BCAAs
abs1970
Posts: 235 Member
I know that BCAAs help with recovery post training, but are they really necessary if you don't suffer muscle soreness?
Confused.com
Confused.com
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Replies
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I was under the impression that they helped with protein synthesis and so helped with muscle development.0
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They are just seemingly the current fashion - for most people whey protein (which contain BCAAs + a load of other goodies...) would be a better choice.
No they aren't necessary at all. May be helpful for people doing fasted workouts, perhaps.3 -
They are just seemingly the current fashion - for most people whey protein (which contain BCAAs + a load of other goodies...) would be a better choice.
No they aren't necessary at all. May be helpful for people doing fasted workouts, perhaps.
That's just what I thought. It does seem to be the 'in thing' at the moment.
I have my whey protein daily which, as you said, already has BCAAs among other good stuff so didn't think it was necessary. I just keep reading about on IG and FB so wanted to ask the experts
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Hey help for all people and I sure hope none of you are doing fasted workouts! BCAAs should have a 2:1:1 ratio with that 2 being leucine! Leucine is the only amino acid that is known to stimulate protein synthesis (protein being used) on its own. This does NOT mean that using pure leucine is better, all studies show that 2:1:1 ratio works best. During the day you want to be able to spike protein synthesis as much as possible to get the most muscle growth out of your day and your workout. Drinking BCAAs and dextrose(or a fast digesting carbohydrate) at the end of a workout spikes this process. If BCAAs are also taken with a small amount of whey studies have also showed that it will boost ur BCAA plasma levels in the blood even fast .. aka better. BCAAs are great to day between meals, when you can't get a meal on time or around your workout. Is it better than protein??? At raising BCAA plasma levels fast and higher YES! And that reason is because the aminos are not branched together in a full protein like whey. Your scoop of whey might have 5 grams of BCAAs but they may or may not be branched to the other aminos at the molecular level. After all of that typing.. its a supplement and not needed. But if you want that extra 1% gain that might start to be noticeable after years of training go for it! I get cheap unflavored BCAAs0
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My morning meal doesn't contain protein (bulletproof coffee and sometimes fruit) so getting amino energy cafe series (currently using caramel macchiato flavour mmm) and putting it in my bulletproof coffee is great for me to get some aminos into that meal... it can be a beneficial supp for these types of things0
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Hey help for all people and I sure hope none of you are doing fasted workouts! BCAAs should have a 2:1:1 ratio with that 2 being leucine! Leucine is the only amino acid that is known to stimulate protein synthesis (protein being used) on its own. This does NOT mean that using pure leucine is better, all studies show that 2:1:1 ratio works best. During the day you want to be able to spike protein synthesis as much as possible to get the most muscle growth out of your day and your workout. Drinking BCAAs and dextrose(or a fast digesting carbohydrate) at the end of a workout spikes this process. If BCAAs are also taken with a small amount of whey studies have also showed that it will boost ur BCAA plasma levels in the blood even fast .. aka better. BCAAs are great to day between meals, when you can't get a meal on time or around your workout. Is it better than protein??? At raising BCAA plasma levels fast and higher YES! And that reason is because the aminos are not branched together in a full protein like whey. Your scoop of whey might have 5 grams of BCAAs but they may or may not be branched to the other aminos at the molecular level. After all of that typing.. its a supplement and not needed. But if you want that extra 1% gain that might start to be noticeable after years of training go for it! I get cheap unflavored BCAAs
Thank you - really informative!
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examine.com has very good write ups on all supplements - including BCAAs.1
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Hey help for all people and I sure hope none of you are doing fasted workouts! BCAAs should have a 2:1:1 ratio with that 2 being leucine! Leucine is the only amino acid that is known to stimulate protein synthesis (protein being used) on its own. This does NOT mean that using pure leucine is better, all studies show that 2:1:1 ratio works best. During the day you want to be able to spike protein synthesis as much as possible to get the most muscle growth out of your day and your workout. Drinking BCAAs and dextrose(or a fast digesting carbohydrate) at the end of a workout spikes this process. If BCAAs are also taken with a small amount of whey studies have also showed that it will boost ur BCAA plasma levels in the blood even fast .. aka better. BCAAs are great to day between meals, when you can't get a meal on time or around your workout. Is it better than protein??? At raising BCAA plasma levels fast and higher YES! And that reason is because the aminos are not branched together in a full protein like whey. Your scoop of whey might have 5 grams of BCAAs but they may or may not be branched to the other aminos at the molecular level. After all of that typing.. its a supplement and not needed. But if you want that extra 1% gain that might start to be noticeable after years of training go for it! I get cheap unflavored BCAAs
whats wrong with fasted workouts?2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Hey help for all people and I sure hope none of you are doing fasted workouts! BCAAs should have a 2:1:1 ratio with that 2 being leucine! Leucine is the only amino acid that is known to stimulate protein synthesis (protein being used) on its own. This does NOT mean that using pure leucine is better, all studies show that 2:1:1 ratio works best. During the day you want to be able to spike protein synthesis as much as possible to get the most muscle growth out of your day and your workout. Drinking BCAAs and dextrose(or a fast digesting carbohydrate) at the end of a workout spikes this process. If BCAAs are also taken with a small amount of whey studies have also showed that it will boost ur BCAA plasma levels in the blood even fast .. aka better. BCAAs are great to day between meals, when you can't get a meal on time or around your workout. Is it better than protein??? At raising BCAA plasma levels fast and higher YES! And that reason is because the aminos are not branched together in a full protein like whey. Your scoop of whey might have 5 grams of BCAAs but they may or may not be branched to the other aminos at the molecular level. After all of that typing.. its a supplement and not needed. But if you want that extra 1% gain that might start to be noticeable after years of training go for it! I get cheap unflavored BCAAs
whats wrong with fasted workouts?
Apart from being pretty damn hungry throughout, I'd like to know too!0 -
Alan Aragon on BCAAs... ( http://amigoacid.com/supplementation/alan-aragons-thoughts-about-bcaa.html )
Is it worthwhile to buy BCAA?
No need to supp with BCAA unless you
a) are insistent on maintaining a low-protein diet, or
b) you enjoy wasting money. High-quality protein sources in your diet already contain roughly 18-25% BCAA.
What happens if I’ll try to use BCAA on high protein diet?
Unless you’re specifically planning on going on a low-protein diet, all it will do is either
a) stimulate appetite, since BCAA has been successfully used for this purpose to treat anorexic patients,
b) give your body a little bit of extra work in processing it & whatever flavoring & other compounds it might contain,
c) add extra calories to your diet, or
d) all of the previous. Don’t forget that if your diet has sufficient protein, it has sufficient BCAA; 18-25% of the high-quality protein in your diet is BCAA. I suppose you could take it for a placebo boost if you really want that.
I always come up short on my protein even with a post-workout shake and now going to play with some IF (intermittent fasting). Can I take some BCAA before and after workout until I truly break my fast?
If you’re coming up short on protein, I’d choose whey over BCAA. 1st off, whey is 25% BCAA. 2ndly, whey contains the rest of the EAAs. Third, whey is more satiating (BCAA has appetite-stimulatory properties). 4th, whey contains beneficial biofractions such as lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, lactoperoxidase, glycomacropeptide, and bovine serum albumin. All of these goodies are missing from isolated BCAA supps. I look at whey as “BCAA-Plus”. Why buy only part of the spectrum of benefits when you can get the whole thing for the same price or less?
But an important question before bothering with supplementation is how much protein are you getting in total (relative to your bodyweight & your goals), & why you think it’s insufficient.
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Buying a jug of BCAA's with 90 servings @ around 50$ which will last me 3 months IF I take a serving a day doesn't seem that expensive to me. However I do take them differently from most. I put 1 scoop in a half gallon.
I do look at them like an expensive kool-aid and if I was in the position of having to budget my money, I would probably not buy them. You will always get that "waste of money" rant from people when everyone spends their money on something that is non-essential.
I also feel like there is a positive reinforcement thing with them. Having a good tasting drink while you workout. This is from my personal experience but a friend of mine who I work out with was just dragging one of the days he didn't have BCAA's (totally mental btw) I keep some raw BCAA's in my gym bag. Instead of giving him the good stuff I give him the raw form, which taste really bad FYI. He still was dragging.1 -
Alan Aragon on BCAAs... ( http://amigoacid.com/supplementation/alan-aragons-thoughts-about-bcaa.html )
<snippage>
Alan Aragon is a solid authority. And what he wrote agrees with the scientific research on Examine.com's page about BCAAs:...BCAAs are important to ingest on a daily basis, but many protein sources, such as meat and eggs, already provide BCAAs. Supplementation is unnecessary for people with a sufficiently high protein intake (1-1.5g per kg of bodyweight a day or more)...
...BCAA supplementation is not necessary if enough BCAAs are provided through the diet...0 -
What a shame @worrblade didn't come back..0
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TavistockToad wrote: »What a shame @worrblade didn't come back..
Why was it a genuine question?0 -
Hawaiian_Iceberg wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »What a shame @worrblade didn't come back..
Why was it a genuine question?
Was what a genuine question?0 -
Don't know if it adds anything to the conversation but...
A. I used BCAA tabs a few months ago when doing body weight strength training on a calorie deficit.
B. I've just started taking them again as am now doing slight calorie excess and weight training.
If I take them roughly 45min/1 hour prior to working out I get a definite energy 'boost' during routine. Noticeable both when i was in calorie deficit (about 600 cals a day less than current) and also now - especially after working out 2-3 months without them. *Last night i could seriously have gone on for hours.
Just my personal observation - no science was hurt in this experiment :-)1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Was what a genuine question?
ThisTavistockToad wrote: »whats wrong with fasted workouts?0 -
Hawaiian_Iceberg wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Was what a genuine question?
ThisTavistockToad wrote: »whats wrong with fasted workouts?
I too would like to know what's wrong with fasted workouts. I train first thing in the morning everyday fasted.1 -
Hawaiian_Iceberg wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Was what a genuine question?
ThisTavistockToad wrote: »whats wrong with fasted workouts?
Yes0 -
That's where you should have left it.Hey help for all people and I sure hope none of you are doing fasted workouts! BCAAs should have a 2:1:1 ratio with that 2 being leucine! Leucine is the only amino acid that is known to stimulate protein synthesis (protein being used) on its own. This does NOT mean that using pure leucine is better, all studies show that 2:1:1 ratio works best. During the day you want to be able to spike protein synthesis as much as possible to get the most muscle growth out of your day and your workout. Drinking BCAAs and dextrose(or a fast digesting carbohydrate) at the end of a workout spikes this process. If BCAAs are also taken with a small amount of whey studies have also showed that it will boost ur BCAA plasma levels in the blood even fast .. aka better. BCAAs are great to day between meals, when you can't get a meal on time or around your workout. Is it better than protein??? At raising BCAA plasma levels fast and higher YES! And that reason is because the aminos are not branched together in a full protein like whey. Your scoop of whey might have 5 grams of BCAAs but they may or may not be branched to the other aminos at the molecular level. After all of that typing.. its a supplement and not neededBut if you want that extra 1% gain that might start to be noticeable after years of training go for it! I get cheap unflavored BCAAs
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I too would like to know what's wrong with fasted workouts. I train first thing in the morning everyday fasted.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with fasted workouts for the vast majority of people. Like you I almost always train before breakfast. Both weights and cardio (sometimes on the same day - yesterday I ran 2k to the gym, did an hours chest/triceps then ran the long way back 6k).
Perhaps my performance could be slightly impacted by this but personally I have much more energy when I train in the morning as compared to late evening it balances out. I feel.
On the flip side there isn't anything particularly beneficial/magical about them IMHO either.
Its just personal choice if you feel comfortable eating breakfast before and early workout - again my opinion.
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Hawaiian_Iceberg wrote: »I too would like to know what's wrong with fasted workouts. I train first thing in the morning everyday fasted.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with fasted workouts for the vast majority of people. Like you I almost always train before breakfast. Both weights and cardio (sometimes on the same day - yesterday I ran 2k to the gym, did an hours chest/triceps then ran the long way back 6k).
Perhaps my performance could be slightly impacted by this but personally I have much more energy when I train in the morning as compared to late evening it balances out. I feel.
On the flip side there isn't anything particularly beneficial/magical about them IMHO either.
Its just personal choice if you feel comfortable eating breakfast before and early workout - again my opinion.
Exactly my thoughts. I have much more energy at 4:30 am, before going to work, than at 6 when I get home from work. I've never had a problem with fasted workouts, cardio or strength, and I don't like to eat that early.1
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