BCAA questions

[GimpManlet]

Hey guys. I bought a tub of BCAAs yesterday. I do have some questions though about how exactly this works. The problem is that most bodybuilding websites will greatly simplify the science, and the actual medical studies don't sound as promising.

Mainly my question is: do BCAAs reduce muscle damage, or do they enhance anabolic state? The medical studies I skimmed only report on reduced muscle damage X hours after the workout (usually 24+ hours). However, muscle damage is a good thing as it releases hormones and promotes protein synthesis though? I want to be sure that the damage is still being done, that my workouts are still as effective while using BCAAs. The babble about using BCAAs while on a cut also lends some credibility to the "muscle protection" theory. The medical studies don't mention whether the damage is repaired more quickly, or whether the intramuscular damage is just prevented in the first place.

Some bodybuilding websites claim that BCAAs help your anabolic mechanisms to repair damage faster, but I couldn't find science to back this up. Anyone here an expert on the subject?

The stuff I use also has some glutamine peptides in it btw.

[rhadam]

There are like 5 threads a day asking questions about BCAAs. You could have easily used the search function on this forum and looked for relevant threads. These questions have been answered ad nauseam.

[GimpManlet]

I just read the 20 most recent active threads on BCAAs as per your advice.

Things I read, not all of which seems entirely backed up by solid arguments:
- you don't need BCAAs if you take adequate protein already
- BCAAs are shown to promote protein synthesis but have not actually been shown to make a difference in muscle building
- you feel less tired on BCAAs and you can do more volume in a workout

From the looks of it, if you get benefits from BCAAs at all while not on caloric deficit, it is that they facilitate repair and make you feel fresh again sooner after your workout. Does this more or less correspond to your conclusions about BCAAs from these topics that you have read ad nauseam?

[SLynn46]

General consensus on BCAAs:
-beneficial on a cut, fasted training, or between meals spaced 4-6 hours apart
-if you don't fall in to one of the above scenarios then save your money


Science:
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18974721
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20087302
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19352063


To answer one of the questions from your first post, no BCAAs will not prevent muscle damage, just suppress it.

[GimpManlet]

General consensus on BCAAs:
-beneficial on a cut, fasted training, or between meals spaced 4-6 hours apart
-if you don't fall in to one of the above scenarios then save your money


Science:
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18974721
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20087302
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19352063


To answer one of the questions from your first post, no BCAAs will not prevent muscle damage, just suppress it.

Thank you. Another article of interest, showing no greater muscle gains after 8 weeks of resistance training while on 9g of BCAA per training day (4x a week):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24620007
Only 19 subjects though.

[The Solution]

BCAA's would only benefit you for fasted AM Training dosed pre-workout or as a bolus between meals 4-6 hours apart

http://www.biolayne.com/wp-content/u...-Tech-2008.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/biolayne/o...nd-muscle-mass

[llahhsoj]

General consensus on BCAAs:
-beneficial on a cut, fasted training, or between meals spaced 4-6 hours apart
-if you don't fall in to one of the above scenarios then save your money


To answer one of the questions from your first post, no BCAAs will not prevent muscle damage, just suppress it.

BCAA's would only benefit you for fasted AM Training dosed pre-workout or as a bolus between meals 4-6 hours apart

http://www.biolayne.com/wp-content/u...-Tech-2008.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/biolayne/o...nd-muscle-mass

These are good advice here. BCAAs are generally a product that is real hit or miss with consumers.