BCAAs? has anyone noticed a difference in the speed of recovery and not aching so much after?

sammiewammie444
sammiewammie444 Posts: 58 Member
edited November 24 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
i have been recommended to take bcaas to speed up my recovery from weight lifting as i can get very sore muscles the next day. just wanted more opinions. has it worked for you?
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Replies

  • Norris7493
    Norris7493 Posts: 1 Member
    I had this issue. I've been working out like 7 or 8 times per week for the last 8 months while on a calorie deficit (down 71LBS). After about a month of this, I was having a ton of issues with recovery. After doing a lot of reading on this. I decided to pump up my protein intake (between 40 - 50% of my calories). Not only is my recovery much improved, but I'm making strength gains while on a large calorie deficit. I get most of my protein from meat, whey protein (isopure brand), and protein bars. Also, as a bonus, the increase in protein is making me way less hungry between meals. I've been doing the protein thing for about 7 months now.
  • TwinkieDong
    TwinkieDong Posts: 1,564 Member
    I tried both BCAA and L-Carnitine as all I do is lift weights. L-Carnitine is what helps with sore muscles, and I know that it helps. BCAAs I really dont know what they do. I know what they claim to do but I do not feel any different.
  • sammiewammie444
    sammiewammie444 Posts: 58 Member
    Norris7493 wrote: »
    I had this issue. I've been working out like 7 or 8 times per week for the last 8 months while on a calorie deficit (down 71LBS). After about a month of this, I was having a ton of issues with recovery. After doing a lot of reading on this. I decided to pump up my protein intake (between 40 - 50% of my calories). Not only is my recovery much improved, but I'm making strength gains while on a large calorie deficit. I get most of my protein from meat, whey protein (isopure brand), and protein bars. Also, as a bonus, the increase in protein is making me way less hungry between meals. I've been doing the protein thing for about 7 months now.

    how do you manage to lose weight while upping your protein so much? i am trying to lose weight but i find protein bars have too many calories in them if they have a decent amount of protein. im currently taking impact whey protein and eat chicken and eggs most days. i usually have around 100g of protein
  • ms_true
    ms_true Posts: 43 Member
    I was tempted in as I have exhaustion and pain from rowing / going from unfit to fit. It game me serious headache. I threw them in the bin. On searching it up on google it was of course anecdotal that it can give you a headache, but it was my experience, and it wasn't a normal headache, it was quite severe with feeling of things being a little bit unreal and my vision felt slightly off. I also considered creatine but it's hard on your liver.

    To answer your question, I didn't find it help with recovery but perhaps I wasn't taking them long enough. What I have read that works best is a light work out to help keep the blood moving through the muscles. So active rest days/stretching. Epson salt baths. And to work out every second day if that is best for you. I get you on wanting a faster recovery, I'm in my mid-40s and this getting fit isn't for wimps lol.

    When I got overwhelmed from the pain I took a full 2 week break from the gym. Went for a heavenly massage. And came back a lot stronger and faster. Looking back 1 week would have been enough but I was a bit burnt out and very pressed for time getting ready for Christmas.
  • JAYxMSxPES
    JAYxMSxPES Posts: 193 Member
    Definitely read the peer-review, that's a good gauge of what's true and what's not. Although some studies will actually result in a "maybe" type of answer.

    BCAA's basically contain components of protein. You can get this in a Whey Protein supplement and definitely meat and other animal protein sources. Are they necessary? No, not by any means. For some folks it's a mental thing and if you need that support then go for it. Some people swear by them but that doesn't mean there's a correlation to effectiveness. The peer-review on Placebo effect is incredibly interesting if you ever have time to read-up on that topic.

    RE L-Carnitine: I'm curious about the studies related to muscles soreness. That was not my understanding of how that supplement functions. More a long the lines of supporting Lipolysis. Anybody has anything related to muscle soreness I'd love to read it.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I only use them when I dont get enough protein in my diet and I am doing body weight or lifting. otherwise I dont use them.
  • PikaJoyJoy
    PikaJoyJoy Posts: 280 Member
    edited January 2018
    mmapags wrote: »
    sammiewammie444 wrote: »
    mmapags- i am looking for a yes or no from people who have tried it

    So, you prefer individual anecdotes over peer reviewed scientific studies? Why?

    ^I agree with mmapags and wonder the same question because the studies are going to give you the answer you actually need.

    As for personal anecdotes -> no, they don't "speed up recovery." Aside from a placebo effect, I'd be willing to also put out there that your sister's body probably got used to working out and the DOMS just naturally subsided as it does.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,353 Member
    I've been adding BCAA's to my morning shake for a few months and have seen absolutely no difference in muscle soreness. I'm still sore pretty much every day and so far the only effective solution I've found is foam rolling and buttloads of ibuprofen.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    Here you go. I tried it a few months back. It did not help at all IMHO. I then increased my protein macro to 40% of daily. This did help.

    Now that is only a personal experiment and not scientific in the least. Still, it matches the current studies.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited January 2018
    sammiewammie444 wrote: »
    Norris7493 wrote: »
    I had this issue. I've been working out like 7 or 8 times per week for the last 8 months while on a calorie deficit (down 71LBS). After about a month of this, I was having a ton of issues with recovery. After doing a lot of reading on this. I decided to pump up my protein intake (between 40 - 50% of my calories). Not only is my recovery much improved, but I'm making strength gains while on a large calorie deficit. I get most of my protein from meat, whey protein (isopure brand), and protein bars. Also, as a bonus, the increase in protein is making me way less hungry between meals. I've been doing the protein thing for about 7 months now.

    how do you manage to lose weight while upping your protein so much? i am trying to lose weight but i find protein bars have too many calories in them if they have a decent amount of protein. im currently taking impact whey protein and eat chicken and eggs most days. i usually have around 100g of protein

    Part of the issue is you don't need to eat a candy bar with some protein sprinkled in, most of the ones you get are either really expensive or full of cheap proteins like gelatin and collagen that aren't the best quality proteins. Many of them are also inflating the nitrogen numbers (a process called amino spiking) so don't have near the protein stated.

    You are getting 100g of protein a day, that's not hard to get with chicken, turkey, cottage cheese etc, so if you can't budget the protein bar in then don't worry, just find another source that comes from real food.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Here's my anecdote.

    I'm on an aggressive cut. So aggressive my diary is closed unless you're my friend. I get 140-170g of protein per day easily, while dropping weight, lifting heavy *kitten* *kitten* and do not need BCAAs. And I know from experience they would do nothing but just taste kind of nice during a workout.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Here's my anecdote.

    I'm on an aggressive cut. So aggressive my diary is closed unless you're my friend. I get 140-170g of protein per day easily, while dropping weight, lifting heavy *kitten* *kitten* and do not need BCAAs. And I know from experience they would do nothing but just taste kind of nice during a workout.

    Oh, they must be amazingly good at covering the leucine lol. If the devil served food in hell it would taste like leucine! :grimace:
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    So, a little objective data. The original theory behind BCAAs was that they would help MPS (Muscle Protein Sythesis). When studied, they didn't. They showed that they, ingested alone, could actually, have a negative effect on MPS. It is because they are incomplete and as such are ineffective. It is like trying to start a fire without heat, oxygen and fuel. Elements are missing that work in the whole but not individually.

    If one would read the studies, this is all spelled out.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Wheelhouse15 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Here's my anecdote.

    I'm on an aggressive cut. So aggressive my diary is closed unless you're my friend. I get 140-170g of protein per day easily, while dropping weight, lifting heavy *kitten* *kitten* and do not need BCAAs. And I know from experience they would do nothing but just taste kind of nice during a workout.

    Oh, they must be amazingly good at covering the leucine lol. If the devil served food in hell it would taste like leucine! :grimace:

    What, the BCAAs? They do taste good tho. Little fizzy.
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