This is a truthful claim and I was very happy to get a non-name brand for a much lower price. NOW Beta-Alanine Powder costs only $20.99 for 500 grams which is much cheaper than the fancy name brand competitor's beta-alanine products cost.
"Supports Muscular Endurance"
This is a characteristic which becomes easier to measure with extended use but I think that the product worked very well at the amount I took pre-workout [2.0 grams].
"Helps Delay Muscle Fatigue"
I can't comment on this characteristic yet although I will know with extended use. Since this is a bulk powder comprising solely of beta-alanine, any property conclusively supported by the scientific research on beta-alanine will be applicable to this product as it is in its pure form.
"Vegetarian Product"
This is a straightforward claim. It is a vegetarian product so it is a truthful claim.
Since NOW Beta-Alanine powder gave an honest list of qualities I was very pleased with the product claim. Overall, in terms of the product claims, I would rate NOW Beta-Alanine Powder 10/10.
Taste:
I consumed 2.0 grams of NOW Beta-Alanine powder with a large dark roast coffee from a local coffee shop called "The Bean Fiend". The beta-alanine powder was easy enough to drink with a gulp of coffee. Information about The Bean Fiend can be found on its Facebook group below:
I did not even order any of the specialty coffees they had and I was very pleased with it. I found it to be some serious gourmet shit. I would have been satisfied with some freeze-dried Taster's Choice, but The Bean Fiend sprung some serious gourmet shit on me. Which is good because I rarely drink coffee but when I drink it, I want to taste it.
The coffee was delicious and I rate it a 10/10.
Solubility/Texture:
I drank 2.0 grams of beta-alanine with a gulp of coffee and I found that it was no problem to do so. In the past I have found it to mix perfectly so for solubility, I rate this product 10/10.
Effectiveness:
I used NOW Beta-Alanine Powder and coffee from THE BEAN FIEND for my arms workout as outlined below:
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Standing Alternate Dumbbell Curls:
22.5sX12, 35sX12, 40sX12, 50sX6
Triceps Pressdowns:
8X12, 12X12, 14X20, 15X20, 15X20
Overhead Triceps Extensions:
22.5sX15, 27.5sX15
Standing EZ Bar Curl:
70X12, 70X12
I felt that this was a pretty good arms workout. Not the best, but not the worst. I can definitely say that it was on par with any workout I have had with any of the other supplements that I have tried which is more evidence to me that all that matters for a good supplement experience is to have efficacious ingredients in efficacious doses.
Here are photos taken during my workout [click for larger size]:
I also used NOW Beta-Alanine Powder once again as well as a large Pike Place Roast from Starbucks. It was similar in size to the large coffee from The Bean Fiend and I found it to be comparable in terms of effectiveness. For more information on this coffee, check out the link below:
I used the above items for my shoulders workout as outlined below:
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Shoulders:
Standing Dumbbell Press:
25sX12, 40sX12, 60sX12, 80sX12, 100sX4
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises:
25sX12, 30sX12, 35sX12
I followed up with some dumbbell curls which I did briefly just for the exercise demos database that I am starting to work on. Below are some photos from my workout:
This was a pretty good workout and I definitely felt the kick from the coffee as well as the beta-alanine, including the side effects which I noticed from using 2.0 grams - mainly, it made me itchy, especially during an intense set.
The pump was great today, as good as it was using any given supplement, with the exception of a few of the ones which I would consider to be above average to very above average. In other words, once again I have to state that I think the main components of a good supplement is to make sure it contains efficacious ingredients in efficacious doses. Fancy advertising and label claims are not necessarily guaranteed to produce that.
In terms of effectiveness I rate NOW Beta-Alanine Powder in combination with coffee from THE BEAN FIEND and from Starbucks 8/10.
Overall Review:
I felt that this experiment in using caffeine in combination with beta-alanine was quite worthwhile and it simply proved what I always knew to be true which I mentioned above - for a supplement to be effective it simply needs to contain efficacious ingredients at efficacious doses. Also, one does not need to purchase coffee from Starbucks coffee or coffee from another chain in order to reproduce the experiment I engaged in as one can just make it at home or buy inexpensive caffeine supplements. 500 grams of NOW Beta-Alanine Powder costs $21.99 which works out to 250 servings at 2.0 grams per serving. This is under 10 cents per serving. You can get 100 4Ever Fit caffeine tablets for $4.99. That is an additional five cents per serving meaning that you can get a huge workout boost for ony $0.15 per workout which would only cost dollars a month! Overall I feel it is important to make people aware of this so that they can explore the options available to them and I rate this experience a 9/10.
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