Taking Amino Acids Before a Workout

Would amino acids before your workout be effective and how much, for increasing stamina, endurance and losing weight? BCAA (Branched chain amino acid) supplements are known to be the best for athletes, and if taken prior to or during their workout sessions, and not with meals.

 

You may be aware of the product called “Pre-Workout” and a few more that are designed simply as pre-workout supplements. And they are some of the best selling products on the gym supplements industry, in fact the best seller after whey protein. We’re not going to recommend any brands here as there are a few good ones out there, each with their own mixtures or recipes.

But a common composition in most of these pre-workout products would be a mix of BCAA, L-tyrosine, arginine, creatine, beta-alanine and caffeine. The promises by the supplement companies are big, such as great muscular endurance and strength gains, increase in your energy levels and a decrease in fat. And they use all their marketing and advertising techniques to sell their products, with great packaging and offering free samples.

So if you are going to take these BCAA supplements, take a dose of 5 grams ten minutes before your workout as they will help you lift more (creatine and caffeine) and prepare you for an intense workout, if you haven’t eaten or taken any protein one to two hours prior. And during your workout (intra-training) you can take up to 10 grams of BCAA supplement in your protein shake that you drink throughout your training, so that they are quickly absorbed by your muscles.

Muscle catabolism will be much less likely to happen and you will feel much less fatigue. And you probably want to stop drinking thirty minutes before the end of your workout. And you can take 5 grams of BCAA post-workout to help your muscles recover faster. Your best bet after your training session is a serving of whey protein, for both recovery and to get the best out of whey in terms of muscle growth. The BCAA supplements help prevent muscle catabolism, have an anabolic effect and help with the protein synthesis and more importantly your body will have the energy it needs.

It may also be a good idea to spread the doses throughout the day for muscle retention. But how much will depend on the brand and the type of BCAA you’re taking. And you may want to discuss this with your trainer. There are plenty of options on the market for your pre-workout supplement. You may even consider the proper protein sources like dairy, legumes and meats. You can take whey protein powders that contain a variety of amino acids. Taking amino acids before your training will help stimulate the synthesis of muscles.

Your body and muscles will remain in the anabolic state, which means your muscles grow rather than breaking down. Delayed onset muscle soreness will be a lot less likely and you can get back to gym quicker and sooner without any pain. But too much of whey and amino acids will be harmful for your body. Excessive use will cause burdens on your kidneys as the unused protein will need to be processed by your kidneys before getting out of your body. And this burden of the increased workload will cause damage and even poisoning.

 

And then you have in fact some recent studies conducted on the effectiveness of these pre-workout mixtures. They found zero to very little effect on strength, work volume, muscle endurance, physical performance or decrease in body fat. There was an increase in energy if they contained sugar, and an increase in concentration and attention and less fatigue if they contained creatine and caffeine. What these studies are saying is you’re just purchasing the coffee (and perhaps creatine alone) at a very high price.

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