Today, in our country, quite a lot of people go in for sports. And this is very good. If an athlete wants to quickly gain muscle mass and increase his endurance, the ideal solution for him would be the use of the BCAA complex. The benefits and harms of these drugs are what athletes are usually interested in. The composition of the BCAA complex includes important amino acids that actively influence the set of muscle mass. In addition, they allow you to achieve good results in sports and get rid of excess fat. In this review, we will consider why these complexes are necessary and what their use gives.
Features
Let's take a closer look at this aspect. One of the types of modern sports nutrition are amino acids BCAA. The benefits and harms of such funds are individual for each athlete. The following features of this type of food can be distinguished:
- Amino acids of a special structure, which are part of this complex, improve the process of their conversion into energy. Because they are an essential nutrient that the body cannot produce on its own, this property of BCAAs makes them easier to absorb during strenuous exercise.
- Amino acids trigger protein synthesis. This protects the muscles from damage during excessive exercise. An increase or decrease in muscle mass is associated with the presence of the amino acids necessary for its construction. Thus, taking BCAAs during exercise increases muscle growth.
- BCAA complexes are essential for athletes who focus on weight training in their workouts. The body needs funds to maintain muscle mass.
In addition to the above benefits of BCAA, you can also add the fact that the use of this dietary supplement in combination with taurine gives an interesting effect.
Composition
So what do you need to know about this? Before talking about the effect of the complex on the body, you should consider what substances are part of BCAA. The benefits and harms of these funds primarily depend on their components. Here are the three main amino acids that make up the complexes:
- leucine;
- valine;
- isoleucine.
This combination provides the following benefits:
- Increased water content in muscle fibers - allows you to reduce the damage caused to the muscles during training.
- Amino acids make muscle fibers more sensitive to calcium. This component inhibits the production of by-products that can lead tofatigue, and also contributes to a more effective recovery of the body after training.
Leucine is the most effective of the three amino acids present in BCAAs. It helps to maintain normal muscle fibers, ensures their growth, and is also responsible for the production of collagen. Isoleucine is essential for the breakdown of cholesterol and the absorption of carbohydrates. Valine is needed to replenish energy reserves. In addition, he takes part in the synthesis of glycogen.
Individually, each of the components of BCAA has a positive effect on the human body, but the maximum effect can be achieved by the complex intake of all three constituent elements.
Useful properties
The main question that worries those who are just starting to take BCAAs is the benefits and harms for men. First, consider the positive characteristics of such complexes:
- Quick recovery of the body during prolonged physical exertion.
- Reducing muscle fatigue and maintaining them at the right level of performance.
- Possibility of building muscle mass.
Harmful Properties
This aspect should be read first. Do BCAAs have deficiencies? Harm to the body, subject to the rules of admission in medical conditions, has not been identified. However, there are a number of contraindications in which the use of BCAA complexes is not recommended. One of them is an allergy to milk protein. in sports nutritionthis component is contained in a high concentration, so it is better not to use it.
The main purpose of sports supplements is to eliminate nutritional imbalances. For non-professional athletes, their use is not mandatory.
Efficiency
So what do you need to know about this? How to check if BCAAs are working? The benefits of these complexes have been proven by numerous clinical studies. In one of the most famous experiments, subjects were divided into three groups. The first included athletes who restricted their protein intake. The second group included athletes for whom protein food was a priority in the diet. The third included athletes who severely restricted themselves in food, but consumed the BCAA complex. After a certain period of time, it was found that the participants in the third group experienced the least weight loss. So the benefits of BCAAs are not unfounded and are confirmed by clinical studies.
Muscle Recovery
There have been a number of studies involving trained and non-athletic people. As a result, doctors were able to find that this dietary supplement reduces muscle pain after exercise. The use of 100 mg / kg of body weight reduces the period of muscle soreness by 48 hours. It helps ordinary people recover faster after a strenuous workout.
Popular Supplements
When choosing the right BCAA complex, be sure to take into account the recommendations of experiencedathletes and experts. Below is the ranking of sports nutrition in order of effectiveness:
- Sci Vation Xtend: One serving (14g) powder contains 3.5g of the amino acid leucine, glutamine, citrulline, pyrodoxine.
- SAN Intra Fuel: Great as a pre-workout supplement to improve endurance. One of the most concentrated formulations. 7g of BCAAs per 11g.
- BPI Sports Best: a distinctive feature of this complex is the optimal combination of taste characteristics of the product and cost. The weight of one serving is 10 g.
- Muscle Pharm: 5g amino acid dose per serving. The complex is available in the form of capsules.
Admission rules
Let's take a closer look at this aspect. How to take BCAA correctly? Harm to the body will be minimal if the complexes are used according to a special scheme. The fact is that a set of muscle mass when taking BCAA occurs in the following cases:
- Long endurance exercise.
- Sport on an empty stomach.
- There is no meal time before or after workout.
- Following a vegetarian diet: For this category of athletes, BCAAs are a must as they include leucine, which stimulates protein production.
Complexes for weight gain should be consumed regardless of the time of training. You can take amino acids in the process of exercising. In this case, the complexshould be diluted with water. So amino acids can gradually enter the body and energize it. To close the protein-carbohydrate window, it is recommended to use the complex immediately after waking up in the morning. At one time, 5 g is enough. It is not advisable to take an increased volume, since the intestines can absorb no more than 5 g of the substance at one time.
How to take BCAAs for weight loss?
The fair sex is often interested in how BCAAs can be used for weight loss. The benefit of the correct reception of the complex in this case is guaranteed. The first step is to check if the diet is built correctly. It should provide a calorie deficit. To lose weight, the number of calories burned must exceed the number consumed. It is also important to include loads with maximum weight in your workouts. The number of repetitions should be at least 10 times. This approach will achieve better results than regularly repeated exercises. It is also important to consume the right amount of protein. Its content in one meal should not exceed 35 g.
Half an hour before training, the complex is taken in a volume of no more than 8 g. On days when there is no training, the use of sports nutrition can be reduced to 5 g.
Contraindications
This aspect should be given special attention. Can BCAAs make things worse? The harm from this complex of sports nutrition is caused if the athlete suffers from kidney diseases. It is also not recommended to use this kind of products for pregnant and lactating women. It has not been studied how BCAA affectsfetus and lactation. In other cases, subject to the rules of administration and the correct dosage, negative effects should not be observed.
Overdose
So what do you need to know about this? What happens if you take too much BCAAs? The harm in this case can be quite significant. Side effects of drug overdose include:
- Disturbances in the work of the kidneys. This organ is responsible for the excretion of waste products of the body, including processed proteins. In case of chronic diseases of the excretory system of the body or exceeding the dose of BCAA more than 50 grams per day, kidney function may be impaired.
- Sleep problems. Glutamine has a stimulating effect on the nervous system. With the use of increased concentrations of BCAA complexes, the effect can be quite impressive. That is why experts do not recommend experimenting with dosages. Please note that such harm from taking BCAAs is usually observed only in case of a significant excess of the dosage - by 5 times or more.
If the basic norms and recommendations of specialists are observed, there are no negative consequences from taking amino acid complexes. The benefits of BCAAs for men are to increase and maintain muscle mass. The intake of important components helps to increase the result while maintaining the same physical load on the body.
Side effects
This question should be read very first. Now you roughly know thatis a BCAA complex. The benefits and harms for men of this sports supplement depend on the dosage regimen. It is important to understand that excessive use of complexes in no way affects the improvement of results. Judging from the reviews of experienced athletes, in order to avoid side effects, it is important to observe the measure. Let's take a closer look at the consequences of using BCAAs at an increased dosage.
Bodybuilders are well aware that amino acids are involved in most metabolic reactions. As a result, under certain conditions, BCAAs can harm the body. In particular, such unpleasant diseases as cancer and diabetes can develop. The main reason for the harm from consuming BCAAs is that they are a powerful stimulant of the mTOR enzyme. This substance is responsible for nutrient sensitivity and the release of certain hormones that regulate cell division and survival. As a result, with an increase in the activity of this enzyme, cells begin to grow and divide. And this applies not only to muscle tissue. Elevated mTOR levels can lead to the development of cancer. Therefore, it is extremely important not to overdo it with the dosage of sports nutrition.
BCAAs also have an effect on blood sugar levels. An increased concentration of BCAAs is associated with increased insulin resistance and can subsequently lead to the development of diabetes. For this reason, doctors do not recommend taking BCAAs in the form of sports supplements, and also advise avoiding a large amount of protein in the diet.
Conclusion
In this review, we looked at what BCAAs are. The benefits and harms of such sports supplements depend on whether they are used correctly. At observance of the recommended dosage of negative consequences should not occur. But in any case, before you start taking something, think a few times!
