We all know how difficult it can be to take on all the nutrients and essential amino acids that we need on a day-to-day basis naturally via food sources. You either just don’t have time, or it’s hard to fit into your busy schedule.
Taking on these substances is even more critical when you ask your body to perform during running sessions or races.
We all know there are no cutting corners for increasing your speed or stamina. That’s purely down to hard work and determination. But in order to gain a competitive edge and help your body recover and progress quicker, there are a number of supplements like BCAA that can help tremendously.
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What Are BCAAs?
Twenty different amino acids make up the thousands of proteins in your body. Nine of those 20 are considered essential amino acids, meaning that your body can’t produce them, and we have to get them from our diet. Of those nine essential amino acids, three of them are called branched-chain amino acids or BCAA for short.
There are 3 BCAA’s which are converted into energy, and they are called:
- Valine
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
Branch chain refers to the chemical structure of branch chain amino acids, which are found in protein-rich foods like eggs, meat and dairy. They’re also a very popular dietary supplement typically sold in powder form.
Are BCAAs good for runners?
One amino acid called leucine activates specific pathways in the body that promote muscle protein synthesis or the building of new muscle. In one study, people who consumed a drink with 5.6 grams of branch chain amino acids after their resistance workout had a 22% greater increase in muscle protein synthesis than those who consumed a placebo drink.
BCAAs help you recover from running sessions by replenishing muscles and promoting recovery. So muscle proteins are constantly being broken down and then rebuilt, and this rebuilding is called muscle protein synthesis. Muscle breakdown or wasting occurs when that breakdown is greater than the rebuilding or the synthesis of the muscle protein.
Many runners who take BCAAs regularly report a high fatigue resistance, increase in muscle mass reduced muscle damage. During prolonged exercise, like long runs, BCAA consumption preserves glycogen stores and act as fuel for your muscles.
Many of the amino acids are broken down in the liver. First, BCAAs miss the liver and head directly to the muscles. Speeding up the process of muscle protein synthesis.
Is BCAA good for endurance?
Studies have shown that supplementing your diet with BCAAs in a tablet or powder form can significantly benefit your endurance running. Not only for the performance but also recovery helping prevent the breakdown of your muscles which happens during running.
Should I take BCAA before a run?
With the added advantages that I just mentioned above, there’s no wonder why people spend an awful lot of money each year on dietary supplements to help them recover and train better.
Taking BCAA before you run enables the body to quickly process any protein and feed that directly to the muscles offering a rapid energy source.
How much BCAA you need to take before you run does tend to come down to the individual. The more muscle you have, the more BCAA you need in order to process the protein adequately.
What To Look Out for
You should lookout for a few factors when buying BCAA, as nutrition supplements aren’t regulated. Although BCAAs have no known side effects, you should always be careful where you’re buying them from.
A few nutrition groups like NSF and Informed-Sport provide a reputable certification for all supplements brands, enabling you to make a quick decision knowing the supplement will not be cross-contaminated with other substances.
Here are the best BCAA’s for runners
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard BCAA
Optimum Nutrition is a huge brand when it comes to nutrition supplements and recovery options. I’ve used optimum Nutrition for many years now, and they’ve been spot-on every single time, and the flavours taste great. It’s a fantastic addition to help improve my performance.
Nutravita BCAA
If you’re not keen on taking your BCAA via powder form, there are tablets available. This enables you to take on board the amino acids without adding the powder to a drink that can upset people’s stomach, especially if you’re taking it before way workout.
Nutravita is fully certified in the UK.
As it comes in the tablet form, you don’t need to worry about flavours and tastes as he would just take it on board with a swig of water.
Conclusion
As you can see, the benefits of taking BCAA as a runner are apparent to see. The science behind it has been well researched and is fully accessible. When I’ve taken BCAA, the main advantage I find is more of the recovery side rather than the out-and-out performance. It enables me to train hard more frequently, knowing my Muscles can absorb protein and rebuild quicker and more efficiently than if I wasn’t taking BCAA.