[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Well, I’ve been taking 1g - 1.5g with breakfast, and post workout (+ a handful of BCAAs mid workout), and I honestly am shocked that my weight is still in the 190’s despite obviously getting leaner.
My ultimate goal, is 185, but as I have no real time frame, I’m not going to rush things and lose LBM in the process. I do wonder whether the Leucine is what’s allowing me to maintain my size. It will be interesting to see how much I’ve retained when I hit my goal weight.
S
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After reading this thread a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give it a shot as well. I think I’m seeing some recomp effects…my scale weight is up a couple of pounds, but I look noticeably bigger and a bit leaner (enough that I’ve had a couple of comments from people who see me a couple times a week).
Okay, I guess we’ve all read TC’s post now that Biotest is selling Leucuine Powder. In fact, I ordered a few tubs the day they came out, and have since been throwing 5g in my morning shake, 5g (with 15g BCAAs) in my Peri-workout cocktail, and 5g with my prebed shake.
It’s only been a few weeks, and while I’m hesitant to say I look tighter overall, I will say that my DOMS is totally reduced. Anyone else doing similar or different protocols? Any noticable changes?
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
I’ve been taking 20g every day, can’t say I’ve noticed much of any difference.
I am going through a cut that started Monday, so any changes I won’t really contribute to Leu, except perhaps holding on to muscle[/quote]
well the fact that you are on a calorie deficit and holding muscle is the difference that leucine presents. I’ve been eating every 5 hours now instead of every 3 but at the 3rd hour i’ve been taking 3-5 grams of leucine to boost protein synthesis. Layne Norton claims that by doing this you’ll promote an anabolic response more so than if you were to constantly eat every 3 hours
great presentation by Layne Norton on leucine here
Layne Norton’s presentation from the 2008 International Society for Sports Nutrition symposium
this was one supplement that really really intrigued me. i had some bulk leucine laying around and decided to give it a shot using the recommended way that T-Nation has prescribed.
i’m very happy with it!!
i’ve been using it for about 2 months with my meals and it’s not something you feel immediately at all, but my results are undeniable. i’ve been watching intake a bit to lose some body fat and went from 220 at 12% to about 215 at 7% in 2 months. i didn’t notice the crazy pumps that CT said, but did notice that my muscles seem to “pop” more… if that means anything. definitely a lot fuller. keep in mind though that i’ve also been using pepto pro as my PWO protein of choice, which seemed to help a lot as well. the leucine took my results further.
personally, this is one supplement that i will always keep in my arsenal now. which is as follows:
whey (which i mix with micellar casein for meals),
casein (micellar and hydrolyzed),
leucine,
fish oil,
greens product,
I’ve definitely been adding extra Leucine to my shakes, and BCAAs (periworkout) while I’m cutting, and although I do feel damn tiny, my photos do seem to show that I’m retaining a majority of my muscle. COuld the Leucine be helping? Certainly possible.
I say try for yourself to see if that statement holds true. If you never take a single amino by itself, then I guess people should stop taking glutamine, or gluthathione, tyrosine, methionine, or taurine…
[quote]randomality wrote:
I say try for yourself to see if that statement holds true. If you never take a single amino by itself, then I guess people should stop taking glutamine, or gluthathione, tyrosine, methionine, or taurine…
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If there’s no legitimacy to the claim, there’s no point in telling people to try for themselves.
I’ve used various amino acids for years without any apparent deleterious effects so I’m interested in hearing the science behind this claim if there is any.
I don’t typically put much faith in anyone who’s billed as a ‘famous fitness guru’. I prefer to read studies and try things for myself. On occassion I’ll take suggestions from folks who actually walk the walk like Thibs.
Well, despite all the good press Leu has been getting lately, Layne told me last summer that Leu works in the presence of other BCAAs, so in addition to adding 5g to my morning oatmeal/Metabolic Drive, and 5g to my afternoon Whey shake, I mix 5g into an additional 15g BCAAs for a periworkout drink. I’m hoping that this approach, along with suplemental fish oils (Poliquin wrote a lot about this approach when cutting) will assist in maintaining LBM as I diet down for my show.
B rocK - between Leucine and SURGE Workout Fuel, I’ve lost the need to use BCAA’s. Before, I used them peri-workout and with meals, but now I have the Leu and Surge for that. I think that I would get some if I was doing cardio on an empty stomach or w/e.
Currently cutting and fighting my battle with cortisol and insulin resistance, I started taking 5g of L-Leucine with my four whole food meals, minus the shake for breakfast and before bed, and actually gained weight on a 500 calorie deficit while losing 2% body fat.
It wasn’t until the 4th week when I started to see scale weight drop. The first 3 weeks I was strictly losing BF while my weight stayed right at 180lbs. Started at 180lbs, 10% BF and am now 170lbs, 7.5% BF and appear much bigger in the mirror. Belly is finally shrinking.
Now I am going to be following Thibs’ recommended cortisol protocal, glycine/phosphatidylserine post wo and pre bed. He just wrote about it in an article this week here…can’t remember the name.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Well, despite all the good press Leu has been getting lately, Layne told me last summer that Leu works in the presence of other BCAAs, so in addition to adding 5g to my morning oatmeal/Metabolic Drive, and 5g to my afternoon Whey shake, I mix 5g into an additional 15g BCAAs for a periworkout drink. I’m hoping that this approach, along with suplemental fish oils (Poliquin wrote a lot about this approach when cutting) will assist in maintaining LBM as I diet down for my show.
S
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Stu,
I know this post is old but that is interesting that Layne said Leucine works best in the presence of other BCAAs.
I know Bill Roberts mentioned in the Surge Workout Fuel thread that Leucine “competes” with BCAAs, so it’d be best not to take BCAAs with WoF, but that could also be taken to mean that Leucine will “hog” the uptake pathway (if that makes sense) of other BCAAs, so that BCAAs would make the body take up MORE leucine, whereas the benefit of BCAAs would diminish in the presence of leucine but leucine itself would be absorbed better in their presence.
[quote]HK24719 wrote:
fightnews10 wrote:
Famous fitness guru and famed athletic trainer Mackie Shilstone says you should NEVER take single amino’s.
Why not?[/quote]
I can’t fight the quote from his book right now but it had something to do with the balance of amino acids from whole proteins and something that happens when you offset it. He’s very knowledgeable I can tel you that. He has a real degree. Not like some of these cereal box gurus we seem to have an abundance of on the net.
Maybe you should google him before you say something that dumb.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I don’t typically put much faith in anyone who’s billed as a ‘famous fitness guru’. I prefer to read studies and try things for myself. On occassion I’ll take suggestions from folks who actually walk the walk like Thibs.
[quote]Ken Rose wrote:
Maybe you should google him before you say something that dumb.
The Mighty Stu wrote:
I don’t typically put much faith in anyone who’s billed as a ‘famous fitness guru’. I prefer to read studies and try things for myself. On occassion I’ll take suggestions from folks who actually walk the walk like Thibs.