What does BCAA stand for?

We've all been there before. You're starting a journey to sculpt a new you, both mentally and physically. You research new diets and workout plans. You shop and food prep with the little time and energy you have. 

You sleep as best you can and wake up sore from training. But it's all worth it. You're making progress and people are really starting to notice. Your muscles start popping out in places that you didn't know had muscles. People are saying things like, "Hey, you’re looking good! Have you been working out?"

You’re feeling great! You're taking the world in your stride and people are asking you questions about nutrition and exercise because they want what you've got. Your new found confidence. Your glow. Your lithe muscular physique.

And then it happens.

After a tough session one day when some of your PBs get demolished, you are catching your breath, trying to come to terms with reality again. A reality where heavy weights don't need to be lifted for the time being as you lay in a heap on the gym mats using your duffel bag as a capricious pillow.

Quite comfortably there, you drift off into a state of existence between sleep and wake, and start daydreaming. You're walking into a bar in an old western movie and the room goes dead quiet.

A man with a toothy grin and grisly beard filled with more grime than hair says, “Do you take BCAAs?”

You re-position your well-worn workout cap, sweat dripping from your brow onto a dusty weather-worn cheek and look him straight in the eye and say "I slam down BCAAs like this lot do shots of tequila.”

And then you snap out of it, dust yourself off and leave the gym, realising that it's time for some BCAA supplementation.

And you’re in luck. The kind of luck that pots of gold at the bottom of rainbows don’t compare to. Because here at Sporty’s Health, we do in fact know quite a bit about health, supplements and that's right ... even BCAAs.

We will let you know what BCAA stands for ... and we will even let you know, in our infinite kindness, how BCAAs can help you out with your training goals.

Aren't we just a group of impeccable humanitarians?

What are BCAAs? 

BCAA stand for Branched-Chain Amino Acid. Three amino acids make up the group of BCAAs, which are:

• Leucine

• Isoleucine

• Valine

The 3 BCAAs are also Essential Amino Acids. You need to get them either from your diet, or from supplements. Your body can’t manufacture them. If you're looking to boost your BCAA intake through food, you will more than likely already be eating the protein rich foods that have the highest BCAA content. These are foods like fish, red meat, chicken, eggs and more. The difference between eating your BCAAs and/or using a  BCAA supplement is that in the supplement form they are already pre-digested and ready for absorption.

This makes supplementing with BCAAs daily a great option for you if you are training. Supplementing with BCAAs gives you a quick turbo-boost of much-nedded nutrients. There are many other Essential Amino Acids to get from your diet too, but the Branched-Chain Amino Acids are a bit special in the way they work. Especially if you are dieting or training.

How can BCAAs help me? 

There are many reasons why you should keep track of your daily BCAA intake. Here are some of the main reasons why BCAAs can help you:

• Daily body functions

• Protein synthesis

• Energy production

• Cognitive function

• Performance

• Endurance

• Recovery time

• Support weight management

As you can see, BCAAs can play an important role in your body and you need to make sure you are getting enough of them either through diet or supplements.

When do you need to take BCAAs?

This relates to supplementing your BCAAs. We would hope you would still be eating and getting most of your daily Essential Amino Acid intake through the foods you are eating. When to take BCAAs can come down to a few things; the type of diet you are on, the type of athlete you are and what your goals are. You have a few options on when to use BCAAs to help your recovery and training.

•  Pre Workout / Training

•  During Workout / Training (Intra)

•  After Workout / Training

• Throughout the day

We will elaborate for you the above timings and also give you a few different ways you can use your BCAA supplements.

Pre Training BCAA 

If you use your BCAA supplement pre training it is better 20 to 30 minutes before. This gives the aminos time to digest into your system and be available for your body to use when you hit the gym or whatever exercise you are doing.

During Training BCAA

Secondly is during training. You have your pre workout supplement or go through your normal pre workout / training routine and then sip on your BCAA supplement throughout your training.

After Training BCAA 

After training is another time you can take your BCAA supplement. We recommend if you are using your BCAA supplements after training you have another recommended dose. You can still have a protein shake after this as well if you think that you will need it to help your recovery.

During the Day BCAA

Finally, you can sip on your BCAA supplement through the day. Mix it up and keep it close having sips every now and then. Make sure you are still having water throughout your day on top of the BCAAs too as you need to still keep hydrated.

BCAA Suggested Daily Use

Alternatively, here is a way you help maximise your workout / training using a BCAA supplement.
Here is a suggestion you might want to try:

• 30 minutes out, have your Pre-Workout / Training Supplement

• At the same time mix up your BCAA Supplement

• Sip on BCAA Supplement leading into Workout / Training

• Leave enough so you can continue to sip BCAA Supplement during Workout / Training

• Complete Workout / Training

• Have second serve of BCAA Supplement straight after Workout / Training

• Mix Protein Shake and sip on the way out

• Relax and have a meal and watch re-runs of W.W.E back when it was W.W.F

You want to get some BCAAs now, right? 

After learning what BCAA stands for (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) and also getting a bit more information about them and how they may help you we bet you are just itching to get your hands on some to try. We have quite an extensive range here at Sporty’s Health. Too many to list on one page in fact. That is a good thing for you though as you will never get bored trying different flavours and formulas too! There are over 50 different types of BCAA Supplements to choose from currently.

We have BCAA Supplements from the brands Scivation, Max’s, Optimum Nutrition, MusclePharm, Cellucor, BSN, BSc, Balance and more! 

So here is the link for you that takes you away to this page, BCAA Supplements For You!