Ingredients

BCAA Supplements – Branch Chain Amino Acids and What they do

Updated on February 25, 2022 by Brad Murphy

So what are branch chain amino acids and what do they do. This is article will go some way to explaining what BCAA’s are why you need them.

BCAA Supplements

So, what are BCAAs and why should you care? “BCAA” stands for branched-chain amino acids. There are just three of them and, if you are serious about buildings some serious muscle, it’s a powerful trio that can help you do it.

As with other nutrients, your primary source of BCAAs is probably going to be your food. However, you can also use supplements to top-up your BCAAs.

Lots of bodybuilders use supplements that contain BCAAs. Other athletes use them too because apart from helping you to get bigger and stronger they can help you to train harder as well.

Other benefits attributed to BCAAs include:

Reduced post-workout muscle soreness
Faster healing
Lees fatigue while training
Prevent muscle wasting

Additionally, research also suggests oral treatment with BCAAs may help people with cirrhosis avoid the risk of liver cancer. [SOURCE]

However, first things first. Before we go into all the reasons BCAAs are so important, let’s take a closer look at what they are and how they fit into the bigger picture.

A Brief Introduction to Amino Acids

Food is complicated stuff. You may not realize it but it is. Food provides us with energy. It also contains vitamins, minerals, and the all-important macronutrients.

The three macronutrients are carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Although most food contains a combination of the three, one type of nutrient often comes to the fore. For instance, steak is primarily a source of protein, but it may contain quite a lot of fat as well.

The thing is, before your body can absorb nutrients and put them to work, the digestive organs have to split them down into smaller parts. The smaller parts that make up protein are called amino acids and they are the raw material your body uses to support muscle regeneration and growth.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They enter the body as part of your food, the digestive organs release them from protein and then the body re-stacks the blocks to form those slabs of protein we call muscle.

Of course, nature isn’t really that simple. The human body uses 20 amino acids, but they are split into two main groups.

Essential Vs Non-Essential Amino Acids

Essential amino acids are so named because it’s essential that you obtain them from outside sources. Obviously, food is the primary and most natural source of essential amino acids but you can also get them from supplements.

Non-essential amino acids are another matter entirely. Although they are as essential for muscle growth as any other amino acid, it’s not essential that you get them from food. If your diet fails to provide any of the non-essential amino acids it will go ahead and make them itself.

Of the 20 amino acids your body needs, 11 are non-essential.

The 9 Essential Amino Acids

The 11 Non-Essential Amino Acids

1. Leucine

2. Isoleucine

3. Valine

4. Histidine

5. Lysine

6. Methionine

7. Threonine

8. Tryptophan

9. Phenylalanine

1.     Alanine
2.     Arginine
3.     Aspartic acid
4.     Asparagine
5.     Cysteine
6.     Glutamine
7.     Glutamic acid
8.     Glycine
9.     Proline
10. Serine
11. Tyrosine

Although it’s not strictly relevant to this article, it’s worth touching on the difference between complete and incomplete proteins.

Meat and fish and certain other foods are known as complete proteins.

They are complete because they provide all 20 of the amino acids your body requires. When you eat a sufficient quantity of complete proteins, your body probably won’t have to pick up and slack by making any amino acids itself.

Rice, almonds, and haricot beans, on the other hand, are incomplete proteins.

They do not contain all 20 amino acids. Having said that, eating a carefully planned combination is a good way to rectify this situation. For instance, a portion of beans on toast is a good vegetarian alternative to steak.

BCAAs: The 3 “Very” Essential Amino Acids

BCAAs are essential amino acids that have particular importance and the three share a common bond. “Branched-chain” relates to their unique chemical structure. On a molecular level, BCAAs have an aliphatic side-chain with a branch. Other amino acids do not, but let’s forget the science and move on.

The three BCAAs are:

Leucine
Isoleucine
Valine

Collectively, this important trio is likely to account for up to 33 percent of your muscle mass. Bearing in mind the fact that the muscles also contain a further 17 amino acids, 33 percent is a lot. However, muscle dominance is not the only reason BCAAs are important.

The Role of BCAAs In Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is the process your body uses to build muscle and Leucine is a “key” player.

Exercise breaks down muscle tissue, thereby instigating the need for repair. This breaking down of muscle cells to release energy is called catabolism.

Protein synthesis is an anabolic process and it requires energy instead of releasing it. [SOURCE]

This stacking together of amino acids to build muscle fuels the desired gains in muscle strength and size, but it could not happen without leucine. It’s the most important of the three BCAAs and not without good reason.

Why Leucine Is # 1

Leucine enters the muscle cells and, acting like a key, it activates protein synthesis by triggering the kinase enzyme mTOR. Then and only then can the other amino acids go to work. [SOURCE]

The Role of Isoleucine

Isoleucine is the second most important BCAA. Apart from being necessary for efficient protein synthesis, isoleucine is responsible for regulating energy and blood sugar levels.

Isoleucine also increases endurance and prevents muscle wastage. [SOURCE]

Last But Not Least: Valine

Although it’s not as important as leucine and isoleucine, valine is still more important than any of the other essential and non-essential amino acids. Apart from having a prominent role in protein synthesis it further supports muscle growth by improving nitrogen retention. [SOURCE]

The Value of BCAA Supplements

BCAAs are the three most important amino acids. Consuming them in supplement form gets them into the system faster than food is able to do.

Before the body can put food-provided nutrients to work, it has to break them down into their component parts. The BCAAs in supplements are already in a usable form. All the body has to do is absorb them.

Of course, the process of absorbing them is still going to take a little time, but it will be infinitely faster than extracting them from food.

Along with fat, protein is one of the slowest nutrients for the body to digest. In the case of a pill-type supplement, once the capsule/tablet has dissolved in the stomach the active ingredients should be more or less good to go.

It’s also important to remember pill-type supplements are taken with water. They mix with it in the stomach and adopt a liquid state. Protein powders and other similar supplements are mixed with water before consumption.

Liquids travel through the stomach more quickly than food. That means they reach the intestines faster and pass through the intestinal walls into the blood at an accelerated rate.

When it comes to speed, amino acid-providing supplements have an edge that even the best protein-rich food cannot match.

The fact that supplements can get BCAAs to the muscles faster gives them obvious value. However, supplements of any kind should be used alongside a balanced diet. They should never be seen as a replacement for one.

Want the bottom line? There is a lot to be said for taking BCAAs in supplement form.

Some BCAA Supplement Benefits

The thing to remember is the benefits provided by BCAA supplements are the same as the ones you get from food. Supplements are just faster-acting, that’s all. I know this has already been covered but it’s an important point so it’s worth repeating.

When it comes to hard-trained muscles and about to be hard-trained muscles speed can make a big difference. That’s why so many people experience such good results while using supplements.

Let’s take a look at some of the things BCAAs can do when taken before and after a workout or sports session.

BCAAs Reduce Fatigue and Muscle Soreness During Exercise

A number of studies show consuming BCAAs prior to a workout supports increased physical intensity. This partly due to their ability to delay the onset of fatigue. However, a pre-workout dose of BCAAs can also prevent muscle damage during training.

If you want to get the maximum benefits from a workout you need to put in the maximum amount of effort. BCAAs can help you to do this.

During exercise, the muscles are busy using BCAAs and the amount circulating in the blood drops. When this happens, tryptophan (essential amino acid) levels increase in the brain.

Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin and the resulting elevations in serotonin cause fatigue. This is a well-known fact and is also the reason why so many pre-workout supplements provide extra BCAAs.

The researchers conducting one study on the energizing abilities of BCAAs actually referred to serotonin as “a central fatigue substance”.

As well as establishing the value of BCAAs in the role of fatigue prevention during exercise, the same research also shows BCAAs prevent muscle damage and boost energy. [SOURCE]

BCAAs Decrease Post-Workout Muscle Soreness

A good workout is hard on the muscles. It has to be. If it wasn’t you wouldn’t see a lot of benefit. The same can be said for most sporting activities so post-exercise muscle soreness is only to be expected.

However, some people experience post-workout muscle soreness for a number of days. It can be especially bad for those who are new to intense exercise. People who have taken a short break from exercise can have a similar problem.

Maybe they stopped during their vacation or due to injury or illness. Either way, the break can increase post-workout muscle pain.

Changing your routine often does this too. It’s great for providing muscle confusion and encouraging continued growth. There’s no denying that, but too much muscle soreness is never a good sign. It shows the muscles are still in the process of healing.

Consuming a fast-acting dose of BCAAs post-workout is a good way to accelerate the healing process and improve muscle growth. Research proves this [SOURCE]
However, there is also plenty of research that shows consuming BCAAs prior to a workout also offers good post-workout benefits. [SOURCE]

BCAAs Prevent Muscle Wastage

Research shows BCAAs also prevent muscle wastage. The thing to know is, muscle tissue is being lost and replaced all the time. The catabolic and resulting anabolic processes are normal—a part of life.

The only difference is bodybuilding and sports hit the muscle harder. Muscle wastage happens when muscle tissue breaks down faster than the body can repair it.

A combination of overtraining and bad diet is one possible cause. Certain diseases cause muscle wastage as well. Cancer is one of them.

However, the aging process can do it too. This age-related problem is called sarcopenia and it generally starts to kick in around the time you turn 30.

People who are physically inactive are hit worst. They can lose up to five percent of their muscle mass every decade after they turn 30. Worse still, the process can speed up when you reach 65-75 years of age. [SOURCE]

Obviously, the fact that you are training offers a certain amount of protection. However, we are all only human and it can be hard to make muscle gains when sarcopenia is working against us.

Fortunately, research shows supplementing with BCAAs offers protection from sarcopenia. [SOURCE]

The Bottom Line

So, what are BCAAs and why should you care? If you didn’t know the answer to the first part of that question you do now. As for the second part, that’s pretty much up to you. Do you care?

Whether you care or not, BCAAs are extremely important amino acids and although you should be able to get them from your diet, there is still a lot to be said for throwing a supplement into the mix.

Having said that, if your normal workout is pretty low-intensity you may find eating a balanced diet is enough.

However, if you are more focused on muscle growth or want to seriously improve your strength it could be a different matter. When you train your muscles especially hard you may need an especially efficient way of getting nutrients to them on time.

How serious are you and what do you want? The only person who can answer that is you.

Citrulline Malate – Reduces Fatigue and Helps Provide a Better Workout

Updated on February 25, 2022 by Brad Murphy

So what is Citrulline Malate and can it really improve my workout? Your questions answered.

Citrulline malate is an amino acid compound that’s become a big noise in the gym because of its ability to enhance performance and delay the onset of fatigue.

When you work harder in the gym you can get superior growth and strength increases. You know it and I know it. This is nothing new. Citrulline malate just offers a fresh way of doing it.

What is Citrulline Malate?

Citrulline malate is a compound in two parts. As the name suggests, it consists of citrulline and malate (malic acid).

Citrulline

Citrulline is an amino acid that’s created in the body when the amino acid ornithine combines with carbamoyl phosphate. This meeting of compounds occurs naturally within the body during the urea cycle. If you’ve never heard of it, the urea cycle is the body’s way of disposing of waste nitrogen. ]

The body also produces citrulline during the conversion process that turns the amino acid arginine into nitric oxide (NO). [1]

Malate

Malate is a salt compound that is sometimes used for preserving food. It occurs naturally in nature and, if you’ve ever bite into a sour apple, malate is the substance that causes it to bite back.

The compound is often bound with other ingredients, including citrulline, because it helps provides them with extra stability within the body.

Additionally, some studies suggest malate may have the ability to fight fatigue on its own [3]

Although it’s possible to create citrulline malate via chemical engineering, the compound is also naturally occurring in watermelons.

How Does Citrulline Malate Work?

Using supplements to boost the amount of citrulline present in the body appears to enhance the urea cycle. By doing so, it helps purge extra ammonia from the muscles. This delays the onset of fatigue.

In addition to this, the results of some studies show using supplements to increase citrulline results in greater levels of circulating arginine. This boosts NO. That’s why citrulline malate can provide a better pump.

It’s also one of the reasons why the compound is so good for enhancing performance and encouraging muscle growth.

Citrulline appears to be the key player in this winning combination. However, some researchers have speculated malate may help the body recycle the lactic acid that builds up during exercise and use it for energy.

The Value of Citrulline Malate as a NO Booster

One of the main reasons citrulline malate can be so good for fighting fatigue and empowering your workouts is its ability to boost NO. Let’s take a look at why this is important.

The Problem

Every time you work your muscles you are using energy. On a cellular level, this energy is supplied by ATP (Adenosine triphosphate), which is converted from the glucose shuttled to the muscles via the blood. It’s part of a process called cellular respiration and it can occur with or without oxygen.

When sufficient oxygen is present it’s known aerobic energy production. When there is not enough oxygen it’s anaerobic energy production. Let’s take a look at how the two differ.

During light to moderate exercise, your blood should be supplying the muscles with all the oxygen they need. When you pick up the pace and work your muscles harder your heart and lungs find it harder to keep up with your muscle’s demand for oxygen. That’s why you get out of breath.

Harder breathing supplies extra oxygen and helps things continue as normal. However, when you push too hard the blood can no longer supply enough oxygen. This is when anaerobic energy production comes into play. It will allow you to keep going, but not for long.

After a few minutes of anaerobic activity, lactic acid and ammonia build up in the muscles. The presence of lactic acid causes that familiar burning sensation that forces you to stop. When lactic acid builds up it can also make you feel sick and unwell.

Allowing ammonia to build up is also highly undesirable It’s very toxic to the cells and causes extreme fatigue]

How Citrulline Malate Addresses the Problem

By boosting NO, citrulline malate acts as a vasodilator. That’s science speak for a process that relaxes the blood vessels and improves the circulation.

By improving blood flow to the muscles during exercise, citrulline malate provides extra oxygen. This helps maintain aerobic energy production for a little longer.

Additionally, the improved flow of blood helps flush the lactic acid and ammonia from the muscles after you enter an anaerobic state. This also helps you to work the muscles harder for longer.

Proof that Citrulline Malate Works (What the Research Shows)

The performance-enhancing abilities pf citrulline malate have been well studied. Let’s take a quick look at some of the data that’s available.

Effects on Anaerobic Performance and Muscle Soreness

Data provided by researchers at the University of Cordoba in Spain proves Citrulline Malate provides both aforementioned benefits.

They set out to determine the compound’s ability to enhance performance while performing bench presses. Use of the supplement enabled the volunteers to push through significantly more reps than the members of the placebo group.

In addition to this, citrulline malate also reduced muscle soreness by 40 percent. [4]

Promotes Aerobic Energy Production In Exercising Muscle

This study was carried out in France. Eighteen men took part. All of them were chosen because they were suffering from unexplained fatigue.

After 15 days of supplementing with citrulline malate the changes in muscle metabolism was shown to promote improvements in aerobic energy production.

The researchers speculated this may be due to the compound’s ability to enhance malate supply sufficiently, thereby “activating ATP production from the tricarboxylic acid cycle through anaplerotic reactions”.

Effects on Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils Oxidative Burst and Nitric Oxide Production After Exercise

If you shouting, “Poly what?” I hear ya. Why do these scientific types always have to make things so complicated?

Do you know what? I don’t really even care what “Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils Oxidative Burst” means. All I care about is the study shows citrulline malate is an NO booster.

The guys who took part in the study were all professional cyclists. They took supplements that provided citrulline malate and then climbed on their bikes.

Taking the supplement increased the amount of citrulline and arginine available for NO synthesis. This primed them for the coming burst of oxygen without causing any oxidative damage. In simple terms: the study proves citrulline malate is a good NO booster. [SOURCE]

Additional Benefits

Apart from its abilities as a performance enhancer, citrulline malate appears to have some other interesting capabilities.

Research conducted in Spain suggests using supplements that contain citrulline malate before you exercise may boost human growth hormone (HGH).

In addition to this, the supplement was also shown to enhance the way the body makes use of amino acids. Especially branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). On top of this, the research also suggests citrulline malate may boost creatine production within the body.

Increases HGH

Increasing the production of HGH within the body can only be seen as a good thing. It’s an important hormone that improves fat burning and promotes faster healing and tissue repair. HGH also has anti-aging capabilities and is often thought of as being the body’s internal fountain of youth.

Enhances the Benefits of Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks your body uses for repairing and creating muscle protein. Any compound that can improve the process offers obvious advantages.

BCAAs have greater importance than other amino acids because they make up a larger percentage of muscle tissue. There are only three BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

Leucine is particularly important because it’s the all-important key that unlocks the cells and permits the other amino acids to enter. Acting a bit like a switch, it sets protein synthesis in motion and allows the other amino acids to do their jobs.

Increases Creatine

Creatine occurs naturally in the muscles, but athletes often take it in supplement form. Boosting creatine levels in this way facilities faster healing and growth.

Numerous studies show supplementing with creatine can promote dramatic growth. In fact, one study shows supplementing with creatine can actually double your gains in muscle mass and strength. [5]

Obviously, citrulline malate’s ability to boost normal stores of creatine will be minimal, but any increase is highly desirable.

When Is the Best Time to Use Citrulline Malate?

Different people are using the supplement in different ways.

A lot of people take it 30-45 minutes before their workouts so they can really push their boundaries and train with added intensity.

Others prefer to take it after they’ve finished training to help them heal faster, avoid muscle pain, and help with growth.

Still others take citrulline malate just before going to bed. The idea is it will boost HGH production while they are sleeping and promote faster healing.

There are arguments for and against all three options. Personally, I prefer to use it pre-workout and feel the benefits during training.

Citrulline Malate Dosage

If you are taking a supplement that combines citrulline malate with other ingredients you will need to follow the instructions on the pack.

However, if you are using a basic citrulline malate powder the dose is generally two grams of powder combined with 200 ml of water or the juice of your choice. If the pack tells you otherwise though, go with that.

Citrulline Malate v Arginine

Due to the fact that the body converts arginine into NO, a lot of people wonder why using citrulline malate is preferable to using a straight arginine supplement.

Using arginine is something that was done in the past. However, research continues to reveal the fact that citrulline malate is better.

Strange as it may seem, taking a citrulline malate supplements increases plasma arginine levels better than arginine supplements do. That’s why there has been an industry-wide shift to using citrulline malate in place of arginine.

Arginine supplements are also notoriously hard on the stomach. Citrulline malate is not, so it’s a better option all around.

The Bottom Line

Citrulline malate is a research-backed performance enhancer that can help you to train harder and reap better benefits from all that hard work.

Not surprisingly, it’s becoming increasingly popular with supplement manufacturers and supplement users alike. It’s an exciting ingredient that gets the job done.

Apart from being excellent for boosting NO, citrulline malate also offers a few lesser known benefits, such as boosting HGH and creatine.

The thing to remember is research into the ingredient’s abilities is ongoing. There is no way of knowing what other virtues future studies may reveal.

I’m guessing the popularity of the citrulline malate is only going to increase and that’s no bad thing. It’s a lot easier on the body than many of the other performance-enhancing compounds and supplements some people are using instead.