended) and gauge how you feel. Then, add more as you feel comfortable.