BCAA Benefits: Is Fasted Training with Branched Chain Amino Acids Effective for Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle?
Today I’d like to discuss branched chain amino acids. You may have heard of BCAAs before but do they really live up to their claim of being effective for losing fat and gaining muscle? While I’d say there are many benefits of BCAAs, whether you decide to supplement with them will depend in part on when you exercise and how restrictive your diet is. For fasted training, I’d highly recommend using branched chain amino acids to help prevent muscle loss while maximizing fat loss. Any other time, there’s probably only a marginal benefit at best. Branched Chain Amino Acids Let’s start with the basics. What are branched chain amino acids? In short, they’re the best building blocks of protein (essential amino acids known as valine, leucine, and isoleucine). While your body cannot produce BCAAs on its own, you’re likely getting plenty of these amino acids from your diet, primarily through protein. However, anyone pursuing a calorie restrictive ...