BCAA’s … Everybody has heard of them, most people that regularly train at the gym have probably used them, but do we really know what they are or what they do? Here is my little insight into BCAA’s and how best to use them to your advantage in the gym.
– What are BCAA’s?
BCAA, stands for branched chain amino acids. The BCAAs are L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine.
– Why do we need them?
Without an adequate supply of the BCAAs…your muscles can be depleted of them by the very exercises you perform to build them up, this is why there is the importance of supplemental BCAA intake.
– What happens when there are not enough BCAA’s present in the muscles?
Not having enough BCAA’s present in the muscles whilst training with weights in the gym will cause a fast build up on lactic acid in the muscle causing it to fail and get exhausted quicker and when resistance training continues for too long in this state the muscles can also go into a ‘catabolic’ or muscle wastage state.
– When is the best time to supplement with BCAA’s?
The best time for you to use your BCAA’s is as soon as you start lifting weights in the gym and continue sipping on them with a decent amount of water (1 litre per hour of training at a minimum)
There are a very wide range of BCAAs on the market now with something to suit everyone whether it be no artificial colors or flavorings, with or without carbs or in tablet or powder form.
Using your BCAA’s like this will not only make sure your muscles have more energy throughout your workout but they will prime your body to uptake the nutrients at a rapid rate from your post workout shake or meal.
