Personal Training Tips – BCAA supplementation!!
BCAA’s – What they do and why you should be taking them!
What are BCAA’s?
BCAA stands for Branched chain amino acids.
When we eat protein, it is digested and broken down into these very small elements called amino acids that are able to be absorbed into the blood stream. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are divided into 2 categories; Essential and non-essential amino acids. Essential amino acids cannot be created by the body and must be ingested either through diet or supplementation. Non-essential amino acids are able to be produced from within our bodies. All essential and non-essential amino acids are required for different roles in metabolism and serve their own purpose within our body. Examples of non-essential amino acids that some of you would be familiar with are arginine, aspartic acid, glutamine, tyrosine and cysteine. These may also be supplemented in order to increase the amount readily available to the body, but will occur without supplementation. The essential amino acids that I will focus on in this article are; leucine, isoleucine and valine.
Leucine, isoleucine and valine belong to the group of essential amino acids within your body. These BCAA’s comprise 30% of our total muscle protein and are among the most important supplements to anyone performing serious training. Once the amino acids are absorbed into the bloodstream they have many functions across the entire body. Amino acids are involved in muscle repair and building, brain functions and even hair growth.
Why should I take BCAA’s?
Research has shown the following benefits of essential BCAA supplementation:-
– BCAA caused significant increases in exercise efficiency due to heightened levels of aerobic and anaerobic capacities
– Markers for fitness, physical conditioning and endurance are improved.
– Rapid alleviation of muscle inflammation
– Significant increases in red blood cell count and hemoglobin
– Provides anti-catabolic benefits during high intensity training allowing for less recovery times between sessions and reducing the risk of overtraining.
– Limits the damage caused by eccentric training (the type that causes you to be sore for days).
– Positive effect on reducing fatigue and maintaining healthy plasma levels in the body. Low levels of BCAA plasma levels have been linked to fatigue and poor athletic performance.
– Important for liver and kidney health and can also assist in recovery from surgery.
There is no research to suggest any toxicity or dangers associated with BCAA supplementation with supplementation guidelines suggesting anywhere from 1-12grams per day. The most popular breakdown of these BCAA’s is 2-1-1 which is 2 parts leucine, 1 part valine and 1 part isoleucine, however some companies are now producing 8-1-1 products due to a great deal of research behind the additional benefits of Leucine. These will all be of great benefit.
Quite often BCAA’s are left on the shelf in favor of a pre-workout supplement or some other gimmicky product that is creating a buzz around the gym, but for anyone who is putting their body through rigorous training sessions day in and day out, they are a must use.
Keep training hard,
Drew
WellFit Personal Training
