I know it’s been a long since some of us left high school, but I hope you haven’t forgotten some basic biology lessons like the chemicals of life. The chemicals of life are what give us the energy and nutrients we need for everyday living. These include carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
Balanced nutrition is paramount. But for athletes, workout enthusiasts, and bodybuilders, it goes beyond just a balanced diet. You have to capitalize on what your body uses more and what your body’s goals demand.
It is no secret that proteins are a great companion for any physical training enthusiast. And you can get these proteins from whole foods such as dairy and poultry products. But why go for branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) supplements?
Benefits of BCAA supplements
BCAA refers to three essential amino acids, namely leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They have been studied and tested to ascertain their contribution to the well-being of athletes, sportspeople, and fitness enthusiasts. The benefits these supplements offer include:
Well-balanced ratio
The regular canned tuna or chicken breast can give you all the essential amino acids your body needs. Your daily intake of whey protein can provide adequate proteins, both essential and non-essential. But what most people don’t understand is that our bodies have a particular way of absorbing these amino acids into the bloodstream and muscles.
There is a competition between the eleven essential amino acids during absorption. The best BCAA supplements in India have worked around this issue to reduce the competition. Most BCAAs have leucine, isoleucine and valine in the 2:1:1 ratio. Leucine is the best amino acid for protein synthesis and muscle growth; thus, it should be absorbed in higher quantities.
Boost muscle growth
Leucine has a higher percentage in BCAA supplements because of enhanced protein synthesis in muscles. Leucine changes the protein synthesis pathway when taken after a workout, resulting in more protein synthesis and less protein degradation. This amino acid also stimulates the production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which leads to more muscle mass and reduction of body fats.
Valine helps improves glucose distribution in the muscles, which provides more energy to the muscles. This increases endurance to the training. The more you train, the leaner and fit you get. Ensure you choose the best BCAA supplements in India with the correct ratio of three amino acids for the best muscle growth.
Reduce after-training soreness
When you work out, especially when starting out, microscopic changes occur in your muscles, causing tears, stiffness and soreness. This is why you feel like you don’t want to go to the gym the next day after strenuous training.
When you stretch your muscles in a way they are not used to, the body’s biochemistry initiates protein degradation pathways. The degradation is experienced as the microscopic muscle tears and the presence of kinase, an enzyme that speeds up chemical reactions in the body.
Taking BCAAs during and after a workout can help to reduce this soreness. They slow down protein degradation, thus decreasing the stiffness and soreness.
Enhance immunity
For people who are continuously training, such as footballers and professional bodybuilders, the recovery time between training can leave them exhausted and sickly. Taking BCAA supplements daily, even during the recovery window, has been shown to fortify the immune system.
Our immune cells also need the energy to fight off germs. When you deplete all your energy during a workout, you become predisposed to pathogens. BCAA provide instant energy to the immune cells giving you better immunity.
More endurance
The length of your workout depends on the time it takes for fatigue to kick in. Two things are responsible for the tiredness you feel during and after a workout.
The first thing is the breakdown of glycogen. You consume a lot of energy during training. When your body energy levels reduce, the body initiates the breakdown of stored glycogen to augment the energy requirements.
If you deplete the stored glycogen, fatigue kicks in, and you become too tired to continue. Taking BCAA before and during training supplements the energy requirements, thus delaying fatigue.
The other contributor to fatigue is the serotonin neural transmitter. Working out depletes the leucine, isoleucine and valine in your bloodstream. This leads to an increase in the amount of the tryptophan amino acid in the brain. More workout converts the tryptophan into serotonin. Serotonin increases fatigue, sweating, heart rate and causes loss of muscle coordination.
When you take BCAAs during the workout, you maintain a supply of the three essential amino acids. The level of tryptophan is kept in check, and no serotonin is manufactured. This enhances your endurance.
Conclusion
BCAAs are great daily dietary supplements for bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts. They boost muscle growth, reduce training-induced fatigue, improve workout endurance and boost immunity. Moreover, they provide protein supplements in a well-balanced ratio which the body absorbs instantly.
