CHAPTER 6
Are BCAAs Worth It (Or Another Waste of Money)?
You’ve seen it. I have as well. The dude at the gym who always has that jug of green or purple liquid. Chances are, he’s carrying a cocktail of BCAAs.
No real surprise there. BCAAs are one of the most popular supplements out there and many people swear by them.
A friend of mine was so into them that he carried a large bottle of BCAAs with him on a date once.
Yeah, no girl is going to stay between him and his gains!
But are BCAAs worth the hype? Do they deliver on the promises. And, more importantly, what are the bcaa supplement benefits?
In this chapter, we’ll answer all of these questions about this supplement.
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What are Branched-Chain Amino Acids and What do They Do?
They are a group of 3 essential amino acids:
As far as their effects on the body, leucine seems to be the hard laborer of the trio. Leucine stimulates muscle protein synthesis.
Second on the list is isoleucine. Its ability to stimulate muscle protein synthesis is much weaker than that of leucine. But, it’s able to increase glucose uptake and the usage of glucose during training.
Finally, we have valine. The least impressive of the 3 amino acids, as far as we know. In isolation, valine doesn’t seem to provide any real benefits over isoleucine or leucine.
Aside from BCAA supplements, these 3 amino acids are found in many high-quality protein sources:
Meats, dairy, eggs, and whey protein.
Eating enough protein every day is likely going to ensure that you’re getting enough of all 3 amino acids. So, given that, is there any extra benefit to taking BCAAs or are they a waste of money?
The claims most companies make about their BCAA supplements are pretty much the same:
(Do they come up with these ‘benefits’ in board meetings?)
(And the 2017 award for most original benefits of a workout supplement goes to..)
You’ve heard it a 1000 times before. The same claims for every 'muscle-building' supplement under the sun.
What they don’t tell you is that you can get your precious BCAAs from whole foods.
Whoops.
I guess you don't have to carry a jug of colored liquid everywhere you go like some kind of a weirdo.
Acute increases in BCAA levels (mainly leucine) after lifting help stimulate muscle protein synthesis. But, there is no real evidence that BCAA supplements are superior to real foods or even whey protein powder in that regard.
This is why pre and post-workout nutrition is very important for better results over time. Not the ‘magical’ BCAAs everyone seems to be praising.
Given all that, I hope you now understand that BCAAs are an overhyped and unnecessary supplement to take.
But, I can’t move on without giving them some credit.
There is a benefit to taking BCAAs (more specifically leucine) under some circumstances.
It has to do with fasted training i.e. when your blood insulin levels are baseline. Usually, when training in the first half of the day, before eating your first meal.
Not to be confused with training on an empty stomach.
See, lifting in a fasted state causes faster breakdown of muscle protein during and after the workout.
Unless you are able to get a balanced post-workout meal, taking BCAAs, before and during the session can be beneficial. Without having to eat, you can still slow down the process of muscle protein breakdown until your first meal comes.
Furthermore, getting a dose of BCAAs before lifting can help slow down muscle protein breakdown during your lifting session.
Also, if you follow an intermittent fasting protocol and train in the morning or you don’t have time to eat before lifting in the morning, supplementing with BCAAs can benefit you.
But, if you train later in the day, after having a meal or two, and you can get a post-workout meal, I don’t see any real benefits of taking BCAAs or isolated leucine to improve your gains over time.
With all that said, here’s the conclusion:
If you train fasted (for example, following the LeanGains protocol) and want to remain fasted until later in the day, taking BCAAs or pure leucine will benefit you.
Be warned, though:
Getting pure leucine is cheaper compared to BCAAs but it tastes awful. No biggie, but be prepared.
Other Chapters
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(PDF contains all chapters and resources + bonus chapter: Supplement Recommendations from trusted brands)