Effects of BCAAs In Your Body

Taking a BCAA supplement plays many metabolic and physiologic roles, including prevention of muscle breakdown and stimulation of protein building in muscle. Metabolically, BCAAs facilitate protein synthesis and glucose metabolism. Physiologically, BCAAs provide immune system support, increased energy and brain function stimulation. Not all BCAA supplements are created equally. If you get enough protein in your day, you likely don’t need a BCAA supplement. However, some people especially women don’t acquire enough protein, and because BCAAs are the building blocks to muscle synthesis, many brands on the market are full of sugar, artificial dyes and colors or sweetened with artificial sweeteners (many have all of these). Learn how intermittent fasting combined with BCAAs can boost your fat burning ability.

When taking BCAA supplement, your body will react on the following:

1. The muscle cells and adipose tissues first oxidize BCAAs into keto acids. The mitochondria of muscle cells have the machinery required to perform this reaction.
2. Keto acids are then used by muscle cells to fuel the Krebs cycle for ATP production or are transported to the liver for further oxidation.
3. Oxidation in the liver produces branched-chain oxo acids. These can be used by the liver for energy or metabolized in the muscle cells to give (ATP) energy. Since muscle tissue has 60% of the enzymes needed for oxidation (burning) of BCAAs for energy, it is said that they are designed to derive energy from BCAA supplement.

A BCAA supplement is available in several forms including whey protein, oral supplements, IV and injection therapies. Whey protein digests relatively quickly, but still takes several hours for the amino acids to be absorbed into the bloodstream. BCAA supplement, IV and injection therapies require no digestion and are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. Although oral supplementation can impact overall health, when nutrients are given through an intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous injection, nutrients are absorbed rapidly and more efficiently on a cellular level, providing cells with the nutrition necessary to thrive and function optimally. It appears that branched chain amino acids may have an anabolic effect on the body, which makes them particularly useful for those interested in increasing muscle size and strength. A researcher stated that branched chain amino acids trigger important enzymes in protein synthesis, post-exercise. It also supports that, for muscle building purposes, leucine may be the most important of the three branched chain amino acids. A BCAA supplement provides an anabolic effect by increasing the rate of muscle building (protein synthesis) while decreasing the rate of protein degradation, or muscle breakdown.

On whether consuming BCAAs could bring on any negative side effects, experts says that they are mostly harmless. Most experts suggest that taking them regularly can increase effectiveness. However, like with any supplement, extreme or overdose can be detrimental and cause issues like nausea, headaches, and increased insulin resistance. Moreover, BCAAs can increase blood sugar levels, so it’s best to avoid taking them before or after having surgery of any kind.

The Goal of Post Workout

In a post workout process, it is all about recovery and repair where nutrition is an important role; the fact is, muscle strength and building happen after, not during, workouts. During intense workouts, protein is broken down and glycogen stores are depleted. Immediately after working out, liquid meals like smoothies are best, to rehydrate the body, quickly replenish glycogen and decrease protein breakdown. Your body uses stored energy (glycogen) in your muscles to power through your workout or activity. Definitely after that workout, you need to replenish the lost nutrients. Effective recovery process is by immediately providing the body with fast acting carbohydrates and protein. By using a staggered approach to muscle recovery, it is possible to set the stage for optimized recovery from intense workouts. Doing this will help speed up muscle recovery. As soon as possible post workout, get carbs and protein immediately into your body. This gives your muscles the ability to replenish the glycogen they just lost through training and helps your tired muscles rebuild and repair with the available protein and amino acids. Experts suggest that to eat within 15 minutes of completing an intense workout for best results.

Example of simple post workout meals include:

• Post workout recovery smoothie made with low-fat milk and fruit
• Low-fat chocolate milk
• Chicken on a whole-grain bread wrap with veggies
• Yogurts, oat with berries

After your post workout, drink water to replenish your fluids. If you don’t want a boring beverage, you can blend your water with 100% orange juice which provides fluids, carbohydrates. You also burn a lot of carbohydrates which are the main fuel for your muscles when you exercise. In the 20 minutes to 1 hour after your workout, your muscles can store carbohydrates and protein as energy helps your body in the recovery process. Eat things with protein to help repair and grow your muscles. It is important to realize that these are the general things to know when you work out. Every person has a different digestive systems and a lot depends on what kind of workout you’re doing. When you feed your body and mind with the right nutrients to properly recover, you can keep doing the things you love without worrying about injuries. Additionally, it can help you see the results you want. A good post workout recovery plan means finding ways to relieve soreness and regain energy where it gives your muscles a time to rebuild any damaged tissues and build up energy for future workouts. Without post workout recovery, you can overwork your body, which may result in decreased performance and an increased risk to yourself.

Every person has different abilities and what works for other people might not work for you. Trial and error is the best method to finding out what appropriate things you need to do and what’s not. Knowing proper nutrition and exercise are crucial to keeping your body and mind performing at its best. If you find you get an upset stomach when you eat a meal 2 hours before, reevaluate the meal contents, make sure it meets the recommendations, and then try eating it a little earlier. Making a few adjustments in nutrient or meal timing will not be beneficial if you are eating poorly the rest of the day.

Nutritional Strategy

Pre workout nutrition depends very much on your relationship with your diet and fitness goals. Pre workout nutrition also depends on your individual goal. The pre workout nutrition of someone who wants to lose weight looks different than someone who wants to gain mass. Exercise requires a large volume of blood to be pumped to your working muscles which means that the blood flow to your stomachs is reduced during a workout, especially during intense workouts. However, our stomach demands energy to digest food which drains the power from the rest of your body. A well planned pre workout nutrition should focus on sustaining energy, increasing performance and supporting the body’s ability to build muscle and burn fat.

Basic guide in achieving a proper pre workout nutrition:

• Eat healthy pre-workout snacks to keep you energized. Don’t overeat or eat complex foods before a workout because you’ll feel heavy.
• Get enough sleep and rest in the night before a workout because it’ll help your body recover quickly or else your mind will give up before your body.
• Take naps if you need it. A 15-minute nap should do the trick to feel rejuvenated. Don’t nap more than 30 minutes because it could make you more tired than before.
• Do a stretching to warm up and activate your blood flow into muscles. Don’t do static stretches as they can decrease your strength and may lead to injuries.
• Take supplements you usually take to reach your goals. But don’t take a supplement that you’ve never tried or never heard it before as it might affect your overall health.
• Keep hydrated by drinking always water to replenish the fluids you may have lost during a workout. Alcohol intake such as beers leads to dehydration which can affect your motor skills and movements.

For most people, the best pre workout nutrition for beginners before starting a workout is arguably coffee. Coffee gives you a significant boost of energy and the best time to drink a morning cup of coffee is ideally, one hour before your workout. This is because while it typically takes 15 to 45 minutes to be absorbed in the body, you will feel the benefits at its peak around 30 to 75 minutes after assumption. Keep in mind that the key to drinking coffee is to have it in moderation. You may experience some side effects if you consume too much, such as an erratic heart rate. It may also destroy your sleep, which can have a negative impact on your body.

What you eat before a workout greatly affects your overall performance. While not eating enough before a workout can make you weak. If you feel like you are working hard, but not making the gains you want, or find that you feel sluggish during your workout, and the quality of your workouts decrease during the week, you may be under fueling your workouts and or not putting the right pre workout nutrition in your body.