What Are BCAAs?
BCAAs is an acronym for branched-chain amino acids, a group of essential amino acids that includes valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which is critical for your body’s structure, strength, and function. BCAAs differ from other amino acids in their branched molecular structure. They also differ in the way they benefit athletes—which is considered to be significant.
BCAA Benefits for Elite Athletes
Athletes primarily use BCAAs to reduce muscle breakdown and enhance recovery. BCAAs help promote muscle protein synthesis (aka muscle building) and reduce post-exercise muscle soreness (aka DOMS), when taken before and after intense training. Basically, BCAAs help you recovery faster and more fully so that you can push your body all over again.
Unlike most amino acids, which are processed in the liver, BCAAs are primarily metabolized within muscle tissue. This means they are quickly absorbed, plus they provide an additional fuel source for working muscle. BCAAs have been shown to help retain muscle mass and maximize fat loss while on a calorie restricted diet–which is especially appealing to bodybuilders looking to lean down while staying ripped.
Recovery benefits, that improved mental edge—which is critical during strategic, grueling, long-distance events—is why BCAAs are widely used among endurance athletes like ultrarunners and Ironman triathletes.
BCAAs are also sometimes attributed with an increase in athletic performance. Research results in this area are inconsistent, however, and more evidence is needed to determine whether or not BCAAs have a direct performance benefit.
When to Take Them
As ‘essential’ amino acids, our bodies do not produce BCAAs naturally. Therefore, we need to get BCAAs from our diets. Most people get plenty of these essential amino acids from eating protein-rich foods such as lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, brown rice, quinoa, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and a variety of nuts. But for those on restrictive diets who don’t get enough protein, and subsequently enough BCAAs, from natural whole food sources, supplementation is important. Supplementation is also common among athletes, for the numerous reasons outlined above.
The volume of BCAAs you consume and when you take them will vary depending on your dietary protein intake, body size, health factors, exercise regimen, and goals. Most people who supplement take anywhere from 4-20g throughout the day, in the form of powders, capsules, or pills. BCAAs can be taken at any time—before, during, or after exercise, as well as throughout the day.
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