We have already said that BCAA amino acids are three essential amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), which are directly involved in the process of building muscle mass. BCAA sports supplements are practically harmless to the human body and can be combined with other types of sports nutrition. However, we must not forget that a person needs different amounts of amino acids on training days and rest days.
How to take BCAA? Basic principles of taking BCAA!
There are 20 essential amino acids that are required for every biochemical process in the human body. 9 of these 20 amino acids are considered essential. Essential amino acids cannot be produced by the human body, so we must obtain them from food. These include three amino acids called branched chain amino acids (BCAAs):
- Leucine.
- Isoleucine.
- Valin.
While other essential amino acids are primarily used to create biologically active molecules (hormones), BCAAs are the building blocks of body tissue (muscles and organs).
Leucine is the star of the trio, as it directly stimulates muscle protein synthesis. Isoleucine plays an important role in regulating the production of sugar and hemoglobin in the blood. Valine maintains nitrogen balance and stimulates muscle growth and repair.
You'll find these amino acids mainly in red meat, eggs and dairy products. Although BCAAs are found in many high protein foods, there are definitely benefits to supplementing them.
What are the benefits of taking BCAA?
- They support and enhance the synthesis of muscle tissue due to the so-called “insulogenic effect”, increasing the level of the anabolic hormone insulin.
- Reduce muscle protein breakdown (called catabolism) during weight loss regimens, maintaining muscle mass.
- Will increase the recovery time of micro-tears in muscle fibers as a result of intense training. This is especially important for professional athletes who follow high-volume training regimens.
- They can be converted into other amino acids such as alanine and glutamine.
- Gives a feeling of vigor and increases concentration.
When should you take BCAA?
Taking BCAA may benefit you in the following two cases:
- If your goal is to burn fat, but at the same time you want to maintain muscle mass.
- If you are looking to increase muscle mass. Taking BCAA's will greatly improve your recovery, allowing you to increase your training volume.
What is the optimal daily dose?
The daily dose of BCAA is influenced by many factors, such as your goal, body weight, age, gender, experience. Start with a dose of about 4-8 grams per day, and then adjust the dose depending on what gives you the best results.
Which form is best?
BCAA is sold in two forms: tablets/capsules and powder. If we make a comparison between them, we will not find much difference in their effectiveness. But there are still some peculiarities in taking certain forms of BCAA.
Supplements to help you stay in shape
BCAAs are a must-have supplement for female athletes, but there are several other products that will help you not only stay in good shape all year round, but also improve your quality and improve your well-being.
The best fat burners
Fat burners are under no circumstances accepted all year round! This is the category of supplements that must be taken in courses and only when you need to burn fat, you have provided yourself with proper nutrition and supporting supplements.
RED Labs Oxy Red
Price: 2368.00 rub.
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Skyline Nutrition Miami Lean (60 capsules)
Price: 3456.00 rub.
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Condemned Laboratoriez Arsyn
Price: 3072.00 rub. 2670.00 rub.
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Go to the Fat Burners and Diuretics category »
But it is important to understand that fat burners give the body some stress. So the following supplements are a must!
- Protein;
- Amino acids;
- Vitamin complexes;
- Healthy fats.
To increase the effectiveness of taking supplements, we advise you to learn how to take sports nutrition correctly.
The best proteins
Blackstone Labs Isolation
Price: 3968.00 rub.
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Condemned Labz Commissary Whey Protein
Price: 3584.00 rub.
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Go to the Protein category »
The best amino acids
Finaflex EAA Hardcore
Price: 2816.00 rub.
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Nutra Bio 100% Pure L-Glutamic Acid
Price: 2176.00 rub. 1930.00 rub.
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Finaflex Pure Glutamine
Price: 2560.00 rub.
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Go to the Amino Acids category »
The best vitamins
Blackstone Labs Multi
Price: 2304.00 rub.
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Blackstone Labs Juiced Up
Price: 2816.00 rub.
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Revange Nutrition ZMA+ Rx
Price: 2048.00 rub.
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Go to the category Vitamin and mineral complexes »
The best fatty acids
Black Magic Skull Dust Sampler
Price: 208.00 rub.
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MyoBlox Algae Omega
Price: 2176.00 rub.
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Finaflex Pure CLA
Price: 2990.00 rub. 2688.00 rub.
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Go to Fatty Acids category »
HOW TO TAKE BCAA DURING WORKOUT
On days when you have intense physical activity, your body needs a large amount of energy and material to build muscle mass.
During the catabolic process (destruction of structures into simple substances), the body seeks sources of energy if you have not charged it with enough proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore, it is advisable to start taking BCAA amino acids, which promote anabolism (synthesis of new substances, tissue growth) and slow down catabolism, while increasing your endurance, providing the necessary material for building muscles and accelerating the fat burning process.
It is recommended to take a portion of amino acids before and after training, as well as during if the training lasts more than one hour. This will help energize you throughout your workout and slow down the catabolism process, preserving your glycogen reserves.
Reviews
Athletes write a variety of reviews about this product. Some people are not going to buy it because of the glutamine in its composition, others because they don’t like the taste. Some evaluate the product as an adequate assistant in muscle recovery after training, others believe that one should stay away from such “helpers”, since glutamine can be found cheaper. When purchasing sports nutrition, you need to remember that tastes are an individual matter, and for your money the product from this manufacturer is quite normal.
Igor October 25, 2018
HOW TO TAKE BCAA ON REST DAYS
There is a misconception that you don't need to take any sports supplements on rest days. However, it is known that the next day after training the body still needs additional fuel. And to prevent him from starting to “eat” himself, it is recommended to drink a portion of BCAA after sleep - this will suppress morning catabolism.
How to take bcaa powder?
What is so special about taking bcaa powder? We can safely say that bcaa powder is a more advantageous form in terms of price and quality. Since the powder is easily digestible and convenient to take. Let's say you need to take 5-10 grams of BCAA, this is equivalent to 10 capsules, of course, taking 10 capsules at a time is not a very pleasant procedure, but the powder can be diluted in water and drunk. Bottom line: bcaa powder is beneficial and convenient.
How to take bcaa capsules?
Bcaa capsules make it easier to take, as they are convenient to transport and do not need to be diluted with water. But there are a couple of disadvantages , most often Bcaa capsules are very expensive, and they must be taken on average 10 capsules at a time. But they are not inferior in quality to powdered BCAA.
What time of day should we take BCAA?
Primarily before, during and after training. You can dissolve a dose of BCAA powder or capsules and drink throughout your workout. An alternative is to take one dose of BCAA 15-30 minutes before training and a second dose immediately after finishing. If you exercise in the morning on an empty stomach, take one dose 15 to 30 minutes before exercise.
If you take capsules , then you need to look at the composition of your supplement, what is the dosage of bcaa per capsule, and calculate how many capsules you need to drink to get a single serving of 5-10 grams.
You've probably noticed that when you get tired quickly during a workout, there are many reasons for this. But in any situation, whether it’s a hard day at work or you just didn’t get enough sleep, taking bcaa will always be appropriate. Amino acids will help your muscles work one hundred percent without causing harm to the body, on the contrary, if you do not nourish your body, your loads will only be to your detriment.
Men need to take five doses, 5-6 g each. Two more doses are immediately after waking up and before going to bed. Thus, you load the body with the necessary amino acids so that it does not “starve” during sleep, and receives the necessary nutrients immediately after waking up.
Women - girls need only 20 g of BCAA per day, which can be divided into 4 doses of 5 g. If you choose the time for consumption between morning and evening, then it will be much more effective to drink it in the morning. During sleep, the body does not absorb nutrients very efficiently.
On rest days, 3 doses will be enough for girls, and 4 for men: in the morning, 1-2 times between meals and before bed.
It doesn't matter if you're gaining muscle mass or losing weight, bcaa is essential in every case. It’s just that if you are losing weight, you need to reduce the percentage of daily calories. In gaining muscle mass, a calorie surplus is important, I recommend that you read the article “How to gain muscle mass? "
Are BCAA supplements safe?
Branched chain amino acids make up about a third of the essential amino acids in muscle tissue, so they are safe to take.
In some rare cases (metabolic disorders and other diseases), BCAAs and their metabolic products can reach toxic levels in the body, but this is practically impossible for healthy people. Interestingly, BCAAs are used to treat some neurological and liver diseases.
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Contraindications, precautions
Precautionary measures include the need to know about the presence of allergic reactions in the body and chronic diseases at the time of starting to take BCAA. You should drink amino acids according to the instructions on the package. If your health condition worsens, you should stop using it.
Contraindications to the use of the drug are hypoglycemia (low glucose levels in the body), kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. In the absence of this pathology and with proper use, no negative reactions of the body are observed. An overdose is not dangerous, since amino acids are excreted from the body and do not upset the internal balance. BCAA is also contraindicated for use by persons under 16 years of age, since the organs of a teenager are not sufficiently formed, and by pregnant and lactating girls.
Food Compatibility
In combination with food, BCAA is completely safe, since these are amino acids, the same as those we consume from foods, just of artificial origin.
The main thing is not to overdo it, because, despite its simplicity, the drug puts pressure on the functioning of the kidneys.
Milk
Manufacturers do not recommend combining BCAAs with milk. Here, most likely, there is some fear of an overdose of protein. Let us repeat that this is an additional burden on the kidneys, which remove the processed product.
There is also an opinion that natural protein and its artificial counterpart can conflict and therefore cause an allergic reaction.
Alcohol
The combination of BCAAs with alcohol is completely contraindicated, since we are talking about the breakdown and absorption of amino acids by the body, and alcohol disrupts or, in some cases, temporarily stops the production of enzymes.
Also, alcohol changes the acid-base balance, which must be correct for protein absorption.
Coffee
Combining BCAAs with coffee may not be beneficial, just because of the temperature. Interaction with caffeine in an unnecessary way is only possible if BCAA has a sufficiently invigorating effect on you, and the combination with coffee can lead to problems with sleep. In general, if you don’t overdo it and don’t be a heavy coffee drinker, there are no problems.
Production
Manufacturers use 4 main technologies:
- Extraction of whey hydrolyzate.
- Biofermentation.
- Chemical synthesis.
- Enzymatic synthesis (using enzymes).
The last two methods are used extremely rarely. Nowadays, BCAA amino acids are produced mainly by biofermentation, when strains of bacteria E. coli and C. Glutamicum, aspartic and pyruvic acids are used to isolate leucine, isoleucine and valine. This technique is 3-4 times more expensive than chemical hydrolysis.
Leucine, isoleucine and valine are produced together not so much because they enhance each other's effects, but because such a fraction is easier to isolate. Separating BCAA into individual amino acids is much more difficult and expensive.
