Supplement Profile – BCAA
What Is BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids)?
BCAAs or Branched Chain Amino Acids are the three amino acids Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine. The thing that distinguishes these amino acids from the other 17 is that they are metabolised directly within the muscle, rather than in the stomach. These Branched Chain Amino Acids comprise around 1/3 of all muscle tissue within the body.Because they are used within the muscle they have very anabolic (muscle building) and anti-catabolic (stop muscles breaking down) properties. These properties make BCAAs a very important part of any serious training regime to stop muscle breakdown, especially weight training. BCAAs are also essential amino acids, which means your body cannot make them by itself. Natural sources of BCAAs include red meats and most dairy products - and of course whey protein is a great source of BCAAs - most reputable brands will have a BCAA profile on the side of the packet which will give you an indication as to how much of the contents are BCAAs.
What Does BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) Do?
BCAA supplementation is mainly used to protect muscles after intense workouts. They are also used to aid burns victims for the same reason as they are used by strength athletes. In practical terms any strength athlete (including martial artists) will generally take less time to recover from intense workouts when taking BCAAs than those not taking them.
BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) - Ingredients
By definition BCAAs only contain leucine, isoleucine and valine. Whilst the exact ratio of these amino acids may vary they should be roughly in the ratio 2:1:1 in favour of Leucine as studies have shown this to be the most important of the three.
BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) - Directions For Use
Most non-athletes can get sufficient BCAAs from diet alone. Anyone that is doing serious training should take around 5g before, during and after working out - although a lot of strength athletes take double this for maximum effect as BCAAs are side-effect free. A good combination of supplements is BCAAs with L-Glutamine for maximal anti-catabolic effects - to protect your hard earned muscle growth in other words.
BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) Side Effects
There are no side effects associated with BCAAs, and taking too much will not have any other harmful effects - indeed excess BCAAs are either converted into other amino acids or used for energy (or in extreme cases can be stored as fat, although this would not be an issue for anyone taking anywhere near a recommended dosage).
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Shoutbox
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- nameless
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The lemon protein bars were better than I expected. Thanks for that.
- 4 May 2011
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- Tyler
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Ben - right now i just microwave 3-4 at a time. poke holes with fork wrap in paper towel and microwave for 12-15 minutes depending on the size. for sweet potato fries just put that in the search engine for my site right above this and the recipe is there
- 3 May 2011
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- Tyler
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Brian - I have never tried that out before. It sounds interesting and seems like it would be very intense. I'll have to give it a try.
- 3 May 2011
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- Ben
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Hey tyler how do you cook your sweet potato? sweet potato fries possibly?
- 3 May 2011
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- Brian
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Hey Tyler what your feelings on Tabata Training? I Just read this article in MuscleMag about adding it to a regular bodypart routine with a 20 sec. on and 10 sec off for a total of 8 segments. Have you ever tried it before?
- 3 May 2011
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- Brian
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Hey Tyler
- 3 May 2011
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- Tyler
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Keith - I was just told the other day that he shouted me out in his interview on simply shredded. I'd never heard of him till then.
- 2 May 2011
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- Tyler
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Justin - I've tried both slow and fast digesting carbs post workout and I've never really noticed a difference in either. I say give it a try and see how your body responds to it.
- 2 May 2011
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- Tyler
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John - I use Cytosport 100% Whey chocolate or vanilla, I season my chicken with Mrs.Dash table blend,paprika,garlic powder
- 2 May 2011
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- Keith
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Hey Tyler have you heard of Zyzz? Hes pretty popular and hes a fan of yours. You should get in touch with him, he has amazing aesthetics just like you.
- 2 May 2011
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April 19th, 2011 - 09:32
thanks