So Whats Next After Whey Protein?

[AverageWorkouts]

Taking a Protein Supplement is a basic rule of thumb.

What else should I be using? Was thinking some kind of pre workout supplement for better pumps/more energy. Suggestions would be great. Id prefer something I dont have to cycle on and off of ( not sure if there is, only 6 months into working out ).

[200byjune]

bcaas. creatine, it does need to be cycles but wat wrong with that all you do is stop using it and jumo on 3 weeks later. i wouldnt recomend a NO product. just get a good preworkout meal with 1 scoop whey, 5g bcaas, and somthing for carbs maybe oats

[AverageWorkouts]

I know this will sound dumb but im scared shitless of creatine haha. 2 of my friends used it although they gaind muscle weight and bulked up, they looked like they were pumped with water. It gave them almost a fat look and I just cut down from 226 ( im 6.2 ) to 185 and the last thing I want to do is screw up my work cause of a supplement.

Care to go into detail on bcaas? While I wait for more responses ill look for info on the site.

[200byjune]

Edge
April 1, 2004



Top competitors, like Mindi O'Brien, know the value of proper supplementation -- using only the key supplements that really work for them.
(photo February 2004 by D. Dave Paul)


The Benefits of Branched-Chain Amino Acids

The latest craze in muscle building is branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), so called because of their shape -- a branching structure of molecules. How has this specific type of amino acid become a supplement popular with the "muscle building" crowd?

There are three BCAAs -- isoleucine, leucine, and valine -- and the first attractive fact about them is the beneficial role they play with regards to muscle tissue. Like another amino acid, L-glutamine, they aid in preventing muscle-protein breakdown, which in turn, preserves muscle. Also similar to L-glutamine, the BCAAs appear to perform this function when the body is under stress from intense exercise or prolonged illness.

Additionally, BCAAs are necessary for the energy cycle within our muscles, especially during exercise. Since the body is more concerned with energy requirements than achieving lean body mass, if insufficient BCAAs are present, muscle protein is broken down into its amino acids, which are then used in the muscle's energy cycle. It is believed that the resulting overall loss of muscle tissue is preventable with BCAA supplementation.

The third reason for BCAA's rising popularity is that they are essential amino acids, and as such, represent a risk area where critical deficiencies may occur. Our body requires 28 amino acids, and though the liver makes 80% of these, we still have to ingest protein to acquire the remaining essential amino acids. When we eat protein, it is broken down into amino acids -- branched-chain and all -- in the small intestine. From there, they are absorbed and sent to the liver. These amino acids are distributed throughout the body, which then uses them to rebuild new proteins such as muscle, enzymes, and hormones. If a diet is lacking in protein, deficiencies in the essential amino acids may occur. In recognition of this risk, vegetarians are sometimes recommended to supplement with BCAAs.

Fortunately, a typical North American diet is very high in protein, and thus BCAA deficiencies are rare. To illustrate, we can look at the case of a 125-pound woman. The recommended daily allowance of BCAAs is around 20mg per pound of bodyweight, so our subject would require 2.5 grams per day -- an amount easily absorbed in the course of pursuing a well-rounded diet. It's worth noting, however, that deficiencies may still occur, especially with illness or prolonged periods of physical stress.

Discussing the recommended daily allowance brings us to the fourth point that accounts for the emerging popularity of BCAAs. The RDA we're discussing is specified for inactive people; for athletes, who are constantly pushing their bodies to extremes, their skeletal muscle store of BCAAs may be used up. Maintaining adequate amounts of BCAAs may reduce fatigue and decrease the chances of overtraining. This is why athletes are typically recommended to take around 10 grams per day, and why some manufacturers recommend as much as 20 grams per day (significantly more than we mere mortals require). At worst, these higher levels strain your pocketbook -- there have been no incidences of BCAA overdose.

Currently, medical studies on BCAAs and muscle growth have been contradictory, with some finding benefits and others not. What is known is that inside a resting muscle there are six amino acids that are metabolized: isoleucine, leucine, valine (the BCAAs), and asparagine, aspartate, and glutamate. One of the functions of the BCAAs, which make up one third of the amino-acid complement, is to work with glutamate to create glutamine. Glutamine is also sold as a supplement for its important role in the production of proteins and the release of fuel -- the two roles that BCAAs also play.

What the L- and D- Mean
Have you ever wondered why some amino acids begin with L- or D-? They represent the forms of amino acids. Amino acid molecules form a spiral shape. D means that the spiral winds right, L means that the spiral winds left. As humans, our bodies use the L type.

...Alison Aulph
[email protected]



It is also known that during exercise, muscle proteins are broken down into amino acids, and researchers measure the levels of these amino acids in order to determine the amount of protein breakdown. BCAA supplementation prior to exercise appears to decrease the levels of these amino acids. What is unclear is whether the BCAAs are preventing protein breakdown or re-synthesizing the amino acids back into proteins. This may be irrelevant, though, since in either case, if you spare the proteins, you spare the muscle tissue.

As mentioned, not all studies find increases in muscle tissue with BCAA supplementation. This could be because the true benefit BCAAs provide may only be for those who stress their bodies through extreme and regular exercise, not volunteers who show up at a lab for a short test. Muscle gains seen with BCAAs may be attributable to the fact that athletes who risk overtraining may prevent or postpone it with BCAA supplements, and therefore work out harder -- with the end result being more muscle. This theory receives support from the fact that studies using endurance athletes and athletes who participate in intensive resistance training exercise (for example, bodybuilders) have found positive results with BCAAs.

It's still too soon to say whether BCAAs are simply the latest supplement fad or are here to stay. As further research is conducted, their role in skeletal muscle will become even more clear. These facts, and their communication to the consuming public, will allow the final verdict on their ultimate benefits to be rendered intelligently