21ST MAY 2018
What are Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)?
Ok, so you want to be huge, built, stacked, hench, massive! You are lifting heavy and smashing out the reps, but how can you speed up the process and maximise your gains? Branched Chain Amino Acids may hold the key, but what are they?
Imagine the contents of your stomach after it’s digested a protein shake or a chicken breast. BCAA’s are what your body breaks protein down into during digestion, specifically valine, leucine and isoleucine which are vital to muscular growth and performance. Although they are produced naturally in your body during the digestion of protein, you can buy them in supplement form from health food stores and websites to supplement your diet.
Let’s look at some of the benefits of BCAAs:
BCCA’s can increase your strength and lean muscle growth and have been shown to be more effective than whey protein and other sports drinks. You do still have to do the hard work in the gym though!
BCCA’s can help you to shed fat, in conjunction with an appropriate diet to help you get ripped and show off your gains.
BCCA’s can reduce fatigue, helping you to achieve that all important last rep!
BCCA’s can reduce pain after your workout, DOMs sucks, especially after leg day when even sitting on the toilet takes Herculean effort, so anything you can take to minimise these effects has got to be a winner.
BCCA’s help to reduce muscle breakdown after particularly hard and heavy training sessions, we know that some muscle breakdown is required for growth, but too much and you might find yourself losing your hard won gains.
It’s not all upside though, there are risks and drawbacks to take into consideration. Too much and you might find your endurance and reaction times suffer leading to a loss of gains. Like everything else in life moderation is the key.
