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Can BCAA Help Reduce Muscle Soreness & Fatigue?
Madhura Mohan
T
he workout is over, you've gone the extra mile, felt that rush of adrenaline, sweat pouring down your face, and you feel like you can do anything. And then the day after… the aches set in, your muscles feel like they weigh a thousand pounds and getting out of bed becomes the biggest hurdle of your day. Familiar right?
But here's where it gets interesting; is it possible to train your best and wake up ready to train more, without the struggle of lethargic recovery? BCAAs are here to help.
In this blog, we'll look at the mechanism of how BCAAs function, why they are claimed to improve recovery by increasing muscle repair and reducing soreness, and whether or not they are worth the addition to your training regimen.
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What Exactly Are BCAAs?
BCAA are Leucine, isoleucine, and valine. You must get these amino acids from your diet or supplements, because your body does not synthesize these essential amino acids by itself. BCAA unlike most amino acids are catabolized directly in your muscles, not the liver. Consider BCAAs to be your first responders to your muscle's tears after exercise. When you exercise, micro-tears occur within your muscles. BCAAs signal the onset of repair and they block catabolism and signal rebuilding to save you from being absolutely wiped out.
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The Link Between BCAAs and Fatigue
But post-workout fatigue isn't simply about sore muscles, it's about your brain's chemistry too. During prolonged periods of exercise, there's an increase in the level of another amino acid called tryptophan in the brain which consequently boosts the levels of serotonin. Though serotonin's good for mood, an elevated level during exercise can make you feel weary and lethargic.
This is where BCAAs can help: they compete with tryptophan for uptake into the brain. By controlling the rise in serotonin, BCAAs could potentially enable you to work out for longer with reduced fatigue, and feel more alert and energetic at the end of the exercise regime. So, imagine going for a run, and not feeling exhausted at the end, powering through the rest of your day-that's what BCAAs could offer.
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BCAAs and Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
We're all familiar with that sore, tight muscle ache we feel 1-2 days after a particularly challenging session-this is DOMS. Though it's a necessary component in our muscle remodelling process, DOMS can seriously impact our training frequency. According to research, BCAAs consumed before, or post-workout will decrease DOMS severity. How? By limiting the muscle damage caused by the exercise itself, and promoting recovery of muscle damage post-workout. Essentially: Less soreness, quicker recovery. Think how consistent could you be training if DOMS was half as bad.
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Where Do You Get BCAAs?
BCAAs naturally occur in protein-dense foods such as chicken, beef, fish, eggs, dairy products.
Plant sources like soy, lentils, quinoa and nuts are also good source of BCAA.
Supplements allow for a high dose of concentrated BCAA, in powdered form or pills, suitable for athletes or individuals with increased recovery needs.
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Who Benefits Most from BCAAs?
Strength training athletes: High intensity weight training results in a high degree of muscle damage. BCAAs will aid in recovery and building muscle.
Endurance athletes: High-intensity endurance exercise can induce fatigue. BCAAs can also play a role in sustaining of energy to the working muscle.
Novice trainees: New exercisers can often become quite disheartened with DOMS and muscle soreness. BCAAs can play a role in helping to alleviate this initial phase of training.
Calorie-controlled training: Those who are dieting need to preserve muscle tissue. BCAAs can aid in preventing muscle breakdown.
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Are BCAAs Enough on Their Own?
Now the truth. BCAAs aren’t a magic bullet. Recovery has multiple aspects-sleep, hydration, diet, and balanced training. BCAAs can aid in recovery; they aren't a substitute for a well-balanced diet and appropriate rest.
Consider them an extra something, not the main course. If your protein intake is sufficiently high, you’re likely already consuming adequate BCAAs in your diet. However, if you’re training at high intensity, consuming very low calories or you simply recover slowly, then BCAAs might give you that extra edge that you need.
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Practical Ways to Use BCAAs
Pre-workout: Some people take BCAAs before exercise to slow down the catabolic effects that exercise can have on muscle.
Intra-workout: During long training sessions, sip on BCAAs to combat fatigue.
Post-workout: Take them post-workout to promote muscle repair, and help alleviate delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Dosage can differ; however, many research studies use about 5-10g per serving. Be sure to check the label.
The Bigger Picture
However, the actual benefit of BCAAs is not just the science, it is also the feeling. Picture this; You have a great workout on one day, the next day you wake up ready to go again, no dragging feeling, no skipped sessions, no fearing that you're going to have a sore day, that consistent workout pattern is going to make progress.
Recovery is not about taking the easy route, it is about giving the body what it needs to be able to repair, recover and continue to build. BCAAs are one tool that gives us this ability, for many BCAAs have been the key to going from feeling fatigued and sore to energized and alive.
Final Takeaway
Ultimately, can BCAAs actually assist in muscle soreness and fatigue? They can; they are a beneficial tool for energy, muscle sparing, and for helping to be consistent. Although they cannot substitute a balanced diet and ample rest, they are beneficial and prudent when your fitness goal is serious.
It's no longer the question of if they work but rather if you are willing to maximize the effort put forth by providing your muscles with every advantage you can. Because when your muscles recover more effortlessly, your training feels unstoppable.
Less soreness. Less fatigue. More consistency…
That’s the real power of BCAAs, helping you show up, day after day, ready to perform…
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