In bodybuilding, proteins are the booster of muscle development. They are also essential for bodybuilding recovery....
BCAA amino acids in bodybuilding
Posted on: 05/20/2015the use of branched-chain amino acids
What bodybuilder at any level hasn't heard of protein? Proteins are the muscle-builders, the "bricks" that make up muscle fibres.
Proteins can come from a variety of sources, and can be assimilated at different rates.
But they all have one thing in common:
They are all composed of amino acids.
Some plant proteins are classified as incomplete proteins, i.e. they lack the essential amino acids, but they all contain the three most important amino acids, known as BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids).
The fact that these amino acids are linked together differentiates them from other amino acids, and their use will also be different.
What are BCAAs?
The three amino acids that make up BCAAs are :
- leucine
- isoleucine
- valine
They are often found in the ideal 2/1/1 ratio.
The role of BCAAs
BCAAs have several important roles in muscle building. Firstly, they enable you to gain mass, as they are the main components of protein.
During a weight-loss program, BCAAs will help spare muscle mass.
In the same context, BCAAs will help compensate for carbohydrate deficits, as they have an energy capacity. This means that an intake of BCAAs will prevent the body from drawing too heavily on muscle protein reserves to produce energy.
This means less muscle wasting during dry periods, and more muscle gain during periods of mass gain.
When to take BCAAs?
During training
The most important time to use BCAAs is around training time. This is because training not only stresses muscle fibres by tearing them apart, but also by using the proteins they contain for muscle function. Taking BCAAs before training will prevent muscle proteins from being damaged for energy purposes, and the BCAAs themselves will provide this fuel.
After training
After training, BCAAs will be useful because they are more rapidly available to repair muscle fibres damaged before the session. They will therefore speed up post-training recovery. However, as BCAAs are only made up of three amino acids, they alone cannot compensate for the need for complete proteins, so protein intake remains necessary to repair and build muscle.
Waking up
Taking BCAAs can also be useful in the morning, to halt muscle breakdown (catabolism) caused by the night's fasting. We too often forget that even during the night, the body continues to consume calories and break down muscle protein to maintain proper body function. By taking BCAAs as soon as you get up, you can quickly provide the muscle with the energy it needs to repair fibers damaged during the night.
Taking protein at the same time enables muscles to build new fibres, particularly those destroyed during the night.
A word of caution
BCAAs are no substitute for proteins, which are more complete. All the amino acids they contain play an important role in building and repairing muscles. However, they are a good supplement because they accelerate recovery and compensate for any muscle wasting to provide the body with fuel.
I'd even go so far as to say that BCAAs are one of the must-have dietary supplements in the arsenal of the bodybuilder or athlete looking to build muscle or improve post-training recovery.
buying BCAAs
BCAAs are, however, relatively expensive to buy and the recommended quantity for them to be effective is 5 to 10g per intake, but allow for a budget for this supplement which has proved its worth over many years.
Author Alexandre CARPENTIER
Bodybuilding Champion N.A.C 2012
Alexandre shares his bodybuilding experience with MegaGear blog readers