Today, many are still wary of sports nutrition, believing that it does more harm to the body than good. In fact, not every product can say that. For example, the BCAA amino acid complex consists exclusively of natural components that each person regularly consumes with food, only in a smaller volume.
Amino Acid Features
If a person who is regularly engaged in sports is still afraid of taking BCAA, then you should understand what this supplement consists of. The complex has 3 amino acids:
- valine;
- isoleucine;
- leucine.
All of them are necessary for our body and enter it with products of animal origin. It is these substances that the body is not able to synthesize on its own, therefore, with insufficient intake of nutrients from the outside, it cannot work as much as possible.
In general, amino acids are a building material for proteins, which in turn form cells in the body of internal organs, muscles, skin and blood. So that new cells in the body are formed on time and healthy, a person needs to receive in sufficient quantities all amino acids. Their body needs 22, but 13 of them it is able to synthesize on its own. The remaining need to be received with food.
If during intense exertion and the need to form new cells, a person lacks amino acids, then the muscles begin to starve, and they are 35% composed of exactly those substances that are part of the complex of this sports supplement.
What is the supplement?
Before taking BCAA, you should familiarize yourself with its other features. An additive is a complex of three essential amino acids that the body is not able to develop on its own. An important feature of them is that metabolic reactions with them occur in the muscles, adipose tissues, heart and other organs, but not in the liver. The amino acids that make up the complex act together, complementing the effect of each other, but only in the correct proportion. With sufficient intake of these substances, other important amino acids are formed from them.
Correct proportions
To understand how to take BCAA correctly, you should familiarize yourself with the main feature of the supplement. The fact is that the optimal proportions of amino acids in the composition are 2 parts of leucine and one part of valine and isoleucine.
This ratio is due to the fact that leucine has the most pronounced anabolic effect, reduces blood sugar and enhances the production of growth hormone, without harming the body. By supporting its action with the correct proportions of other amino acids, its effect increases.
Today on sale you can find complexes with a ratio of 4: 1: 1 and even more, but increasing the dose of leucine, on the contrary, reduces its effectiveness, since proportionality is not observed.
In the right ratio, BCAA can be used to improve performance in strength training, aerobic and speed. How to take each of the forms of release of the additive is described below.
Varieties of the amino acid complex
On sale today you can find the supplement in the form of powder, capsules, tablets and liquid.
The latter option is the most expensive, so it is not particularly in demand. It can be easily replaced with BCAA powder. How to take an amino acid in this case? It can be diluted in water and used for drinking in the same way as a liquid form, and this option will cost much less. These two variants of the supplement are leaders in the rate of assimilation and enter the bloodstream just a few minutes after ingestion. These forms are most often bought by professional athletes or actively training amateurs in order to maintain the maximum amount of muscle mass during drying or intensive weight loss.
Tablets and capsules are convenient because they just need to be washed down with water. The shelf life of such an amino acid is also higher, but the dosage will be insufficient with active training.
Benefits of the Supplement
How to take BCAA depends on the goal. If you need to increase endurance for a longer and more intense workout, you need to drink the supplement before class.
To reduce pain after power loads and speed up the recovery process, it is required to take amino acids after a workout, and the use of supplements during exercise is able to:
- speed up metabolism and reduce appetite;
- slightly increase power indicators;
- improve protein synthesis in tissues;
- accelerate lipolysis;
- protect against muscle breakdown and help speedy burning of fat;
- increase the percentage of lean body mass.
Contraindications and harm
Despite the fact that no side effects from the use of this sports nutrition were found, the supplement still has certain prohibitions on its use. The question of how to take BCAA should not worry people with diseases of the digestive system in a chronic or acute form. The thing is that amino acids can increase the acidity of the stomach.
Also, you can’t drink the supplement for kidney and excretory ailments, as well as a lack of enzymes in the body.
As for the harm, it is practically non-existent for healthy people. The supplement does not affect potency, the functioning of the heart and digestive system. The correct dosage can only bring benefits to the body, and it can be determined individually for each case by trial. Usually, for a person who does not engage in power sports, it is enough to drink 3-4 g of powder per day. The course of admission is not limited, and there is no need for breaks. The main thing is to observe the dosage, otherwise you can get malfunctions in the kidneys and liver.
How to take powder
Any form of supplementation is just a complex of amino acids that a person receives with food. BCAA is not a steroid or doping, but an additional source of essential nutrients for the human body. A complex of cow's milk protein is produced.
The daily requirement of an adult male for amino acids is 6 g, despite the fact that he does not engage in active sports. If we are talking about an athlete, then the need doubles.
So how much to take BCAA per day? It is believed that for an athlete with regular exercise, 33 mg of leucine per kilogram of weight on training days is required. Based on this, the dosage of the powder can be calculated independently for everyone, because the number of amino acids in a portion is always indicated on the packages. A single dose in this case varies between 3-6 grams. For girls, a powder of 10-15 g per day is enough, and for men 20 g.
The daily rate should be divided as follows:
- On training days, in the morning, before class, after it, and before bedtime.
- On rest days - in the morning, at lunch and before bedtime, ½ or 1 serving.
- During intense exercise it is allowed to drink the supplement during exercise.
Powder without flavorings, contains a large dosage of substances, but it has a bitter taste. It is recommended that you drink BCAA with sugar so that the substances do not turn into a source for energy consumption. Amino acids are especially useful for losing weight, because they accelerate the process of burning fat and protect muscles - the body thus acquires a beautiful relief. It is also useful to consume them for those who lack protein from regular foods, especially vegetarians. If more than 2 g of protein per kg of body weight is delivered per day, then amino acids on rest days can be avoided at all; a sufficient amount of them will enter the body with food.
How to take capsules
How to take BCAA capsules, and who should prefer this form? The advantage of capsules is that they are much more convenient to drink, the cost is average, and the shell does not allow acidity in the stomach to increase. At the same time, the action of this form of supplementation begins only 30 minutes after administration, and the dosage of each capsule is not enough for people who are actively training. Usually, amino acids in capsules are chosen by ordinary people with an inactive lifestyle to strengthen the body. For them, a dose of 3 g (exactly the amount of substance in each capsule) is quite enough. The course is 2-3 months. For athletes, it is more profitable to drink a powder form, since such an amount of amino acids is not enough, and drinking many capsules at a time is not profitable.
BCAA tablets are absorbed most slowly, therefore it is recommended to drink them before a long break in food or at bedtime.
How to drink with other supplements
Amino acids can be combined with proteins, creatines and pre-workout complexes. It is important to use all the supplements separately from each other, since different rates of absorption of substances provoke only partial absorption of amino acids. It is necessary to withstand between receptions for at least half an hour. In this case, drink BCAA immediately before class, and proteins earlier for 30-40 minutes.
List of Top Supplements
Among the most famous amino acids, Optimum Nutrition BCAA 1000 is especially popular. How to take the supplement? Most often, it is released in the form of capsules with the correct proportions of substances. The leucine dosage in this case is 500 mg, so it is recommended to drink them 2 at a time.
In powder form, amino acids are often presented by the Ultimate Nutrition 12000 BCAA Powder brand. How to take this form? With the classical ratio of amino acids in one dose, they contain 6 g, which must be dissolved in a glass of water. Drinking powder is recommended both before and after training. Before intensive loads, the dose can be doubled, dissolving it in this case already in 0.5 l of water.
You can also buy powder with a flavor called BCAA 5000 Powder. The dosage should be increased, since the concentration of substances here will be less than a third. 5 g of powder should be dissolved in 150 ml of water.
In the form of tablets, the popular Scitec 6400 BCAA Nutrition Supplement. How to take amino acids in this case? Their ratio in tablets is correct, but the concentration is small, so you need to drink about 3-5 tablets at a time. The expense of the funds will be great, because you need to take substances up to 4 times a day.
How to distinguish a fake
On the quality of the packaging, this is almost impossible to do, so you can notice it only after some time after administration. At best, nothing will happen; at worst, an upset of the body.
High-quality powder should have a bitter taste if it does not contain aromatic additives. When it dissolves, a foam forms on the surface of the water, and small crystals may remain in the water. The positive effect of training after the original supplement is noticeable after a few sessions, if nothing has changed, a fake was bought.