Overlooked and underrated: BCAA's

by Adrian Conway

Overlooked and underrated. What am I talking about? Branched-chain amino acids! Why you may ask? Well there is some speculation on the validity of them and how well they work, yet here we are with data that shows the following: 


  1. Branched Chain amino acids can increase muscle growth. In one study, people who consumed a drink with 5.6 grams of BCAAs after their resistance workout had a 22% greater increase in muscle protein synthesis compared to those who consumed a placebo drink (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28638350/). 
  2. BCAA’s help decrease our muscle soreness! Why is that important? Well even though we are tearing down our muscle tissue (which is necessary for it to grow), we notice less of it. This will allow you to train harder and more frequently and help the gains continue to be poured on more consistently. Several studies show that BCAAs decrease protein breakdown during exercise and decrease levels of creatine kinase, which is an indicator of muscle damage (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7810616/). 
  3. A product like Recover has the ability to reduce mid workout exercise fatigue. This allows us to keep going even when normally we’d be too tired to get more reps! Overtime this is one of the most overlooked aspects of training, increasing work capacity is what helps you continue to do more tomorrow than you could today. In two studies, participants who supplemented with BCAAs improved their mental focus during exercise, which is thought to result from the fatigue-reducing effect of BCAAs (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22050133/) (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9124069/). 

 

All things considered, if you are looking to optimize your recovery, build more muscle and overall do more work in the gym, you should be taking a BCAA product. Recover is one that includes a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine: isoleucine: valine, which is the most studied ratio with the best results for the above benefits. Don’t overlook a very simple and enjoyable way to see more gains and better results from  your training. Recover.

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