USNAdvice:
Supplements - What are BCAA's? (Branched Chain Amino Acids)
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)
Among the most beneficial and effective supplements in any sports
nutrition program are branched chain amino acids. These are the
essential aminos leucine, isoleucine, and valine which make up
1/3 of muscle protein. The loss of BCAA's increase dramatically
with both endurance and strength exercise. If these are not available
in the body, it would be sourced from muscle protein, with the
accompanying destruction of muscle.
Although these supplements have been around for a long time
and the scientific understanding in the exercise performance
benefits of BCAA supplementation is rich many people don't know
exactly how they exert their effects or how and when to use them
properly. The best time to take BCAA is 1-2 hours prior to your
workout, which spares muscle BCAA and testosterone, and also
increases testosterone after training. As a guideline to determine
your intake of BCAA's, see Table 1:
Table 1 - Protein Supplements
Protein supplements come in these forms:
Body
Weights (kg)
Leucine
(grams)
Valine
(grams)
Isoleucine
(grams)
40
2.4
2.0
0.8
50
3.0
2.5
1.0
60
3.6
3.0
1.2
70
4.2
3.5
1.4
80
4.8
4.0
1.6
90
5.4
4.5
1.8
100
6.0
5.0
2.0
110
6.6
5.5
2.2
120
7.2
6.0
2.4
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