BCAAs: Essential amino acids for training

BCAAs are amino acids very popular with athletes and in particular bodybuilding and endurance sports enthusiasts.

As our body is unable to synthesize them, their intake through food or in the form of food supplements is necessary.

What are the benefits that can be expected from taking BCAAs during training or recovery?

Here is the information you need to better understand the benefits of BCAAs for muscle development.

What are BCAAs?

BCAAs (Branched Chained Amino Acid) are made up of leucine, isoleucine and valine. These branched amino acids are fractions of proteins.

What are BCAAs used for?

Muscles are made up of proteins which are a combination of 22 amino acids, including BCAAs. BCAAs make up approximately one third of the protein in skeletal muscle. During the effort, the body will seek to cope with a lack of energy by looking for amino acids in the muscles. And it is particularly the BCAAs that are interesting for generating this energy.

During exercise: The consumption of BCAAs before and during exercise is therefore interesting for limiting muscle breakdown. When the effort lasts a very long time, it may also be wise to take BCAAs to save muscle glycogen.

After exercise: BCAAs are also very important for muscle recovery. BCAAs indirectly stimulate the synthesis of proteins which aim to repair damaged tissue.

In conclusion, BCAAs optimize sports performance: BCAAs stimulate the growth of muscle fibers and help your body repair muscle after exercise. They are therefore particularly recommended for bodybuilding, cycling or running.

The interests of BCAAs for training

Ideal for effort

If the body is lacking in BCAAs, the body will draw energy from the muscles. It will therefore destroy the muscle fibers and will have more difficulty rebuilding the fiber afterwards.

Thanks to maximum protein synthesis, you will preserve muscle tissue and feel less fatigue during and after exercise . Less fatigue and better performance are the advantages of taking BCAAs.

A great help for recovery after training

The use of BCAAs is also perfect for optimizing recovery and provides high quality chain amino acids for better muscle development. The body recovers better and faster.

Muscle fibers are preserved and BCAAs reduce fatigue and muscle soreness after training. It is therefore possible to do sessions more frequently and in a more intense way.

Increase the pace of your training without tiring your body. People wanting to optimize their recovery can also look for glutamine.

Do BCAAs help with fat loss?

With a goal of fat loss, a low calorie diet for example, the major risk is the loss of lean mass, and therefore muscle, before fat loss.

To help our body lose fat rather than muscle, we must specifically nourish our muscles. Essential amino acids like BCAAs will nourish the muscle in these periods of fat loss and prevent associated muscle wasting.

As a result, people who take BCAA supplements in the form of capsules or powder may have a lower percentage of body fat and more muscle mass.

How to fill up with BCAAs?

It is not essential to take a BCAA supplement every day if your diet is high enough in protein. BCAAs are also found in certain foods in animal and plant proteins. It is then sufficient to consume meat, fish, eggs or legumes. It is therefore important to ensure this regular protein intake.

It is recommended to encourage the intake of BCAAs around training. You can only opt for supplementation around your workouts. In addition, BCAAs are assimilated quickly by the body. It takes about 15-20 minutes for BCAAs to be absorbed by the body.

Is there an action coupled with whey?

It is possible to combine BCAA food supplements with the intake of whey. The mixture of these two types of food supplements is ideal for boosting energy, promoting better recovery and build muscle mass .

Whey and BCAAs have very different and complementary roles and uses. Whey can be consumed for breakfast, as a snack and / or around training to meet your protein needs. BCAAs are great during training to bring more energy to your muscles during the session.

Note that Nutripure Whey Isolate contains 24.9% BCAAs: whey proteins are naturally rich!

Which Leucine / Isoleucine / Valine ratio to choose?

It is advisable to choose a ratio of 2: 1: 1, ie slightly overdosed in Leucine. Remember that leucine is perfect for ensuring the proper synthesis of muscle protein and promotes muscle growth.

This ratio is the most versatile and will guarantee a good balance of supplementation. This will help boost energy and prevent fatigue. Valine helps muscles to contract more powerfully and for a longer period of time. Valine promotes muscle resistance.

So with this ratio, it is possible to do a session with more repetitions . And it also allows you to recover faster between your two sessions. The end of your training is also more intense than without taking food supplements.

Isoleucine is an essential amino acid which participates in better energy production and also improves the body’s endurance. In addition, by taking BCAA food supplements, you stabilize the level of glucose in the blood and thus avoid pump strokes during your workouts.

Our opinion on BCAAs

For the benefit of BCAAs to be real, it is important to choose your products carefully. There is a wide variety of BCAA supplements. It is therefore essential to pay attention to the quality of the products that your body will receive.

What origin for BCAAs?

BCAAs can come from many origins. Choose a product of which you are sure of the origin and the composition. The packaging of food supplements must clearly indicate the composition of the product, its origin and the ratio of elements. Also opt preferably for BCAAs of plant origin rather than animal origin.

BCAAs of animal origin are extracted from duck feathers … We did not want to offer this type of supplement.

Also avoid BCAAs in which other ingredients have been added for unknown reasons.

Nutripure has chosen to offer pure products, without compromising on quality. Amino acids are of plant origin and all chemical bulking agents, sweeteners and other flavors are banned from the composition of the products.

Should we favor BCAA or PeptoPro?

Remember that PeptoPro is a casein hydrolyzate. The advantage of PeptoPro lies both in the more complete presence of amino acids, which is better for the muscles and on the other hand in the speed and ease of absorption. Taking BCAAs or PeptoPro therefore fights against muscle catabolism during exercise and therefore promotes recovery.

The action of PeptoPro is more complete and faster. It is also more expensive than BCAAs . BCAAs are already a very good supply of essential amino acids for exercise.

From 3 workouts per week, PeptoPro begins to have an interest for practitioners!

In what form to consume BCAAs?

There are different possible forms to take BCAAs. But ultimately the results are similar whether you take the BCAA’s in powder or capsule form. On the other hand, certain forms have interesting advantages such as price, dosing precision or transportability. Indeed, if you must take BCAAs during your workout, it is advisable to choose the drink and therefore to incorporate BCAA powder .

With or without flavoring?

It all depends on your desire and your ability to accept a slightly bitter taste!

If you want to stay on a 100% pure product, we advise to add lemon juice: this will reduce the bitterness of BCAAs.

Otherwise, you can incorporate BCAAs into your yogurts, dishes, ice creams, soups etc.

You will also find at Nutripure a range of natural aromas whose lemon aroma might please you!

When to take BCAAs?

It is advisable to distribute the intake of BCAAs according to the activity.

• Before your workout: remember to take BCAAs at least 15 to 20 minutes before your workout. Plan a dose of around 7g of BCAAs. This intake of food supplements allows you to have the amino acid intake necessary to avoid muscle catabolism.
• If you haven’t had time to take them before or if you have a long training session: if you feel the need, it is possible to take BCAAs at a rate of 7g with 800ml of water . If your effort lasts more than an hour, plan on 7g of BCAAs per hour of training.
• After training: complete your BCAA intake with a dose of 7g at the end of your training. You can mix the powder very well in your diet.

If you want to go dry, opt for a dose of 7g of BCAA daily. You can spread them over the day or take them in the morning with a youthful phase in order to break the catabolism. This will prevent muscle loss .

And if you are looking to gain muscle mass, consider 14g per day instead with taken around your workouts.

Contraindications and side effects

BCAAs are safe if you choose good quality food supplements. However, there are situations in which taking BCAAs is strongly advised against.

Pregnant or breastfeeding women

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding your baby, it is best not to take chain amino acid supplements. Indeed, for the moment, the impact of these products on the growth of the fetus has not yet been demonstrated. It is therefore safer not to consume BCAAs during this period so as not to take any risks.

Before surgery

When the body receives a supplement of BCAAs, there may be an effect on blood sugar. It is therefore advisable not to ingest it just at least for two weeks before undergoing surgery.

Apart from these tips, it is imperative to respect the doses and not to exceed them. Ask your doctor for advice if you have specific questions about the impact on the surgery.

What are the side effects of BCAAs?

On the health side, BCAA supplementation can very rarely cause gastrointestinal disturbances.

It is therefore essential to monitor the dose of BCAAs. Side effects are always linked to too much consumption. If you use them optimally, BCAAs will bring you real benefits and help you ensure good muscle development.