BCAA Powder Benefits: Can Branched-Chain Amino Acids Accelerate Workout Results?

To build a lean, strong physique, you need to exercise consistently (with intensity!) and fuel your muscles with important nutrients while also burning more calories than you consume.

And while high-quality protein sources are going to help support your lean body goals, BCAA powder is a GREAT safety net when it comes to ensuring your muscles are getting the TLC they need to grow and recover.

But what exactly are BCAAs, and how can they help accelerate workout results and lean body goals? We're going to cover what BCAAs are, how to use a BCAA powder, and how they can affect your workout results.
Let’s dive right in!

To understand BCAAs, let’s back up to protein for just a second.Protein is a super important nutrient to help stimulate your body’s growth and repair.

Protein is made up of several different amino acids.In total, there are 20 different amino acids. Eleven of them can be made in the body (non-essential).

Eleven amino acids are made in the body (non-essential) and some are not.

The amino acids that are not made in the body and that must be consumed through our diet are essential amino acids.

Of these essential amino acids, there are 3 referred to as BCAAs, or branched-chain amino acids, due to their molecular structure. These three BCAAs are…

• Leucine
• Isoleucine
• Valine

And guess what? These BCAAs play an important role in helping your muscles recover and grow as you train and fuel your body properly.

When it comes to building a lean, sculpted body, proper nutrition and consistent exercise are everything.
As we work out, we burn calories and our muscles are broken down. Our muscles then need to be fed and fueled properly so they can recover and become stronger.

And as we burn more calories than we consume, we shed fat to reveal toned muscle.

Protein is a super important nutrient to help stimulate growth and repair.

Protein is made up of several different amino acids, and these amino acids are what help our muscles grow stronger, combat soreness, and recover after exercise!
BCAAs, as we mentioned earlier, play a super important role in helping maximize post-workout recovery and muscle growth.

When you’re trying to build a toned, sculpted physique, you’re essentially trying to lean out and lose unwanted body fat to reveal the muscle you’ve been building in the background!

High-quality protein and BCAAs can help support muscle growth. Keep in mind when we say muscle growth we don’t mean “bulk” or “bodybuilder mass.”

We’re talking about helping build muscle size that will help give your body that sculpted look as you lose weight.

Research shows that BCAAs–leucine, in particular–can help support protein synthesis (which is important for muscle growth) as well as strength increases when combined with intense exercise.

If you've ever pushed yourself during workouts, then you are certainly no stranger to that sore muscle feeling!
BCAAs have been studied for their ability to help reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness and even help minimize protein breakdown, which is important when you are trying to preserve muscle while burning calories to reveal a lean, sculpted physique.

But why is this important?

BCAAs make up around 35% of the essential amino acids found in muscle proteins (those building blocks). In total, they account for 40% of the amino acids REQUIRED by your body.

This means BCAAs are crucial during times of muscle wasting and breakdown.

One double-blind crossover study shows healthy, untrained female participants ingested either BCAAs or a placebo (dextrin, which is a carbohydrate) before performing the squat exercise.

Delayed onset muscle soreness peaked on Days 2 and 3 in both trials, but researchers report that the level of soreness “was significantly lower in the BCAA trial than in the placebo.”

So why is this important? Well, one big reason is that helping reduce soreness can help keep you mentally in the game and consistently working out and training without feeling the need to take several days off waiting for the soreness to pass.

Another big benefit of BCAA supplementation is its ability to help decrease mental fatigue during exercise.

First things first. Without throwing on a lab coat and going full science class, it’s important to note that when the level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is changed in the brain, it can cause fatigue.

Research shows that consuming BCAAs can help delay fatigue in the brain by interfering with 5-HT synthesis.

Reducing fatigue in any capacity can help your workout performance so you can push yourself to train harder and accelerate your workout results.

BCAAs can be found from a variety of food sources but are most beneficial from complete protein sources as they contain all the essential amino acids.

Here are the best food sources of BCAAs:

• Beef. The serving size of 3.5 oz equals 6.8 grams.
• Chicken Breast. The serving size of 3.5 oz equals 5.88 grams.
• Canned Tuna. The serving size of 3.5 oz equals 5.2 grams.
• Salmon. The serving size of 3.5 oz equals 4.9 grams.
• Turkey Breast. The serving size of 3.5 oz equals 4.6 grams.
• Eggs. The serving size of two eggs equals 3.28 grams.

If it’s rich in protein, it probably contains a good amount of BCAAs! If you are looking to get more BCAAs in your diet, a good BCAA supplement should contain around 8 grams or more.

BCAAs are a super convenient supplement. Generally, the best way to consume BCAAs is to simply mix them with water.

Just shake them up and you are good to go!As far as when you should supplement with BCAAs, it depends. Some studies show that participants consumed them in the morning before their training.

If your BCAAs include any other ingredients, you may want to consume them closer to or during your workout.

However, if you decide to supplement with BCAAs, we also recommend that you support your BCAA consumption with a diet that consists of high-quality protein sources, as this type of protein will provide additional important amino acids to help support lean body goals.

BCAAs are for ANYONE looking to enhance their current fitness routine. Whether that includes building more muscle after a resistance workout, preventing fatigue during a long aerobic workout, or decreasing exercise-related soreness, BCAAs got your back.

The majority of BCAA clinical studies focus on men using BCAAs but there are some studies that focus on women and BCAAs.

This study examined 12 untrained female participants using BCAAs to help prevent delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMs). The results found that muscle damage was suppressed by supplementing with BCAAs.

If you want to truly create a lean, sculpted body, you need to train consistently and fuel your body with important nutrients while creating a calorie deficit.

That’s exactly why Chris and Heidi poured their 3 decades of combined fitness and transformation experience into creating what we believe to be the BEST BCAA supplement ever: Perform BCAAs.

Perform BCAAs are an easy-to-use, delicious supplement that provides 8g of branched-chain amino acids in a studied 2:1:1 ratio.

This means you are getting a great dose of BCAAs in every single serving.

But Chris and Heidi take these BCAAs and, quite frankly, exercise, one step further.

To help boost training experience so you can give your body the workout it deserves, Chris and Heidi added a special Hydration Blend.

This blend includes ingredients like coconut water powder and Himalayan rock salt to help keep you feeling hydrated, even during the most intense training sessions.

And using Perform BCAAs is super convenient. Just mix one scoop with 12-16 ounces of cold water or your beverage of choice.

And if that wasn’t enough, Chris and Heidi set out to create the BEST tasting BCAAs. Because the best BCAA supplement doesn’t just contain important ingredients to help support your workouts and results, it also has to taste amazing.

And we’d have to agree! ;) In fact, we are so confident that you will love Perform BCAAs that we’ve backed them with a money-back guarantee. So you have NOTHING to lose!

It’s time to start performing at the highest level. Check out Perform BCAA powder today to get started.