Supplements - BCAAs

Amino acids are organic compounds that  are used by our body to build proteins. When protein is digested or broken down, you are left with amino acids. Amino acids play a large role in growth and repair of body tissue. Although there are 50 different amino acids, only 20 are used to make the proteins used in our body. Of those 20, 9 are considered to be essential. Essential amino acids must be derived from our diet because our body can not synthesize them. The nine essential amino acids are: Histidine, Isoluecine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine.

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) contain leucine, isoleucine and valine. They stimulate the building of protein in muscle and reduce muscle breakdown. They are also used to help decrease exercise-induced muscle damage and aid in recovery by reducing fatigue. This would ideally assist an athlete in being able to train at higher intensity for a prolonged period of time without muscle wasting.

 

"Part of what makes the BCAAs so special is how the body handles them. Typically, when you ingest amino acids—either individually or as a whole protein—they first travel to the liver. Here, the liver either breaks them down to use as fuel or directs them toward building and repairing muscle and other tissues. BCAAs, on the other hand, tend to be spared by the liver and get sent directly to the muscles, so that the muscle can use the BCAAs directly for fuel or to build and repair itself" - source

I am currently using Athletic Xtreme Stacked BCAA. I have been able to increase the amount of weight I am lifting weekly through proper nutrition and supplementation. I greatly attribute my ability to train hard on a consistent basis to my supplementation of BCAAs. Pick some up today!!

 

- FitWhitt