Amino Acid Supplements

BCAA (branched-chain amino acid) supplements contain valine, leucine and isoleucine. These are considered ‘essential’ amino acids because they need to be present in your diet - as opposed to ‘non-essential’ amino acids, which your body can produce itself. Together, they can comprise up to one-third of muscle protein.

What do they do?

The theory is that they can help prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue during intense exercise. They also increase the release of human growth hormone.

BCAAs should be taken by anyone who weight trains,preferably in capsule form rather than tablet or liquid.There's little evidence that BCAAs will improve performance among endurance athletes, though, and unless you’re training seriously hard it’s possible you can get enough BCAAs from a recovery drink to make a separate supplement unnecessary.

When should I take them?

They work best if taken before during and after workout,Studies have shown that taking BCAA supplements during and after exercise can reduce muscle breakdown, while taking them before resistance training reduces delayed onset muscle soreness.

Do they have any side effects?

BCAAs are fairly safe, since you’d normally find them in dietary protein sources anyway. Excessive intake might reduce the absorption of other amino acids, but that's about it. 

Taking BCAAs before exercise causes the breakdown of leucine, isoleucine and valine in the liver, directing it to your muscles for muscle protein synthesis. Just make sure you don’t train on an empty stomach or you may experience some discomfort. The best combination is to ingest BCAAs before and during exercise, followed by whey protein after the gym session.