BCAA's

What are BCAA's?  They are Branched Chain Amino Acids. They include Valine, Leucine, and Isoleucine.  They are the building blocks of protein.  There are 9 essential (cannot be made by the body) amino acids and the rest can be.  Out of those 9, the 3 BCAA's make up about 1/3 of your skeletal muscle tissue.   In the world of bodybuilding/weight lifting, these are important as they help in protein syntheses (the production of protein in cells) in your muscles.  Without them, protein degradation occurs.

When I first began weight lifting, I knew nothing about BCAA's and how important they were for muscle growth and recovery.  This would have saved me lots of frustration and disappointment since I am tall & lean and building muscle is not easy for me.

BCAA's, when taken before and after exercise, helps reduce muscle breakdown, improves preservation of muscle glycogen stores, improves immune health, and improves performance.  For those wanting to recover more quickly from endurance training, increase muscle size, and reduce DOMS, you should be adding this to your daily supplements.  Keep in mind, if you don't, the human body has the ability to break down muscle tissue for use as an energy source during heavy exercise.  This process is known as gluconeogenesis, which is the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources.

If you supplement with BCAA's, your body does not have to break down muscle tissue for extra energy.  A study at the School of Human Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada confirmed that the use of BCAA's (up to 4 grams) during and after exercise could result in a significant reduction of muscle breakdown during exercise.  In my opinion, the best way to get BCAA's is to use powder form as it is better absorbed into the body.  They are also available in pill form as well.

http://www.nutritionalreviews.org/BCAAs.htm