What are BCAAs?

If you follow me on Snapchat, you know that I LOVE my BCAAs!!!! BTW my snap username is rachelngom —be sure to follow me to see my workouts and meals =)

What are BCAAs?

BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acid. BCAAs are commonly referred to as the building blocks of protein!

BCAAs help promote muscle growth, repair and reduce muscle soreness, and protect your muscle from being broken down by your body to be used as energy.

Your body needs to protect the muscle your body has—and amino acids will do that! Remember—muscle burns FAT—and the more muscle your body has, the MORE calories you burn sitting on your tush. So this is important stuff =)

Let’s break it down =)

There are 20 different kinds of amino acids, 11 of which are non-essential, and 9 of which are essential. Essential means your body can’t make them, so you need to find them in food. Non-essential means your body can make them itself, so they aren’t essential to your diet.

The 9 Essential Amino Acids
1. Histidine
2. Isoleucine
3. Leucine
4. Lysine
5. Methionine
6. Phenylalanine
7. Threonine
8. Tryptophan
9. Valine

The 11 Non-essential Amino Acids
1. Alanine
2. Arginine
3. Asparagine
4. Aspartic Acid
5. Cysteine
6. Glutamic Acid
7. Glutamine
8. Glycine
9. Proline
10. Serine
11. Tyrosine

The ones that are mentioned most often, which are used in particular in the healing and recovery of broken down muscle are leucine, valine, and isoleucine. If you ever find yourself feeling sore for several days after a workout on a consistent basis, that’s a sign that your body could be lacking in proper nutrition, specifically BCAAs!

Where can you get BCAAs?

If you follow a balanced, whole foods diet (like the ones I suggest in my support groups) there’s a great chance you’re already getting all of the BCAAs you need!

BCAAs are found in fish, dairy, eggs, red meat, and chicken! They can also be found in plant-based sources like brown rice, lentils, nuts, and beans.

As long as you’re eating enough protein recommended for your body (as discussed in the nutrition guide you get in our support group), your diet should be getting all of the BCAAs you need.

What are the benefits of BCAAs?

Supplements are great—but they won’t make or break your results. Your results will primarily come from fine-tuning your diet and eating WHOLE FOODS, and then following a workout routine that’s challenging you consistently. I can help you find one if you’re not already doing one =) Email me!

BCAAs aren’t magic, but they CAN help with your workout efficiency and recovery.

BCAAs are especially useful if you perform your workouts in a fasted state (which I prefer to do—but can’t do here in France usually because our house is small and you can hear EVERYTHING lol).

According to Martin Berkhan (the father of fasted training), taking BCAAs before your workout in the fasted state ensure that:

* Appetite is suppressed and insulin sensitivity is maintained
* Muscle protein synthesis is stimulated and protein breakdown inhibited
* Maximal benefits for muscle protein synthesis are achieved with minimal caloric load (you would need to eat more than 500 calories to get an equivalent amount of BCAAs)
* When ingesting BCAAs in a fasted state before a workout, they may enhance protein synthesis in muscle during

When is the best time to take BCAAs?

I personally like to take BCAAs before, during, and after a strength training workout. During strength training, you’re actually creating micro-tears in your muscle fibers, which will repair and regrow to be stronger! Protein and BCAAs are what helps that process.

Since the tearing of muscle fibers happens during strength training, it’s a good idea to take BCAAs during your weights session.

During a cardio workout, you’re not using your muscles like you do in strength training, so you don’t really need them then. I WILL use them if I’m doing fasted cardio because for whatever reason I feel like they help me get through my workout better. Perhaps it’s a placebo effect? Either way, it’s a good idea to protect your muscle—since muscle burns FAT! The more muscle your body has, the more calories you burn sitting on your bum.

Which are the best BCAAs?

It’s hard for ME to say since I’ve only tried a few. I used to drink AminoX—which I liked and are YUMMY, but since I’ve cut out artificial sweeteners (and these use Splenda) they had to go.

I’ve since found MRM Natural BCAAs, which are sweetened with stevia and taste great! I also love MRM’s natural whey protein powder. I get them on Amazon!

BCAAs’ primary function is to protect muscle and aid in recovery, so if you’re feeling fatigued during your workout or feeling super sore for days, you might want to give BCAAs a try!

Personally, I add a scoop of MRM BCAAs to water and drink before a workout, then drink a scoop during my workout, then a scoop after.

Have you tried BCAAs?

References:

1. http://www.leangains.com/2010/05/early-morning-fasted-training.html
2. http://www.drsarasolomon.com/fast-with-bcaas/
3. http://annavictoria.com/bcaa.html