Most of us have encountered the term ‘BCAAs’ before. Some have seen it featured in social media ads, others have heard workout buddies discuss it, and many have spotted it in their local grocery store. Either way, BCAAs are everywhere.
Despite this supplement’s popularity, most people have no idea what BCAAs actually are or what they do for the body. Many don’t understand how and when to take BCAAs properly—resulting in people not maximizing their supplement’s potential.
To many, BCAAs are just another workout supplement that comes with significant hype but fails to deliver results. In reality, BCAAs are essential nutrients that play crucial roles in everyday health and performance—both inside and outside the gym.
While BCAAs are essential amino acids that everyone must consume daily for optimal health and wellness, that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone needs a BCAA supplement. Most people consume adequate BCAAs through their normal, protein-rich diet. However, if you’re going to add this supplement to your routine, there’s plenty to understand, including the best time to take BCAAs to gain the right benefits.
When Should You Take BCAAs?
The only time you should take BCAAs is when your body breaks them down at a higher rate than normal. For most people, this occurs while working out or engaging in physical activity. In this case, it might be challenging to increase BCAA intake through diet alone.
A BCAA supplement provides a quick solution for replenishing the three most important amino acids for your workout—valine, leucine, and isoleucine. They should never replace the BCAAs you normally get from your diet, but rather supplement the BCAAs lost during exercise.
That’s why you’ll see many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts taking BCAAs before, during, or after a workout. Of course, that leaves us with the critical question—should we take BCAAs before a workout, during a workout, or after a workout?
Several studies have compared the use of BCAAs before, during, and after workouts. More research is needed, but there doesn’t appear to be any evidence supporting greater results by taking a BCAA supplement at a specific time of day.
That said, many people take BCAAs for different reasons. Some want a more energized workout, others want improved recovery, some want to accelerate muscle growth, and others simply want to ensure their body gets adequate amounts each day.
Let’s examine the reasons and potential benefits of taking BCAAs either before, during, or after a workout.
Taking BCAAs Before A Workout
Taking BCAAs before a workout is the most preferred method among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts—unless you’re fasting. It typically takes 30 minutes for your BCAA levels to peak after taking a supplement, so most people take their BCAAs 15-20 minutes before exercising.
When you take your BCAAs as a pre-workout, you’re providing your body with the amino acids it needs during exercise. Your body breaks down BCAAs for energy—the more BCAAs you have, the more energy available and the more intense your workout becomes.
Beyond improving performance, taking BCAAs before a workout can enhance post-workout recovery. Some studies have shown reduced muscle soreness and lower blood markers of muscle damage after workouts when taking a BCAA supplement beforehand.
Taking BCAAs During A Workout
Some people prefer taking BCAAs during their workout. Much like taking them before exercise, this will still provide an energy boost during the workout and improve post-recovery. The main consideration is the 30-minute delay between consumption and peak BCAA levels.
If you exercise before eating a meal or while fasting, taking BCAAs during a workout can help combat the fatigue you normally experience. Note that your body won’t remain in a fasted state anymore, but the BCAAs will help preserve lean muscle.
Some people work out for extended periods. In this case, it might be beneficial to take BCAAs both before and during exercise. A good example is someone who works out for 3 hours straight. They would benefit from taking BCAAs 20 minutes pre-workout and about halfway through their session.
Taking BCAAs After A Workout
Taking BCAAs after a workout isn’t detrimental and does offer benefits. They will help improve your recovery and prepare you for your next workout, but you won’t necessarily see increased performance—unless you also take them before or during exercise.
If you’re considering a BCAA supplement after a workout, you’re better off reaching for a healthy, protein-rich meal. Not only do you get all 9 essential amino acids, but you also receive numerous other nutrients that are excellent for post-workout recovery.
However, a BCAA supplement could benefit anyone not looking to add calories after their workout. Since some people have strict diets and eat at specific times throughout the day, taking a supplement to ensure your body receives necessary nutrients at the right times is important.
Other FAQ’s Regarding BCAAs
Understanding when to take your BCAAs is crucial, especially if you’re taking them for a specific purpose. You should also have a thorough understanding of what BCAAs are, how much you should take, how they work, and what to look for in a quality BCAA supplement.
For starters, BCAAs are essential amino acids that the body uses to build proteins and help enzymes and other molecules function properly. Three different amino acids comprise the BCAA group—valine, leucine, and isoleucine.
Also known as branched-chain amino acids, they’re ‘essential’ because the body can’t produce them independently. Instead, your body relies on you to consume adequate valine, isoleucine, and leucine through your diet each day. This is where BCAA supplements come into play.
How Much BCAAs Should I Take?
The amount of BCAAs you need to supplement with each day largely depends on your diet and daily protein consumption. The body requires anywhere between 15-65mg of BCAA per pound of bodyweight—this equates to around 9-12g of BCAA per day.
Most people receive all the BCAAs they need from their diet, while others lead more active lifestyles and require a boost from BCAA supplements. Most protein-rich foods contain BCAAs, including meat, fish, beans, milk, cheese, eggs, quinoa, and nuts.
If you’re considering a supplement, ensure it follows a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, isoleucine, and valine. That’s because leucine is the most important amino acid of the three and the body requires more of it for protein synthesis. Most BCAA supplements contain anywhere from 4-20g of BCAAs.
BCAA Benefits
BCAAs play numerous roles in the body, most of which prove valuable during or after a workout. Overall, there are four major benefits of taking BCAAs—muscle growth, muscle recovery, increased energy, and improved fat loss.
Let’s examine each benefit:
- Muscle Growth – BCAAs help improve protein synthesis and also bypass the liver for direct access to the muscles (unlike most amino acids). The most important leucine for muscle growth is leucine, which activates mTOR in the body.
- Muscle Recovery – BCAAs are anti-catabolic, which means they help reduce muscle breakdown, reduce muscle soreness, and reduce recovery time. Of course, this means you’re ready to go for your next exercise.
- Increased Energy – during a workout, the body breaks BCAAs down and uses them as an energy source. In addition to that, BCAAs help reduce fatigue by limiting the amount of serotonin in the brain. The main BCAA here is valine.
- Weight & Fat Loss – BCAAs help you feel full throughout the day to avoid overeating. More specifically, isoleucine helps activate PPARs that increase fat-burning and inhibit the fat storage process.
There’s a reason many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts turn to these three specific amino acids when maximizing their workouts. They help with every aspect and stage of your exercise routine, making them excellent pre- and post-workout supplements.
What Should You Look For In A Quality BCAA Supplement?
The first thing you should examine in a BCAA supplement is the dosage of each individual amino acid. This is important because you need to confirm you’re receiving enough of each amino acid (depends on diet), as well as receiving the proper 2:1:1 ratio.
The second thing you should examine is ingredient quality. You want to confirm that the supplement is manufactured in a clean facility that doesn’t use fillers, additives, or harmful ingredients. If you’re vegan or have allergies, you should also take note of that.
The third consideration is price—which is an important factor in every purchase you make. Many supplements have the perfect formula, but are overly expensive. Others are extremely affordable, but either ineffective or harmful to the body. Finding a balance is crucial.
Finally, you must consider any additional ingredients you want included in the formula. BCAAs are stacked with a wide range of workout supplements, including pre-workouts, protein shakes, fat-burners, and much more. You can also find BCAAs alone in their own formula.
Are BCAAs Safe?
The good news when taking BCAAs as a supplement is they are widely tolerated in nearly everyone. You likely won’t experience any side effects with a daily BCAA intake of 15-35 grams, but you should always pair that with sufficient exercise—especially with higher doses.
Anyone with ALS should avoid BCAA supplementation and anyone with maple syrup urine disease should limit their daily intake because their body can’t break it down properly.
High dosages can lead to nausea, headaches, increased insulin resistance, and unregulated blood sugar levels. You should always follow the directions and guidelines on the supplement packaging and remember, don’t let it replace your diet!
BCAA Supplements You Can Trust
There are numerous BCAA supplements on the market today and finding the right one for you can be challenging. You want to ensure you get a quality supplement that’s also affordable—since you’ll want to take it long-term.
To help you navigate your options, we’re going to detail three of our favorite BCAA supplements available today—including Transparent Labs BCAA + Glutamine, Optimum Nutrition’s BCAA Caps, and BCAAs by 1st Phorm. Let’s take a closer look!
Transparent Labs BCAA + Glutamine
The first supplement on our list is Transparent Labs BCAA + Glutamine. Each serving contains a total of 8,000mg (8 grams) of BCAAs and 5,000mg (5 grams) of L-Glutamine. The BCAAs follow the recommended 2:1:1 ratio, with 4 grams of leucine and 2 grams of valine/isoleucine.
This formula contains additional ingredients, though. It also includes 1,000mg (1 gram) of coconut water powder, 1,535mg (1.5 grams) of Vitamin C, and 2 grams of total carbohydrates. Each serving has just 10 calories and you only need one scoop of the powder.
It’s reasonably priced at just $39.00 per 30 servings. It can get expensive if you’re taking multiple scoops daily, so frequency of use plays a significant role here. Either way, it’s a quality BCAA supplement available in Blue Raspberry, Sour Grape, Orange, Green Apple, Strawberry Lemonade, and Tropical Punch.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON TRANSPARENT LABS BCAA + GLUTAMINEClean BCAA
Clean BCAA is a BCAA supplement from Clean Machine. Clean Machine focuses on producing quality supplements that are healthy for the human body and helpful for the environment. Clean BCAA contains 2,000mg L-leucine, 1,000mg L-isoleucine, and 1,000mg L-valine within its formula. Beyond those BCAAs, Clean BCAA also includes various key minerals such as calcium, potassium, chloride, and sodium.
This BCAA powder is available in lemonade or fruit punch flavor, aids in weight loss, benefits fat loss, supports muscle growth and recovery, and does not contain caffeine.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON CLEAN BCAABCAA Caps by Optimum Nutrition
The next supplement we’ll highlight is featured by a very popular supplement company – Optimum Nutrition. I wanted to include this one because it’s a streamlined and basic version of what was discussed above. It’s also available in capsules for ease-of-use, as opposed to powder.
There are only three ingredients included and they’re the only three you need when taking a BCAA supplement—micronized valine, micronized isoleucine, and micronized leucine. It contains the 2:1:1 ratio we’re looking for, but there’s just 500mg of valine and 250mg of the other two.
They have several pricing options available. You can choose the 30-capsule bottle for just $7.99, their 100-capsule bottle for $16.99, or their 200-capsule bottle for just $29.99. It’s a quality option for someone who doesn’t need high dosages and just needs a modest boost throughout the day.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON OPTIMUM NUTRITION BCAA CAPSBCAAs by 1st Phorm
The final supplement we’re showcasing is called BCAAs and it’s offered by 1st Phorm. It’s approximately the same price as Transparent Labs, but comes in a 40-serving tub and costs $42.99—which means you get slightly more bang for your buck.
The BCAA count is similar, with 1st Phorm including 3,500mg of valine, 2,000mg of leucine, and 2,000mg of isoleucine. It’s not an exact 2:1:1 ratio, but it’s close. Beyond the BCAAs, there’s also Vitamin B3, B6, B12, sodium, potassium, an amino blend, and an electrolyte blend.
The amino blend contains l-taurine, l-tyrosine, l-glutamine, l-citrulline, and agmatine sulfate. We don’t know the specific dosages of each, but they combine to total 1,723mg. The electrolyte blend totals 440mg and contains potassium citrate, sodium chloride, magnesium bisglycinate chelate, and potassium glycinate complex.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON 1ST PHORM BCAAS
