BCAA/EAA's how often do you take em. (or not at all)

[prodaf]

Pre and intra with a meal post! I think is more better.

yes bro, i eat 1 hour later when i come back home

 

[BigGame]

Intra I like to mix a scoop of MPA Intrusion with 2 scoops of MPA Pharm Grade. I'll also add 10g of TN Cit Malate.

Post - My own blend from TN: 70% Cold Isolate, 20% Casein, 10% hydrolyzed. I'll also add 5g of TN Instant Leucine as well to the shake.

 

[G.I.Bro]

yea, i know what they cost, but some guys here are using 4-5 servings at time
plus other stuff that has been mentioned
id just rather buy more food with what could be like 5-10 bucks a day or use that money for something else besides powder and pills

I see some people have been saying how important they are, and I m not disputing, just havent been for me (original ? from OP)

Because you're intelligent. That money spent on quality food is a way wiser investment. My opinion on BCAA: They are convenient, like whey, but way over-hyped and not required for gaining or even cutting.

1. Are they necessary - No. If your daily protein content is on point, its a complete waste of time. Whole food is always superior. Whey can fill any gaps. BCAA is just more money thrown at the same goal. Pick your form, if you like blue razzle berry flavored shit at 4x the price, fine.
2. Are they neat and convenient for pre-workout, at work before you hit gym, on the go, yes. They dont hurt anything. If you add BCAA with every meal, you will see a marginal increase in protein synthesis. If your natty it "might" matter, if you're on juice, it doesnt mean shit. Hit your protein macros for the day and you are basically maxing protein synthesis anyway on gear.
3. Do you need to drink BCAA before doing fasted training or cardio or else you will "catabolize muscle" - No, complete myth. 100% broscience. BCAA before fasted cardio just spikes insulin and can inhibit max lipolysis anyway. If you want to do cardio fasted, then do it and keep insulin quiet.
4. Can you get the same benefit from a whey shake - basically yes.

Do I still buy these products because I like the convenience, taste, suporting the industry and just plain old entertainment... Yes.

 

[tenny]

Yeah the cost isn't that high for EAA instantized from TN. I've recently been getting them again and currently take 2 scoops (~12g) on regular workout days and non lifting days. On "heavy" days like legs or back, I will mix 3 scoops (~18g) in. I take these during my workouts and sip throughout. On non lifting days, I'll just mix 2 scoops in a water bottle with some lemonade powder mix and sip for like 15 minutes. Does that sound like a decent thing to do in your opinion Tenny?

mix 10 grams of bcaa and it sounds perfect.....sucrose lemonade..???

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

Alan Aragon posted a new scientific article showing BCAA's are useless on Facebook last week. Leucine is the only important one. I'd avoid the others

they had a problem with one particular study that was published and the data provided......that study was paid for by Scivation using their product Extend
(see picture below)

They Aragon et all have also acknowledged this study as valid in other literature

Consuming a supplement containing branched-chain amino acids during a resistance-training program increases lean mass, muscle strength and fat loss | Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition | Full Text

the problem was with the Scivation study.

personally Aragon has a problem with BCAA supplementation if abundant protein is taken in all day long

 

[richiec]

mix 10 grams of bcaa and it sounds perfect.....sucrose lemonade..???

Crystal light, helps with the tartness of the EAA. I don't use a lot of the lemonade powder, as little as possible to mask the eaa

 

[tenny]

Crystal light, helps with the tartness of the EAA. I don't use a lot of the lemonade powder, as little as possible to mask the eaa

I would suggest AT THE VERY LEAST some malotdex with it....

50/50....

 

[Smack]

Alan Aragon posted a new scientific article showing BCAA's are useless on Facebook last week. Leucine is the only important one. I'd avoid the others

Isoleucine and valine are also EAA's though...

 

[nothuman]

Isoleucine and valine are also EAA's though...

I know BCAAs blunt fat loss, so those might be the ingredients that help stop it. It's researchable if you really want to know.

 

[WickedT]

I use BCAAs daily. ..helps me get more water on and it can't hurt for recovery. I wrote a brief article about them and why we use them here if anyone is super bored ...
http://www.zero2wicked.com/blog/bcaas-the-building-blocks-of-muscle/

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Professional Muscle mobile app

 

[Lou]

Consuming a supplement containing branched-chain amino acids during a resistance-training program increases lean mass, muscle strength and fat loss | Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition | Full Text

But thats not a peer-reviewed publication, isnt it? Its just a poster presentation abstract. Something is odd when this was presented in 2009 and still there is no publication from this data.

 

[Smack]

I know BCAAs blunt fat loss, so those might be the ingredients that help stop it. It's researchable if you really want to know.

They spike insulin - mostly from the leucine - but I use them for that purpose.

I use them to help fat loss... Leucine specifically to get back into ketosis and further into ketosis to help fat loss

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

But thats not a peer-reviewed publication, isnt it? Its just a poster presentation abstract. Something is odd when this was presented in 2009 and still there is no publication from this data.

This is the pubmed version

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3313152/

I really couldnt find anything else and i was surprised to find that it was sponsored by Scivation also

 

[Lou]

This is the pubmed version



https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3313152/



I really couldnt find anything else and i was surprised to find that it was sponsored by Scivation also

Yeah, there is no publication. And honestly, the study you provided some posts ago might not be the best for arguing for bcaas. The data is shitty (as a lot of studies in this field) and the conclusions are at odds with it.

 

[Pericles]

they had a problem with one particular study that was published and the data provided......that study was paid for by Scivation using their product Extend
(see picture below)

They Aragon et all have also acknowledged this study as valid in other literature

Consuming a supplement containing branched-chain amino acids during a resistance-training program increases lean mass, muscle strength and fat loss | Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition | Full Text

the problem was with the Scivation study.

personally Aragon has a problem with BCAA supplementation if abundant protein is taken in all day long

THat's one but here are the others plus his post. I would like anyone on here to refute this. I think a LOT of us have spent TONS of money on intraworkout nutrition thinking it was actually helping.......

The only people who are not wasting time & money on supplemental BCAA are those who must maintain a low-protein diet, or a diet with restricted amounts of high-quality protein. With that all said, if your total daily protein is optimized, and you don't mind consuming the functional equivalent of really expensive flavored water, then be my guest.
1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27175106
2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22451437
3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20110810
4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15930475
5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25429252/
6) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26388782/

 

[Pericles]

I use BCAAs daily. ..helps me get more water on and it can't hurt for recovery. I wrote a brief article about them and why we use them here if anyone is super bored ...
BCAA?s the Building Blocks of Muscle | Tara Rickert

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Professional Muscle mobile app

If you have read the research, sometimes more is actually worse.

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

THat's one but here are the others plus his post. I would like anyone on here to refute this. I think a LOT of us have spent TONS of money on intraworkout nutrition thinking it was actually helping.......

The only people who are not wasting time & money on supplemental BCAA are those who must maintain a low-protein diet, or a diet with restricted amounts of high-quality protein. With that all said, if your total daily protein is optimized, and you don't mind consuming the functional equivalent of really expensive flavored water, then be my guest.
1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27175106
2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22451437
3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20110810
4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15930475
5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25429252/
6) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26388782/

See i have some problems with this whole thing and it pains me to be public with it because I sell bcaa's/EAA's and it looks like a conflict of interest....but to be honest...my majority of sales are protein powders to the public and BCAA's/EAA's are a fraction of my sales...less than a fraction to be clear...so Im denting my own pocket somewhat with my views.

My problem is this. I see a person who has for up to a decade had this theory about BCAA's/EAA's...almost an agenda and is looking for studies to back his theory....and i really think it should be the other way around....this 2016 study is almost like an "AHA! see i was right I told you so!".....

Meanwhile everyone and their brother see the latest blurb (this one) passed around the bodybuilding genre and jump on the bandwagon....meanwhile there are a slew of other experts in the amino acid field that wholeheartedly disagree with Alan Aragon. So its up to people to make a decision for themselves. Layne Norton is over here (and this is his field of expertise amino acids and such)...not agreeing with Alan Aragon....so which bandwagon do you jump on....the latest?

https://www.biolayne.com/coaching/faq/part-e-bcaa/

-----------------------------------------------------------

Alan Aragon co-authored this 2 years ago (quoted)
Branched chain amino acids

Branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s) make up 14-18% of amino acids in skeletal muscle proteins and are quite possibly the most widely used supplements among natural bodybuilders [165]. Of the BCAA’s, leucine is of particular interest because it has been shown to stimulate protein synthesis to an equal extent as a mixture of all amino acids [166]. However, ingestion of leucine alone can lead to depletion of plasma valine and isoleucine; therefore, all three amino acids need to be consumed to prevent plasma depletion of any one of the BCAA’s [167]. Recently, the safe upper limit of leucine was set at 550 mg/kg bodyweight/day in adult men; however, future studies are needed to determine the safe upper limit for both other populations and a mixture of all 3 BCAA’s [168].

Numerous acute studies in animals and humans have shown that consumption of either essential amino acids, BCAA’s, or leucine either at rest or following exercise increases skeletal muscle protein synthesis, decreases muscle protein degradation, or both [27,169-172]; however, there are few long-term studies of BCAA supplementation in resistance-trained athletes. Stoppani et al. [173] supplemented trained subjects with either 14 g BCAAs, whey protein, or a carbohydrate placebo for eight weeks during a periodized strength training routine. After training the BCAA group had a 4 kg increase in lean mass, 2% decrease in body fat percentage, and 6 kg increase in bench press 10 repetition maximum. All changes were significant compared to the other groups. However, it should be noted that this data is only available as an abstract and has yet to undergo the rigors of peer-review.

The use of BCAA’s between meals may also be beneficial to keep protein synthesis elevated. Recent data from animal models suggest that consumption of BCAA’s between meals can overcome the refractory response in protein synthesis that occurs when plasma amino acids are elevated, yet protein synthesis is reduced [174]. However, long-term human studies examining the effects of a diet in which BCAA’s are consumed between meals on lean mass and strength have not been done to date. It should also be noted that BCAA metabolism in humans and rodents differ and the results from rodent studies with BCAA’s may not translate in human models [175]. Therefore, long-term studies are needed in humans to determine the effectiveness of this practice.

Based on the current evidence, it is clear BCAA’s stimulate protein synthesis acutely and one study [173] has indicated that BCAA’s may be able to increase lean mass and strength when added to a strength training routine; however, additional long-term studies are needed to determine the effects of BCAA’s on lean mass and strength in trained athletes. In addition, studies are needed on the effectiveness of BCAA supplementation in individuals following a vegetarian diet in which consumption of high-quality proteins are low as this may be population that may benefit from BCAA consumption. Furthermore, the effects of BCAA ingestion between meals needs to be further investigated in a long-term human study.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I told everyone here how i use this stuff and its something i personally believe in but maybe im jaundiced because i get the stuff for free. After being hypothyroid I had to cut back calories and did so greatly....and one of the things I did was change out protein powders for BCAA/EAA's at every meal i was taking protein powders.....this has been done 3 times a day in the last few years. I am on the same TRT dose I have been for close to a decade now....and what has happened over the last few years on the same dose, but lower carbs and protein drinks switched out for BCAA/EAA's? My dexa scans show that ive gained muscle mass and lost bodyfat.....so im very convinced that my intra workout drinks, and bcaa/eaa usage multiple times daily is doing something very positive when other variables havent been changed. Do i think i would have gained the same muscle mass with protein drinks? yes i do. Do i think i would have lost the bodyfat percentage without the switch to slighly lower carbs in meals and 1/3 of the calories consumed via protein drinks to EAA drinks....no not without increased cardio.

My whole stance is and has been high protein intake for hard training bodybuilders....been saying it since the 90's and caught alot of guff for it also.... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24092765
in that time there have been a slew of "experts" for the last 27 years saying you only need about 100 grams of protein a day to be successful in bodybuilding and anything over that is a waste. Time and too many bodybuilders to count who have done the exact opposite have rendered that obsolete in my opinion. The gist of what Alan Aragons opinion as i read it is "if you are taking in adequate protein then he doesnt feel like BCAA's will help further"....not "BCAA's are bunk".....Layne Norton and others dont agree with Alan Aragon. It comes down to what people personally believe.

 

[eaglecall]

really guys? lol
stick to what has been proven to work. Take EAA/BCAA. At least we know it wont hurt to have them in your body. If you have more than what you need, you'll pee them out. They've been used in bodybuilding for a long time.

Listen to Tenny. He knows what he's talking about. He's been in this for a very long time.

 

[nothuman]

Here's what Alan Aragon posted. Sorry if someone already posted it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27175106

 

[bigNsmall]

How'd those guys from the golden era build such great physiques and train so hard without amino supps, lol?