I am taking BCAAs for recovery purposes, with weight and strength increase in mind. What is most efficient for my BCAA intake, pre workout, post, or both in equal amounts?
I know other people will have much more input than I do, but I’ve been popping a handful midworkout. I typically do 2 body parts, a large one and a small one, and try as I might, I can’t get done as quickly as I’d like.
So. I take a few BCAA’s between bodyparts, and for the most part, I feel good and honestly think my recovery has been affected (of course it could just be all in my head! -lol). I know Thibs takes 'em while he trains, thats where I got the concept from initially.
-S
I take Beverly International glut + BCAA’s. Container says 1 scoop afterwards or for longer work outs drink it during…So thats what I do.
I can only say what I have done with good results. Eight pre-workout and eight again post-workout in conjunction with Surge. I also use them immediately upon waking and last thing before I go to bed.
D
Berardi recommends taking it before WO. Surge have plenty of BCAAs, so take it PWO.
I take it pre during and post. 10 grams before 5 grams during and 10 after. BCAA plus a good carb source has really changed my recovery time so I like to recommend looking into it for everyone.
I take 10grams before I workout, Surge during workout and 10grams PWO and the effect is better than I ever expected! I’m cutting at the moment and while I have dropped 2% BF my weight has gone up!
BCAAs are basically pre-digested fast acting protein components. Use them any time where quick protein would be helpful. Breakfast and pre/post workout seem like the best times to me, but I admit I’m not currently using any.
[quote]Dedicated wrote:
I can only say what I have done with good results. Eight pre-workout and eight again post-workout in conjunction with Surge. I also use them immediately upon waking and last thing before I go to bed.
D [/quote]
Good God. Now, that avatar is certainly a change! There are going to be a lot of unhappy posters around here, missing the old one.
Pre,Peri,Post aswell as a good pre and post work out meal work well for me. I’ve found BCAA’s and Glutamine peptides especially good for keeping muscle and maintaining energy whilst cutting.
Upon waking, in between meals, Pre and Post workout, and right before bed at about 5 grams per serving is what has been described as “optimal” by a few of the authors on here.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Upon waking, in between meals, Pre and Post workout, and right before bed at about 5 grams per serving is what has been described as “optimal” by a few of the authors on here.[/quote]
Personally I question the justification of why just before bed would be an appropriate time. In my mind you’d want a slow acting protein like casein rather than something fast like amino acids.
[quote]blue9steel wrote:
Lonnie123 wrote:
Upon waking, in between meals, Pre and Post workout, and right before bed at about 5 grams per serving is what has been described as “optimal” by a few of the authors on here.
Personally I question the justification of why just before bed would be an appropriate time. In my mind you’d want a slow acting protein like casein rather than something fast like amino acids.
[/quote]
Generally, I would agree with you. However, I eliminated eating past my 6:00 pm dinner for fat loss and that included a night time protein shake. I lost fat over time doing this and in order to stave off catabolism thru the night it’s a handfull of BCAA’s for me. By doing this for me it helps keep fat levels down. In situations like mine it’s a good alternative otherwise have your casein at bedtime.
D
Christian Thibaudeau’s BCAA Protocols
Christian Thibaudeau is on the high end of the scale, but the results speak for themselves:
“Over the past year, I’ve had several clients gain up to 8 pounds of lean mass in 2 weeks using my protocol. While most of my clients don’t gain 8 pounds in two weeks, most will gain an average of 1-2 pounds per week over the first 8 weeks of use.”
Here’s what Christian recommends:
5 servings of 5-10 grams per day (i.e. about 4 to 8 Biotest BCAA tablets):
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Upon waking up (especially if you engage in pre-breakfast cardio).
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Between breakfast and lunch.
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Between lunch and supper.
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Mid-evening.
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Before going to bed.
“Each serving would ideally be 10 grams; that will give you the best gains by far. The results are very close to being drug-like, and I’m not one to say this lightly. I put my reputation on the line.”
Chad Waterbury’s BCAA Protocols
Chad Waterbury has devised several BCAA protocols for his clients, some as high as 20 grams per serving and some as low as 3 grams per serving.
One of his favorites, though, is his “Mid-Sleep BCAA Protocol for Cutting or Bulking.”
“I’ve long stressed the importance of night-time feedings for growth and recovery. Problem is, most people don’t want to get up in the middle of the night and have a protein shake. But with a good BCAA supplement, all they need to do is have the pills sitting next to their alarm clock with a glass of water. They wake up briefly, take the pills, and they’re back asleep.”
Chad’s nighttime protocol calls for 1.5 grams of BCAA per 25 pounds of lean body mass. In other words, a 200-pound man would take roughly 8 Biotest BCAA tablets upon awakening.
Chad is also big on using BCAA for cutting, for which he prescribes 0.75 grams of BCAA per 25 pounds of LBM four times a day, between meals. (That equals about 4 Biotest BCAA tablets 4 times a day, for the prototypical 200-pound man.)
John Berardi’s BCAA Protocols
While Christian and Chad probably represent two ends of the BCAA dose spectrum, nutritionist John Berardi’s preferences lie somewhere in the middle.
For muscle gain or athletic performance, John recommends:
Non-Training Days: 4 Biotest BCAA tablets (roughly 5 grams), 2 or 3 times a day, split evenly throughout the day.
Training days: 4 Biotest BCAA tablets upon waking, 4 tablets during training, and 4 tablets after training, the two latter doses being in addition to a serving of Biotest’s Surge.
However, John also has a pretty interesting protocol that he uses on himself every couple of years to get super ripped. Get this, John Berardi, Mr. “Massive Eating” himself, will occasionally go on a stint where he eats 3 meals a day, totaling about 2,000 calories, interspersed with three 10-gram “feedings” of BCAA.
The large amounts of BCAA offset any potential muscle loss from the fairly severe bout of calorie restriction.
I use 20g BCAA powder in a waterbottle during training and between periods in games. I was using 40 per workout while I was doing charles’ super-accumulation.