BCAA's Vs Protein Intake

Hi Guys

i have been reading this forum for a few years now this is my first new topic post and id like to just get some input from the forum on this topic.

so i have a friend who does compete and places very well when he does i wont mention any names but in a recent chat with him he filled me in as to what and how he is changing certain aspects of hes diet keep in mind he is a genetic freak and eats whatever he wants whenever he wants to ,a fat burning machine if u will)

More specifically i would like opinions on hes current choice of No Protein intake through protein shakes , the only protein that gets into hes body is through food that he eats but in turn he has substituted hes protein shakes for BCAA's . the theory behind this is that why take protein shakes when the proteins are being broken down in the body into amino acids anyway hence just taking amino acids instead of protein

PS. this method has shown results in hes experience and can also be visibly seen with regards to vascularity and added lean mass

Any thoughts ??

See this post I made .

BCAAs contain 3 amino acids. Leucine being the most important amino of all in protein synthesis. Yes, you will have a huge boost in protein synthesis by using only BCAAs. But nowhere near the optimal peak protein protein synthesis that you benefit from when using both BCAA and Whey protein.

Whey protein contain all essential amino acids and has the highest quality of protein out of any protein source. The other amino acids that are not in BCAA also play very important roles. If your diet is spot on you will still get great results with just BCAA but you can simply not say that BCAA can replace whey as it does not contain all the essential amino acids.

Thanks MA

that was my current understanding that they would be best used together ...

again thanks for the info and clearing that up , but i wont be able to convince my pal to stop what hes doing hahaha. its working well for him so he will most probably carry on doing it

as for me i will continue to supplement with both bcaa and whey!

Muscleaddict wrote: See this post I made . But nowhere near the optimal peak protein protein synthesis that you benefit from when using both BCAA and Whey protein.

Do you recommended just mixing the 2 and taking them at once?

No. Best time to take BCAAs is intra workout, 20g+. Then your whey shake immediately post workout is fine. If you're having 60g of whey you will not stimulate protein synthesis any more by adding BCAAs then. If you have less whey PW you can add in some BCAA, and if you don't have whey preworkout add some then as well.

The only time it is smart not to drink shakes is about 2 weeks out of a show. But that is just to cut down on sodium and unwanted sugars and sweeteners that some shakes have in. So just make sure that is not maybe what he was talking about as he does compete. There is no better way of getting in your daily requirements than eating pure, fresh food. But the shakes do help to make it a bit easier. And as the guys have said, BCAAS and whey work best together. Most whey shakes already contain bcaas. I drink my whey in the morning (mixing it into my oats), post workout and before bed. Then BCAA upon wake up, pre workout, post workout and before bed!

@MA: Thanks for the fast insight mate, and on the other thread . I'm going to try giving 20mg around the workout a go. (Quit familiar with Poliquin, read The Poliquin Princles when I started out and a few other articles ect, but I don't keep up with his new stuff.)

@Flex: Yeah I agree, good food all the way. But I recently started using whey shakes as a matter of convenience again and I guess I'm finding out how BCAAs should be used to be optimized. Also agree with the sodium and sweeteners part :sick: yuck. I prefer supplements raw

There is a new brand in South Africa that is getting quite big with raw supplements. Go check them out BSSA (Best supplements SOuth Africa) . I am not promoting or anything, just know of them and love to lend a helping hand

@ Flex

Type BSSA in the search function on this site

Flex wrote: There is a new brand in South Africa that is getting quite big with raw supplements. Go check them out BSSA (Best supplements SOuth Africa) . I am not promoting or anything, just know of them and love to lend a helping hand

Thanks Flex, but I have a good "network" of suppliers for my supplement needs. Just tried some commercial stuff recently cause I forgot to check my stock - very disappointed. Raw and minimal FTW.