What Do BCAAs Do? The Secret to a Better Workout
From coconut oil to cauliflower rice, everyone constantly searches for something that will take their health and fitness routine to the next level. So what’s next for you?
Make it BCAAs. The benefits of Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) make this “ingredient” an essential part of a proper health and fitness regimen.
Do BCAAs work? Are they essential?
The trio of amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—are known to work and benefit our bodies in many ways. Our bodies don’t produce BCAAs on their own. This means we have to consume BCAAs from food or supplements to receive all of their essential benefits.
If you’re wondering, “Do BCAAs work?” here’s a short list of how BCAAs work for you and why you need to be intentional about adding them into your daily fitness routine.
Do BCAAS Give You Energy?
Let’s explore a couple of ways BCAAS can potentially give you energy during an intense workout.
First, BCAAs (valine) compete with tryptophan (another amino acid) to get into your brain. Tryptophan can be converted to serotonin. Whenever you work out, serotonin levels increase, causing feelings of physical exhaustion and mental fatigue during the workout.
Taking BCAAs counteracts the tryptophan and reduces the amount of tryptophan that flows into the blood-brain barrier. This process reduces the overall amount of serotonin, leading to less fatigue. That perception of fatigue is what’s viewed as more energy for longer and harder workout routines. If your brain is telling you to feel less tired, you may have more energy for an extra set of leg lifts or pull-ups!
Alongside decreasing mental fatigue, BCAAs also assist with delayed onset muscle soreness. If you’re training a new part of your body, it’s common to experience inflammation and soreness. Think about those aches and pains while walking up the stairs during the 12-to-24-hour period after leg day. BCAAs have been proven to support muscle repair. This means that you might just be able to avoid some of those major pains after an intense workout.
Lastly, BCAAs (leucine) help to transport nutrients like glucose to the muscles. This is another process that guarantees the presence of energy in your body!
Do BCAAS Work?
As we’ve said, BCAAs can help with muscle soreness and repair, but we haven’t talked about the gains! Whenever you hear people ask health experts and swole-fluencers, “Do BCAAs work?” you’ll always hear the terms “protein synthesis” or “muscle synthesis” mentioned. These terms simply mean the making of the muscles.
BCAAs, alongside other nutrients, play a major role in muscle tissue creation. So, if you’re looking to flex on people, literally and figuratively, adding BCAAs to your current fitness plan is necessary. BCAAs also help maintain muscle if you are losing weight.
Finally, whether it’s flu or cold season, nothing hurts your workout routine like getting sick. BCAAs support your immune system, too. Studies show that athletes who use BCAAs have a strong immune system response before and after a workout.
How Do I Get Started?
First stop: Perk Energy Do Work™ BCAAs+.
Our BCAAs can:
- Increase energy for your workout
- Promote muscle development
- Reduce muscle soreness
- Improve your immune system
In addition, Do Work BCAAs+ provide electrolytes and coconut milk to help sustain you as you put in the hard work of improving your fitness.
Adding something new to your strict meal plan and fitness routine can be intimidating, though. If you’re not ready to be all in with BCAAs just yet, that’s okay! Perk Energy’s Do Work™ BCAAs+ sampler pack is a chance for you to get your feet wet. This way, you can try Do Work™ BCAAs+ flavors without the full commitment of the canister.
If and when you’re ready to take the plunge into full BCAA mode and level up your workout, Perk Energy will have your back, muscles, and immune system, and well, you get the picture!