Creatine and BCAA advice

First step is to follow a structured training program. I assume that you aren't following one, as I am not aware of any that take 2.5 hours per day 7 days a week. Please correct me if I am wrong.

See: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

Following an appropriate program will help you lift large amounts of weight. The other primary helpers are:
- food
- rest
- time & patience. Building muscle and getting strong doesn't happen overnight.

Creatine is a well studied supplement. It has been shown to be beneficial to strength, power, speed and muscle growth. It is a supplement, and not in any way a replacement for a well structured training program, food, rest or time.

Protein from whey, meats, whole milk, etc. are much better at building muscle than BCAAs. BCAAs do not trigger muscle protein synthesis to its fullest. The only time I use BCAAs is when I am fasting because I figure some muscle protein synthesis is better than none.

PPumpItUp wrote: »

Protein from whey, meats, whole milk, etc. are much better at building muscle than BCAAs. BCAAs do not trigger muscle protein synthesis to its fullest. The only time I use BCAAs is when I am fasting because I figure some muscle protein synthesis is better than none.

I'm no scientist but the research I've read says BCAA does help with protein synthesis. I would love to read more about the research.
Please don't take it that I'm saying you're wrong, because my knowledge is limited on the subject. I found it's hard to find good reports, most are ads to sell BCAA.

blakejohn wrote: »

PPumpItUp wrote: »

Protein from whey, meats, whole milk, etc. are much better at building muscle than BCAAs. BCAAs do not trigger muscle protein synthesis to its fullest. The only time I use BCAAs is when I am fasting because I figure some muscle protein synthesis is better than none.

I'm no scientist but the research I've read says BCAA does help with protein synthesis. I would love to read more about the research.
Please don't take it that I'm saying you're wrong, because my knowledge is limited on the subject. I found it's hard to find good reports, most are ads to sell BCAA.

Its all good, I am still learning a lot myself.

"The study, involving the universities of Exeter and Birmingham and published in Frontiers in Physiology, show that while BCAA supplements do stimulate the muscle building response in individuals after they lift weights, other muscle-building supplements are far more effective.

Other supplements that contain all necessary amino acids stimulate a greater muscle growth response, which suggests that taking BCAA supplements alone is not the best way to optimize muscle growth with weight training.

The scientists also investigated how effective the supplements were at stimulating the machinery inside the muscle itself that leads to muscle growth.

They found that while BCAA drinks stimulate the body's muscle building systems, they lack some essential amino acids that are necessary to support a maximal muscle growth response."

http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2017.00390/full

Here is the Churchward-Venne study they referenced
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=22451437

Taking in a BCAA supplement will still trigger muscle protein synthesis, it just wont be as powerful if you do not get your BCAAs from a food source that is a complete protein.

to echo what has been stated above:

Pick a decent lifting program and follow it.
Aim for about 1 hour in the gym, four times a week for your lifting. (You may wish to add other days to work on other goals such as cardiovascular fitness or agility)
Creatine - good idea and generally there seems to be evidence that it is useful
BCAA - probably only worth looking into if you work out fasted (and even then I think the evidence is weak)