When entering the fitness community you will hear a lot of new terms when it comes to building lean muscle mass.
Terms such as hypertrophy, muscle fibers, tendons, protein synthesis, and amino acids were all new to me when I first joined the fitness lifestyle, but they are super important to understand when it comes to building muscle mass.
Knowledge is the greatest tool you can have when coming into fitness lifestyle, it will ensure that you know everything that you body needs to do in order for you to achieve your dream physique and to achieve great health.
Today we will be talking about amino acids, we will be talking about what they are, what they do for the muscle, and some of the best ways to get a better amino acids intake.
Let's dive in!
What are Amino Acids?
Amino acids are organic compounds in the form of molecules, they serve as the building blocks of protein, they are what makes protein, protein.
Proteins are basically long chains of amino acids, they are called protein chains. Pretty simple huh.
Anyway, there are 20 different types of amino acids in the body to help with its function, the lack of even one of these amino acids can cause your body to function incorrectly, what I mean by this is negative bodily impacts.
These can include impacts on your ability to build muscle, repair muscle tissue and tendons and even could take a toll on your hormones.
Now you know why they are so important.
However there is more to the story, your body does not produce all 20 amino acids needed for function, there are 9 different amino acids that are called "essential amino acids" and they are only gained from the foods you eat. This is why diet is so important when looking to achieve better health.
All 9 of these essential amino acids have different functions such as being able to build muscle tissue, being able to repair tendons and muscle tissue, being able to digest foods, being able to balance your hormones and much more.
These facts are provided by the Cleveland Clinic.
What Amino Acids do for Muscles
As mentioned earlier, amino acids help build muscle tissue as well as repair it as well. But let's look deeper into how they do that.
Basically, when you eat food that includes a good amount of protein, the body breaks down the proteins and turns them into amino acids, then the amino acids (that are made up of protein chains) will repair damaged muscle fibers and tissue (after a workout).
Most importantly the amino acids will grow new muscle fibers which will result in the muscle growing (getting larger from outside) and for the muscle to get stronger.
This is why people get stronger after their workouts, because the amino acids allow them to.
Remember to progressive overload your muscles for optimal results of muscle-protein synthesis.
How Can I Get a Better Amino Acid Intake
There are many ways to get a better amino acid intake for the amino acids your body can not produce alone.
Here is a list showing the best foods and supplements you can use to get a great amino acid intake in a healthy way.
Best Foods to Eat to get more Amino Acids
Beef
Chicken
Fish
Eggs
Milk
Beans/Legumes
Nuts/Seeds
BCAA Supplements (Branched-Chain-Amino-Acids)
BCAA supplements come in powders that you can put in your water for better electrolytes and better BCAA's, they taste SUPER DELICIOUS, kind of like you are drinking juice.
When To Take BCAAs?
Many people ask, "When should I take my BCAAs?", well let me tell you that there is no specific time that you "should" take them, rather you can take them at any time. However, there are certain benefits of taking it at certain times.
NOTE: You should take BCAA on all the days that you workout to help with recovery and muscle growth.
You can take BCAA before or after a workout, the timing isn't as important as the supplement will do it's job either way, but there are some perks for taking BCAA before or after workout.
Before: Many people like taking BCAA Supplements before their workout because it provides an energy boost during the workout as well as supporting muscle preservation.
After: Many people like to take BCAA supplements after their workout because it helps for muscle recovery after a workout, pairing a BCAA drink with a nutritious meal after a workout will BOOST your recovery!
EAA vs BCAA
EEAs are "essential amino acids" and BCAAs are "branched-chain amino acids" as mentioned earlier. There are many differences and similarities between the two.
But here are some differences and facts when people ask what is the comparison of EAA vs BCAA:
BCAA (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) | EAA (Essential Amino Acids) |
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Top 4 Best Amino Acids Supplements 2024
1. ANS Performance Quench BCAA (New Product)
2. Revolution Nutrition Pure EEA Powder (ZERO Calories)
3. MuscleTech Amino-Build (Most BCAAs)
4. Cellucor BCAA Sport (Best for Sports)
Product Information
Tasty Flavors
New Brand and Product!
AMAZING electrolyte servings
Delicious
Description: ANS Performance BCAA is one of my personal favorite BCAA supplements as it provides a lot of high quality BCAAs such as leucine, and it incorporates delicious flavors to keep the muscle building experience enjoyable!
Product Information
Zero Calories
5g EAAs
Gluten Free
Great Flavors
Great for Muscle Mass Preservation and Protein Synthesis
Description: Revolution Nutrition EAA Powder is the ultimate user friendly amino acid supplement, filled with 9 essential amino acids, this supplement will help you pack on some lean muscle mass! If you're wanting to make the most out of the protein in your diet, then consider choosing Revolution Nutrition!
Product Information
7g BCAA per serving
40 Servings per tub
Delicious Flavors
Description :Muscle-Tech Amino Build is a great BCAA Formula as it provides 7g of BCAA per serving and has some great flavors. It features a premium formula to ensure maximum protein absorption.
Product Information
30 servings per tub
Great Flavors
Lots of electrolytes
Credible Amino Acid Supplement
Description: Cellucor BCAA Supplement is a classic BCAA supplement, they brand is SUPER credible as well as product. The container features 30 servings with lots of electrolytes and quality tested formulas.
Overall, amino acids are key to muscle growth and repair, their abundance in whole foods should be taken advantage of to ensure that your body is getting the best nutrients as possible to help sculpt your dream physique.
Thanks for reading!
Just a young man trying to bring fitness to the world!
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