I’ve been searching for a couple of days and have yet to find a concrete answer. The experts of Surge Workout Fuel say it’s best not to mix BCAA’s with SWF because it negatively effects the L-Leucine. CT and Poliquin have told us multiple times to load up on BCAA’s peri-workout.
TC has said to load up on BCAA’s peri-workout but he also says not to take BCAA’s peri-workout if your sipping on SWF because of the L-Leucine factor.
So basically I just want to know if it would be better for me to buy bulk L-Leucine or bulk BCAA’s? And if the answer is BCAA’s, if I’m using SWF when is the best time to take BCAA’s outside of the workout window?
I’m newer to this so any help would be great. Thanks.
I have always heard that its not good to take straight up leucine consistently as it will decrease the levels of the other two BCAAs in the muscles.
They all compete for the same receptors thats why you are told not to take both…
I personally prefer BCAAS
10g right when you wake up
10 preWO
10 postWO
If u can afford it buy, both. BCAA’s Surrounding workouts and in morning, like previously mentioned, but keep the L-luecine for adding to meals. For Instance, taking a swig of it while your eating a meal were your protein source is chicken, seeing as chicken doesn’t have as much L-luecine as say Eggs, per protein Gram
As I understood it the Leucine’s effect is drastically reduced when the other BCAAs are present in significant amounts in the blood. I’d say keep the BCAAs during workout time, and the Leucine with meals apart from workout to get the anabolic response. So it’s not one or the other, just have to try not to overlap.
Surge Workout Fuel has other ingredients than leucine. If you are going to use it, I’d use it as recommended (without added BCAAs). If a choice between straight leucine and BCAAS peri-workout, BCAAS are better. Take leucine with meals if you wish.
egnatiosj is correct, luecine competes with valine and iso-luecine for the same transport mechanism inside of the small intestine. Though with that being said luecine does receive preferential treatment for transport over the other BCAA.
Loading up on BCAA is beneficial, but as I understand it one of the major mechanisms for SWF is luecine, and ingesting more BCAA will interfere with the absorption of luecine and possible its effects.
Your body will have metabolized the luecine within something like two hours after ingesting it, so that would be the time I would supplement with BCAA.
I think a solid point that might be missing here is that your standard BCAA pill, or liquid, consists of L-Leucine, L-Isolucine, and L-Valine. Now I’ve taken L-Leucine pills before and after work out before and I’ve had several friends who’ve taken BCAA’s before and after work out, I always seemed to cut fat, and retain muscle better than my friends who took the BCAA’s. But to truely decide which would be better for you would depend on you diet, how often you slip into catabolism during workouts and if the BCAA’s keep you out of that. Now maybe it’s just me but I can usually feel when I’m slipping into catabolism, the l-leucine will keep you out of that. Hope I’m helping.
I recall reading in one of Layne’s recent articles that Leucine works in the presence of the other BCAAs. I also read just last week newer rat studies showing the effects of Leucine by itself as far as stimulating protein synthesis as well as a decrease in adipose tissue even in a calorically steady state.
For the time being, I’m taking 5g Leu/15g BCAAs periworkout, and 5g Leu with breakfast, and prebed shake.
Due to leucine’s metabolic properties, many people focus solely on leucine and not the other two BCAAs valine and isoleucine.
Research has shown that leucine-rich diets or administration of leucine alone lead to decreases in valine and isoleucine plasma concentrations and a BCAA imbalance (Shirmomura et al., 2004). While it may be cheaper to supplement with leucine alone instead of all three BCAA, one should supplement with all three BCAA so not to create a BCAA imbalance.
Now keep in mind he along with Layne Norton are reps for a company that sells BCAAs NOT L-Leucine but still.
[quote]egnatiosj wrote:
Due to leucine’s metabolic properties, many people focus solely on leucine and not the other two BCAAs valine and isoleucine.
Research has shown that leucine-rich diets or administration of leucine alone lead to decreases in valine and isoleucine plasma concentrations and a BCAA imbalance (Shirmomura et al., 2004). While it may be cheaper to supplement with leucine alone instead of all three BCAA, one should supplement with all three BCAA so not to create a BCAA imbalance.
Now keep in mind he along with Layne Norton are reps for a company that sells BCAAs NOT L-Leucine but still. [/quote]
I appreciate the info, but how many of us have ever heard of a BCAA “imbalance” ? What are the symptoms of this ‘condition’ ?
This is sort of like the whole mercury poisoning and seafood consumption. I have never, ever heard of someone getting sick from eating a lot of fish.
I’m going to bump this thread. I have been curious about this issue for a long time and am wondering if anyone else would be able to shed some light on this issue.
[quote]Dave_ wrote:
I’m not saying it can’t exist, but a BCAA “imbalanance” sounds like a very handy thing to invent if you’re selling BCAAs +/- Leucine.
The fact is that the guys making the most progress don’t often worry too much about this type of thing.
For the record, I add extra Leucine to most of my shakes, and have done so long before most people had even heard of it.
[/quote]
You add it to your shakes? Does it not make the taste unbearable?
I usually put it in my mouth and wash it down with the shake. I can’t stand the taste, and I’m usually pretty good with eating stuff I don’t like.
You add it to your shakes? Does it not make the taste unbearable?
I usually put it in my mouth and wash it down with the shake. I can’t stand the taste, and I’m usually pretty good with eating stuff I don’t like.
[/quote]
Depends on the brand and the degree of solubility and texture of the leucine.
Biotest’s Leucine, in particular, mixes in protein with no problems and doesn’t affect the taste to me.
Of course some people seem to be better “tasters” of leucine more than others so if you fall into that category then it might pose a problem.
[quote]Zagman wrote:
egnatiosj is correct, luecine competes with valine and iso-luecine for the same transport mechanism inside of the small intestine. Though with that being said luecine does receive preferential treatment for transport over the other BCAA.
Loading up on BCAA is beneficial, but as I understand it one of the major mechanisms for SWF is luecine, and ingesting more BCAA will interfere with the absorption of luecine and possible its effects.
Your body will have metabolized the luecine within something like two hours after ingesting it, so that would be the time I would supplement with BCAA.[/quote]
I’ve been told taking Luecine, Valine, and Iso-luecine in a 4-1-1 ratio respectively is the best way to stack thos Amino acids, any info on how that would / be beneficial?
Yea now Im confused…any “authority” whatever that might mean to qualify someone, can give us the verdict? Ive always been a advocate of pumping tons of BCAAs, then Biotest put out hte Leucine powder, so I got into that as well…I put the Biotest Leucine powder into any shakes I make (1-3 a day depending), and BCAAs I take a handful practically everytime I walk in the kitchen, after meals, and pre/post workout.
If Im pissing money away it would be good to know…