|
" Christian Thibaudeau's BCAA Protocols
Christian Thibaudeau is on the high end of the scale, but the results speak for themselves:
"Over the past year, I've had several clients gain up to 8 pounds of lean mass in 2 weeks using my protocol. While most of my clients don't gain 8 pounds in two weeks, most will gain an average of 1-2 pounds per week over the first 8 weeks of use."
Here's what Christian recommends:
5 servings of 5-10 grams per day (i.e. about 4 to 8 Biotest BCAA tablets):
1. Upon waking up (especially if you engage in pre-breakfast cardio).
2. Between breakfast and lunch.
3. Between lunch and supper.
4. Mid-evening.
5. Before going to bed.
"Each serving would ideally be 10 grams; that will give you the best gains by far. The results are very close to being drug-like, and I'm not one to say this lightly. I put my reputation on the line."
Chad Waterbury's BCAA Protocols
Chad Waterbury has devised several BCAA protocols for his clients, some as high as 20 grams per serving and some as low as 3 grams per serving.
One of his favorites, though, is his "Mid-Sleep BCAA Protocol for Cutting or Bulking."
"I've long stressed the importance of night-time feedings for growth and recovery. Problem is, most people don't want to get up in the middle of the night and have a protein shake. But with a good BCAA supplement, all they need to do is have the pills sitting next to their alarm clock with a glass of water. They wake up briefly, take the pills, and they're back asleep."
Chad's nighttime protocol calls for 1.5 grams of BCAA per 25 pounds of lean body mass. In other words, a 200-pound man would take roughly 8 Biotest BCAA tablets upon awakening.
Chad is also big on using BCAA for cutting, for which he prescribes 0.75 grams of BCAA per 25 pounds of LBM four times a day, between meals. (That equals about 4 Biotest BCAA tablets 4 times a day, for the prototypical 200-pound man.)
John Berardi's BCAA Protocols
While Christian and Chad probably represent two ends of the BCAA dose spectrum, nutritionist John Berardi's preferences lie somewhere in the middle.
For muscle gain or athletic performance, John recommends:
Non-Training Days: 4 Biotest BCAA tablets (roughly 5 grams), 2 or 3 times a day, split evenly throughout the day.
Training days: 4 Biotest BCAA tablets upon waking, 4 tablets during training, and 4 tablets after training, the two latter doses being in addition to a serving of Biotest's Surge.
However, John also has a pretty interesting protocol that he uses on himself every couple of years to get super ripped. Get this, John Berardi, Mr. "Massive Eating" himself, will occasionally go on a stint where he eats 3 meals a day, totaling about 2,000 calories, interspersed with three 10-gram "feedings" of BCAA.
The large amounts of BCAA offset any potential muscle loss from the fairly severe bout of calorie restriction.
As you can see, the recommended dosages vary. However, I think it's absolutely clear that BCAA are a valuable and indispensable tool for building muscle, improving athletic performance, or maintaining muscle while losing body fat. "
and Charles Poliquin has recommended 40 grams per workout
" Mega-Dose BCAAs
Now, during workout the most important thing is Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs). People who claim they don't get results from them simply don't take enough. A 200 pound man should take 40 grams of BCAAs during a workout. I also add 9 grams of Carnosine.
I make my own amino acid blend capsules and find that you can train much harder with them and not get sore. In between sets you take four or five capsules. My athletes might go through 40 or 50 capsules per workout. We just dump about fifty capsules in a bottle and make sure they're all gone by the end of the workout. I find that to be very anabolic. Most people who try that protocol break their plateaus right away.
BCAAs have a host of research-supported benefits including preventing catabolism, stimulating anabolism, lowering DOMS, and providing endurance, energy, and an increased rate of recovery. Military personnel in many countries now receive BCAA solutions to prevent mental fatigue during maneuvers."
|
Linear Mode
