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The 10 Rules of BCAAs
Branched-chain amino acids are essential nutrients for anybody looking to build muscle and increase strength. Here are 10 ways to use this power trio of aminos for maximum effect.
By Steven Stiefel
Branched-chain amino acids exert potent muscle-building properties. Learn how to harness their awesome power.
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) were one of the hottest tickets in bodybuilding supplements back in the ’90s. But when creatine and nitric-oxide boosters exploded on the scene, BCAAs became the forgotten muscle builder as these newer, sexier supplements with their instant, feelable results took center stage.
Today, though, BCAAs are making a comeback. Comprised of the three amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine, BCAAs have earned their place as a supplement staple for bodybuilders and other athletes. Especially effective for weight trainers, BCAAs offer a multitude of advantages that are beneficial to anyone hungry for added muscle and increased strength. And best of all, they’re a great complement to those new cutting-edge, sexy supplements: NO boosters and creatine.
But you must learn to harness the power of these awesome aminos. To wit, here are the top 10 rules for maximizing the effectiveness of BCAAs for better muscle gains and fat loss.
Ready? Time to earn your PhD in BCAAs.
Unlike other amino acids, BCAAs can be used directly by your muscles for fuel. Also, BCAAs are known to enhance muscle growth and strength by directly stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
Rule #1: Know Your Three BCAAs.
The BCAAs are comprised of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. Each of these amino acid molecules has a section that builds off of the amino acid and forms a branch structure. This is why they are referred to as “branched-chain amino acids.”
These three aminos alone make up about one-third of the total amino acids in muscle. The human body has about 20 amino acids, so this should give you a sense of just how important these three key BCAAs are. Essential amino acids are those that your body cannot make itself; they must be provided by the diet, and that’s another reason why BCAA supplementation is so important.
Rule #2: Learn Why The BCAAs Are Special Aminos.
The BCAAs are not just important because they are essential aminos or because they make up a good proportion of muscle protein. The reason these three are super-special aminos is because of how they are handled in the body. Most amino acids go directly to the liver after being digested, where they can be broken down if the body needs them for energy. On the other hand, BCAAs tend to be spared by the liver and go directly to the muscles intact. Another thing that makes the BCAAs special is that muscle can use BCAAs directly for fuel, unlike with other amino acids. This is crucial for helping to strengthen, build and repair muscle tissue that has been stressed by weight training.
Rule #3: Use BCAAs To Energize Your Muscles.
Besides boosting energy by being used as a direct fuel source for muscle fibers, BCAAs also enhance energy by reducing the amount of tryptophan that gets into the brain. Tryptophan produces a metabolite known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HTP) or serotonin. During exercise, serotonin notifies the brain that the body is fatigued and causes it to reduce muscle strength and endurance. The BCAAs, namely valine, compete with tryptophan for entry into the brain. Research studies confirm that taking BCAAs before workouts lowers the amount of the amino acid tryptophan that gets into the brain, and therefore lowers the amount of fatigue you feel. In addition, BCAAs can also help to boost brain function by reducing brain fatigue.
Rule #4: Master The Ways BCAAs Can Boost Muscle Growth And Strength.
Of all the benefits that BCAAs offer, the most interesting for M&B readers is their ability to enhance muscle growth and strength. They do this by directly stimulating muscle protein synthesis, which is the buildup of muscle protein. Of the three BCAAs, leucine appears to be the most critical for stimulating muscle protein synthesis, yet all three are important for optimizing protein synthesis.
BCAAs also work to enhance muscle growth and strength by altering levels of anabolic and catabolic hormones. One anabolic hormone the BCAAs boost is insulin. This is primarily caused by leucine, and it leads to further enhancement of muscle protein synthesis. BCAAs have also been found to increase levels of growth hormone.
Another advantage that comes (albeit from the other direction) is that BCAAs also blunt levels of the catabolic hormone cortisol, particularly during exercise. Since cortisol normally increases muscle breakdown and inhibits testosterone’s anabolic actions, blunting cortisol works to increase muscle growth and strength gains.
Rule #5: Use BCAAs To Help Cut Fat.
Another benefit of BCAAs is their ability to enhance fat loss. Research on leucine alone has shown that this amino acid can increase metabolic rate, and therefore the amount of total calories and fat burned.
In addition, research shows that leucine helps to blunt hunger. It is theorized that leucine is used by the brain as an indicator of the levels of total amino acids in the bloodstream. Having more total amino acids in the blood signals your brain that you are well-fed, which means hunger should be reduced to prevent overeating, and your metabolic rate can be set on high without the concern that energy levels will run out.
Rule #6: Learn When To Take BCAAs.
When it comes to BCAAs, timing is crucial (see chart at right).
For those interested in gaining more muscle mass, strength and energy, the most critical time for taking BCAAs is around workouts. For best results, you should take one dose within 30 minutes before your workouts along with your preworkout protein shake and carbs and another dose within 30 minutes after workouts along with your postworkout protein shake and carbs.
Working out also increases levels of cortisol. Supplementing with BCAAs before and after workouts keeps cortisol levels low, which encourages greater muscle growth. A dose of BCAAs right before workouts will provide your muscles with the energy they need to stave off fatigue throughout the workout. Additionally, research confirms that taking BCAAs around workout time will help to decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which comes on after intense workouts.
Another critical window for taking a dose of BCAAs is as soon as you wake in the morning. Taking a dose of BCAAs first thing in the morning gets aminos immediately to your muscles to use as fuel and for repair, which will stop the continued breakdown of your hard-earned muscle from your night-long fasting. and help build it back up.
The fourth time of day you should take a dose of BCAAs is late in the day with dinner or with your last meal. This helps to keep protein synthesis and GH up, and cortisol down throughout the next day.
In addition, you may want to consider taking additional doses of BCAAs between meals to keep hunger down and metabolism up for optimal fat burning.
Rule #7: Learn How To Stack BCAAs With Other Supplements.
To maximize their effectiveness, take BCAAs with protein and carbs, such as a whey protein shake and Gatorade (after workouts), eggs and toast (for breakfast), or steak and a sweet potato (for dinner). Taking BCAAs with protein and carbs will help to drive more of the BCAAs into your muscles thanks to the greater insulin boost.
For those following a low-carb diet, you will obviously not want to eat carbs every time you take a dose of BCAAs. That’s fine, because the leucine will help boost insulin on its own. In addition, you can take BCAAs with supplements, such as alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), that enhance insulin’s release and its action at muscle cells. Take 300–500 mg of ALA when you take a dose of BCAAs to further enhance insulin’s actions and get more BCAAs into your muscles.
Rule #8: Learn How To Dose Your BCAAs.
M&B suggests you get a minimum of 5 g and up to 10 g of BCAAs per dose. Start off with just 1 or 2 g of BCAAs per dose to allow your stomach to get used to them. Then slowly increase the dosage (by about 1 g per dose every three or four days) as your tolerance allows until you’re up to at least the minimum dose of 5 g.
Rule #9: Take The Most Effective Ratio Of BCAAs.
Be aware that the ratio of leucine to isoleucine and valine is also critical for optimizing its benefits. You should look for BCAA supplements that provide leucine at a dose that delivers a ratio of leucine to valine and leucine to isoleucine of 2:1. For example, if you take a 5-g dose of BCAAs, you try to get about 2.5 g from leucine, 1.25 g from isoleucine and 1.25 g from valine.
Rule #10: Use The Best Form Of BCAAs.
BCAAs typically come in capsules or tablets that you swallow or as a powder that you mix. Both forms are similarly effective. Most capsules or tablet forms of BCAAs provide about 500–1,000 mg of BCAAs per pill.
Since you’ll be taking a minimum dose of 5 g of BCAAs about four times per day, you may not want to swallow a total of up to 20–40 pills per day. This is where powders have an advantage. While it used to be that BCAA powders were chalky and flavorless, today they often come in a variety of flavors that should please anyone’s palate.
Of course, if you can’t find a flavor you like, using a pill form of BCAAs could be your best bet. Another advantage of pill form is that they’re easier to travel with, such as taking them to work, school, the gym or when you travel. Try both versions to see which works best for you.
Unlike other amino acids, BCAAs can be used directly by your muscles for fuel. Also, BCAAs are known to enhance muscle growth and strength by directly stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
<TABLE style="WIDTH: 486px; HEIGHT: 394px" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#666666 colSpan=2> Just Say When</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#333333 colSpan=2>When and how you take your BCAAs has a major impact on their muscle-building effects. This table gives you the times of day that you should supplement with BCAAs, and it tells you the primary benefit for supplementing at each time of day.</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffff99> Time</TD><TD bgColor=#ffff99> Benefits</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#999999> First thing in the morning</TD><TD bgColor=#999999> Stops breakdown of muscle from the night-long fast
Boosts energy
Reduces hunger
Promotes fat burning</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#333333> Between meals</TD><TD bgColor=#333333> Boosts energy
Reduces hunger
Promotes fat burning</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#999999> Last meal of the day</TD><TD bgColor=#999999> Reduces hunger
Reduces muscle breakdown during the night
Promotes fat burning</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#333333> Before workouts</TD><TD bgColor=#333333> Boosts energy
Promotes muscle strength
Promotes fat burning</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#999999> After workouts</TD><TD bgColor=#999999> Aids muscle recovery
Promotes muscle growth
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Branched-chain amino acids are essential nutrients for anybody looking to build muscle and increase strength. Here are 10 ways to use this power trio of aminos for maximum effect.
By Steven Stiefel
Branched-chain amino acids exert potent muscle-building properties. Learn how to harness their awesome power.
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) were one of the hottest tickets in bodybuilding supplements back in the ’90s. But when creatine and nitric-oxide boosters exploded on the scene, BCAAs became the forgotten muscle builder as these newer, sexier supplements with their instant, feelable results took center stage.
Today, though, BCAAs are making a comeback. Comprised of the three amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine, BCAAs have earned their place as a supplement staple for bodybuilders and other athletes. Especially effective for weight trainers, BCAAs offer a multitude of advantages that are beneficial to anyone hungry for added muscle and increased strength. And best of all, they’re a great complement to those new cutting-edge, sexy supplements: NO boosters and creatine.
But you must learn to harness the power of these awesome aminos. To wit, here are the top 10 rules for maximizing the effectiveness of BCAAs for better muscle gains and fat loss.
Ready? Time to earn your PhD in BCAAs.
Unlike other amino acids, BCAAs can be used directly by your muscles for fuel. Also, BCAAs are known to enhance muscle growth and strength by directly stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
Rule #1: Know Your Three BCAAs.
The BCAAs are comprised of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. Each of these amino acid molecules has a section that builds off of the amino acid and forms a branch structure. This is why they are referred to as “branched-chain amino acids.”
These three aminos alone make up about one-third of the total amino acids in muscle. The human body has about 20 amino acids, so this should give you a sense of just how important these three key BCAAs are. Essential amino acids are those that your body cannot make itself; they must be provided by the diet, and that’s another reason why BCAA supplementation is so important.
Rule #2: Learn Why The BCAAs Are Special Aminos.
The BCAAs are not just important because they are essential aminos or because they make up a good proportion of muscle protein. The reason these three are super-special aminos is because of how they are handled in the body. Most amino acids go directly to the liver after being digested, where they can be broken down if the body needs them for energy. On the other hand, BCAAs tend to be spared by the liver and go directly to the muscles intact. Another thing that makes the BCAAs special is that muscle can use BCAAs directly for fuel, unlike with other amino acids. This is crucial for helping to strengthen, build and repair muscle tissue that has been stressed by weight training.
Rule #3: Use BCAAs To Energize Your Muscles.
Besides boosting energy by being used as a direct fuel source for muscle fibers, BCAAs also enhance energy by reducing the amount of tryptophan that gets into the brain. Tryptophan produces a metabolite known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HTP) or serotonin. During exercise, serotonin notifies the brain that the body is fatigued and causes it to reduce muscle strength and endurance. The BCAAs, namely valine, compete with tryptophan for entry into the brain. Research studies confirm that taking BCAAs before workouts lowers the amount of the amino acid tryptophan that gets into the brain, and therefore lowers the amount of fatigue you feel. In addition, BCAAs can also help to boost brain function by reducing brain fatigue.
Rule #4: Master The Ways BCAAs Can Boost Muscle Growth And Strength.
Of all the benefits that BCAAs offer, the most interesting for M&B readers is their ability to enhance muscle growth and strength. They do this by directly stimulating muscle protein synthesis, which is the buildup of muscle protein. Of the three BCAAs, leucine appears to be the most critical for stimulating muscle protein synthesis, yet all three are important for optimizing protein synthesis.
BCAAs also work to enhance muscle growth and strength by altering levels of anabolic and catabolic hormones. One anabolic hormone the BCAAs boost is insulin. This is primarily caused by leucine, and it leads to further enhancement of muscle protein synthesis. BCAAs have also been found to increase levels of growth hormone.
Another advantage that comes (albeit from the other direction) is that BCAAs also blunt levels of the catabolic hormone cortisol, particularly during exercise. Since cortisol normally increases muscle breakdown and inhibits testosterone’s anabolic actions, blunting cortisol works to increase muscle growth and strength gains.
Rule #5: Use BCAAs To Help Cut Fat.
Another benefit of BCAAs is their ability to enhance fat loss. Research on leucine alone has shown that this amino acid can increase metabolic rate, and therefore the amount of total calories and fat burned.
In addition, research shows that leucine helps to blunt hunger. It is theorized that leucine is used by the brain as an indicator of the levels of total amino acids in the bloodstream. Having more total amino acids in the blood signals your brain that you are well-fed, which means hunger should be reduced to prevent overeating, and your metabolic rate can be set on high without the concern that energy levels will run out.
Rule #6: Learn When To Take BCAAs.
When it comes to BCAAs, timing is crucial (see chart at right).
For those interested in gaining more muscle mass, strength and energy, the most critical time for taking BCAAs is around workouts. For best results, you should take one dose within 30 minutes before your workouts along with your preworkout protein shake and carbs and another dose within 30 minutes after workouts along with your postworkout protein shake and carbs.
Working out also increases levels of cortisol. Supplementing with BCAAs before and after workouts keeps cortisol levels low, which encourages greater muscle growth. A dose of BCAAs right before workouts will provide your muscles with the energy they need to stave off fatigue throughout the workout. Additionally, research confirms that taking BCAAs around workout time will help to decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which comes on after intense workouts.
Another critical window for taking a dose of BCAAs is as soon as you wake in the morning. Taking a dose of BCAAs first thing in the morning gets aminos immediately to your muscles to use as fuel and for repair, which will stop the continued breakdown of your hard-earned muscle from your night-long fasting. and help build it back up.
The fourth time of day you should take a dose of BCAAs is late in the day with dinner or with your last meal. This helps to keep protein synthesis and GH up, and cortisol down throughout the next day.
In addition, you may want to consider taking additional doses of BCAAs between meals to keep hunger down and metabolism up for optimal fat burning.
Rule #7: Learn How To Stack BCAAs With Other Supplements.
To maximize their effectiveness, take BCAAs with protein and carbs, such as a whey protein shake and Gatorade (after workouts), eggs and toast (for breakfast), or steak and a sweet potato (for dinner). Taking BCAAs with protein and carbs will help to drive more of the BCAAs into your muscles thanks to the greater insulin boost.
For those following a low-carb diet, you will obviously not want to eat carbs every time you take a dose of BCAAs. That’s fine, because the leucine will help boost insulin on its own. In addition, you can take BCAAs with supplements, such as alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), that enhance insulin’s release and its action at muscle cells. Take 300–500 mg of ALA when you take a dose of BCAAs to further enhance insulin’s actions and get more BCAAs into your muscles.
Rule #8: Learn How To Dose Your BCAAs.
M&B suggests you get a minimum of 5 g and up to 10 g of BCAAs per dose. Start off with just 1 or 2 g of BCAAs per dose to allow your stomach to get used to them. Then slowly increase the dosage (by about 1 g per dose every three or four days) as your tolerance allows until you’re up to at least the minimum dose of 5 g.
Rule #9: Take The Most Effective Ratio Of BCAAs.
Be aware that the ratio of leucine to isoleucine and valine is also critical for optimizing its benefits. You should look for BCAA supplements that provide leucine at a dose that delivers a ratio of leucine to valine and leucine to isoleucine of 2:1. For example, if you take a 5-g dose of BCAAs, you try to get about 2.5 g from leucine, 1.25 g from isoleucine and 1.25 g from valine.
Rule #10: Use The Best Form Of BCAAs.
BCAAs typically come in capsules or tablets that you swallow or as a powder that you mix. Both forms are similarly effective. Most capsules or tablet forms of BCAAs provide about 500–1,000 mg of BCAAs per pill.
Since you’ll be taking a minimum dose of 5 g of BCAAs about four times per day, you may not want to swallow a total of up to 20–40 pills per day. This is where powders have an advantage. While it used to be that BCAA powders were chalky and flavorless, today they often come in a variety of flavors that should please anyone’s palate.
Of course, if you can’t find a flavor you like, using a pill form of BCAAs could be your best bet. Another advantage of pill form is that they’re easier to travel with, such as taking them to work, school, the gym or when you travel. Try both versions to see which works best for you.
Unlike other amino acids, BCAAs can be used directly by your muscles for fuel. Also, BCAAs are known to enhance muscle growth and strength by directly stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
<TABLE style="WIDTH: 486px; HEIGHT: 394px" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#666666 colSpan=2> Just Say When</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#333333 colSpan=2>When and how you take your BCAAs has a major impact on their muscle-building effects. This table gives you the times of day that you should supplement with BCAAs, and it tells you the primary benefit for supplementing at each time of day.</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffff99> Time</TD><TD bgColor=#ffff99> Benefits</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#999999> First thing in the morning</TD><TD bgColor=#999999> Stops breakdown of muscle from the night-long fast
Boosts energy
Reduces hunger
Promotes fat burning</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#333333> Between meals</TD><TD bgColor=#333333> Boosts energy
Reduces hunger
Promotes fat burning</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#999999> Last meal of the day</TD><TD bgColor=#999999> Reduces hunger
Reduces muscle breakdown during the night
Promotes fat burning</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#333333> Before workouts</TD><TD bgColor=#333333> Boosts energy
Promotes muscle strength
Promotes fat burning</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#999999> After workouts</TD><TD bgColor=#999999> Aids muscle recovery
Promotes muscle growth
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
