May sound cliche, but eat 6 small balanced meals per day. Drink plenty of water. Don’t worry about supps.
Ok, enough.
While I agree that most supplements aren’t going to give you a performance edge that justifies their price, there are times when some supplements, notably BCAAs, can and will have a noticeable impact.
Like has been mentioned before : dieting and preserving lean mass.
You know what 6 small balanced meals and water got me in the past? Leaner, and weaker.
When I added peri-workout BCAAs, along with in-between meal BCAAs, not only did I lean out, I was able to GAIN CONSIDERABLE strength on almost all of my lifts (almost 100lbs on deadlifts.)
Not only is that the holy grail of results, but it makes dieting a fuckload easier when you know you aren’t shriveling up week to week.
So, if you’re looking to maintain or even improve an already high level of performance, then you’ll most likely benefit from additional BCAA intake. They’re not roids, but to act like they do nothing is just ridiculous.[/quote]
For bulking they’re really only beneficial in higher dosages. I’m seeing great results by doing the following:
Workout day: 60g during workout, ~20g PWO, and 15g before bed
Off day: 15g x 4 throughout the day(15 upon waking, 15 in the AM, 15 in the afternoon, and 15 before bed.
Prior to starting this I was what I’d call slightly above average at recovering but now my recovery is sped way up and my strength is shooting up faster than ever before.
Cutting wise, they’re effective even at lower doses (5g x 5times per day) at maintaining muscle mass. However, and NewDamage has attested to this many times, they are even more effective at mega doses such as my above protocol.
[quote]texasguy4 wrote:
They do help. Lots of people recommend supplementing them, but you can get the same amino acids from foods and protien powders too.
Check out tunafish, chicken breasts, pork loins and steak. Excellent amino profiles.
Not that a supp here and there hurts. [/quote]
You cannot get the same amino acids without getting all of the OTHER amino acids, and consequently, calories, from whole food protein sources.
BCAA supplements allow you to take in adequate amounts of the most anabolic and anti-catabolic of the amino acids without substantially increasing caloric intake, maintaining your fat burning potential but greatly increasing your capacity to maintain lean mass.
May sound cliche, but eat 6 small balanced meals per day. Drink plenty of water. Don’t worry about supps.
Ok, enough.
While I agree that most supplements aren’t going to give you a performance edge that justifies their price, there are times when some supplements, notably BCAAs, can and will have a noticeable impact.
Like has been mentioned before : dieting and preserving lean mass.
You know what 6 small balanced meals and water got me in the past? Leaner, and weaker.
When I added peri-workout BCAAs, along with in-between meal BCAAs, not only did I lean out, I was able to GAIN CONSIDERABLE strength on almost all of my lifts (almost 100lbs on deadlifts.)
Not only is that the holy grail of results, but it makes dieting a fuckload easier when you know you aren’t shriveling up week to week.
So, if you’re looking to maintain or even improve an already high level of performance, then you’ll most likely benefit from additional BCAA intake. They’re not roids, but to act like they do nothing is just ridiculous.[/quote]
Just MY opinion. Spend all the money you want on them.
[quote]NewDamage wrote:
So, if you’re looking to maintain or even improve an already high level of performance, then you’ll most likely benefit from additional BCAA intake. They’re not roids, but to act like they do nothing is just ridiculous.[/quote]
Agreed.
Of course training, diet and recovery should be the main focus but I hope this doesn’t have to be mentioned on every single thread here, except for the beginner’s forum perhaps. With those three points taken care of, it boils down to “need” versus “optimization”.
No, you don’t “need” BCAAs, just as little as you need 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, 6 meals a day, a post workout drink, 8 hours plus of sleep each night or the like. I’d hope most of us here are more interested in what is “optimal” without going beyond the scope of budgetary restrictions, though.
[quote]michael2507 wrote:
NewDamage wrote:
So, if you’re looking to maintain or even improve an already high level of performance, then you’ll most likely benefit from additional BCAA intake. They’re not roids, but to act like they do nothing is just ridiculous.
Agreed.
Of course training, diet and recovery should be the main focus but I hope this doesn’t have to be mentioned on every single thread here, except for the beginner’s forum perhaps. With those three points taken care of, it boils down to “need” versus “optimization”.
No, you don’t “need” BCAAs, just as little as you need 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, 6 meals a day, a post workout drink, 8 hours plus of sleep each night or the like. I’d hope most of us here are more interested in what is “optimal” without going beyond the scope of budgetary restrictions, though.[/quote]
very good post
I know that for me Optimal does equate to “need”
yes as far as need goes you wont die without them and also you will not hinder your performance without them
but they will help you some so to me that is a need for them because I need as much help as i can get