Gnarly BCAAs

Unlike other essential amino acids, which are broken down in the liver, BCAAs are oxidized, or used for energy, primarily in the skeletal muscle.  BCAA oxidation in skeletal muscle increases 2-3 fold during exercise. In addition to being a source of fuel for working muscles, BCAAs are critical to muscle recovery and synthesis. Supplementation  with BCAAs has been shown to decrease delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.  Of the 20 amino acids, 9 are essential, meaning they cannot be synthesized (produced or created) by the body and must come from our  diet. Of these essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine are known as branched chain amino acids (BCAAs).

Great question and you are 100% correct, but I want to clarify a bit: It’s best to consume protein (either from whole foods or a protein supplement) post-exercise. But it’s also important that the protein you are choosing is rich in essential amino acids and provides enough of the branched chain amino acid, leucine, to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS). Aim for 2.0 to 2.5 grams of leucine, or the amount found in 20 to 25 grams of whey protein.

You can think of leucine as the “on” switch for MPS, but to really repair and/or build muscle you also need the building blocks for muscle. This is where all the other essential amino acids come into play. This is specifically why standalone BCAAs are not ideal post-workout; because they lack those building blocks, or essential amino acids.

Because free form amino acids don’t require digestion and are absorbed directly into the bloodstream as is, they are a much quicker and more efficient way to increase BCAA concentration in the body than eating whole protein. Research has shown that BCAA concentration in the blood elevates within 15 minutes and peaks 30 minutes after ingestion, so supplementing with BCAAs starting about 20-30 minutes before training and then following your training session up with a good source of protein and carbohydrates is the general recommendation.  Research shows that if consumed in the 20 to 30 minutes before exercise (and even during longer training sessions), BCAAs, and leucine in particular, can help minimize muscle protein breakdown (MPB), thus reducing post-exercise soreness and speeding recovery between training sessions.

BCAAs are particularly important for vegans and vegetarians because plant proteins tend to be significantly lower in BCAAs than animal proteins. But BCAAs can also help minimize soreness for individuals that are training fasted or have not had a meal containing 20 to 25 grams of high quality protein in the 2 to 3 hours preceding their training. So to make a long story short…BCAAs before and protein after!

One serving of Gnarly BCAAs is 10g.  10g of powder is approximately 1 Tablespoon.