BCAA is a sports nutrition containing the three most important amino acids for metabolism. The abbreviation BCAA (or BCA) stands for Branched-Chain Amino Acids (branched-chain amino acids) and means leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
Consuming these amino acids during exercise protects muscle tissue from breakdown (essentially, BCAAs stop catabolism) and regulate the production of a number of hormones – including testosterone. This makes BCA an important aid in fat loss and lean muscle building.
What is BCAA?
BCAAs (pronounced “BCA”) are sports supplements whose key benefit is to increase the body’s endurance during exercise. Literally translated, the abbreviation means “amino acids with branched side chains.”
Essentially, BCAAs are a combination of the three amino acids most important for energy metabolism. However, although BCAs are essential for metabolic processes, they are not produced in the body and must be obtained from food. The total need for these amino acids is 5-6 g per day.
Taking BCAAs is useful both in dieting (they reduce appetite without containing a significant amount of calories) and in active strength training. In particular, BCA amino acids slow down catabolic processes, helping to build muscle faster and burn fat more efficiently.
Benefits:
- Slows down catabolic processes
- Reduces fatigue during exercise
- Speeds up recovery
- Reduces feelings of hunger
What are BCAAs for?
Amino acids are the building blocks of any protein. In total, 22 different amino acids are isolated, 8 of which are essential (valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine). In turn, BCAAs are leucine, isoleucine and valine.
Leucine, which is part of the BCAA, is important for the production of growth hormones and the normalization of blood glucose levels. Isoleucine helps to increase the overall endurance of the body, and valine stops the processes of protein destruction, improves nitrogen balance, and reduces the healing time of microtraumas.
While these amino acids are found in a variety of protein foods (from protein isolates to meats, eggs, and grains), BCAA powders or capsules are preferred during exercise. Ultimately, the benefit of BCAA is determined by the maximum rate of absorption of amino acids.
How to take BCAA?
As we mentioned above, taking BCAAs is necessary to speed up the recovery process, stimulate the growth of new muscle tissue and slow down the destruction of existing tissue – that is, to stop the catabolic processes.
With strength training, BCAA amino acids are recommended to be taken directly during training. In this case, BCA capsules are more suitable, since in the form of a powder they do not mix with water. The recommended dose is 0.5 g (500 mg) for every 30 minutes of training.
Note that BCAAs are part of the sports protein – they account for at least 20% of the protein mass. In fact, taking a serving of protein before training will cover the body’s needs for BCA. In addition, a portion of meat food eaten 2-3 hours before training can become a source of amino acids.
BCAA for weight loss
In simple terms, BCAAs seem to “deceive” the body, forcing it to believe that there is high-calorie food in the stomach. This activates metabolic processes and triggers the expenditure of calories – however, in the absence of real food, fat reserves are used.
At the same time, BCA is not a fat burner and cannot directly affect weight loss. Fat burning is achieved solely by stopping catabolic processes during active training. The only direct benefit of BCAAs is that they help reduce hunger.
Benefits of BCAAs
Leucine, which is part of the BCAA, is one of the most beneficial amino acids for athletes. It enhances the production of growth hormone, helps heal micro-damages in the muscles, promotes energy production, and prevents the breakdown of muscle tissue.
1. Increases strength
The amino acid leucine is used by the body for energy more efficiently than glucose. Consuming BCAAs during a workout can provide energy for 2-3 extra repetitions of an exercise.
2. Accelerates recovery time
All three amino acids included in BCAA affect the catabolic processes in the muscles, significantly reducing the level of cortisol and lactic acid. Ultimately, this helps speed up post-workout recovery.
3. Burns more fat
Valine, which is part of BCAAs, acts as an energy source, controlling the use of glucose by the body and affecting blood sugar levels. In turn, low insulin levels increase the fat-burning power of adrenaline produced during cardio.
4. Helps build muscle mass
Isoleucine also stimulates the production of growth hormone, and leucine is actively involved in the formation of muscle tissue, activating the anabolic mTOR complex, which is responsible for regulating protein synthesis.
BCAA benefits for beginners
It must be reiterated that most of the benefits of taking BCAAs are just a description of the positive effects of any protein (including protein from sports nutrition and from food) containing these amino acids, and not at all a listing of the benefits of BCAAs in capsules.
On the other hand, when training for fat burning, BCAAs will indeed be more useful than conventional protein sources – the ease of taking BCA in capsules directly during training plays a role. In addition, valine directly affects the blocking of hunger.
Consuming BCAAs during a workout can speed up recovery, increase strength, and protect muscle tissue from breakdown. BCAA amino acids are especially useful for those who train to burn fat and increase muscle definition.