Branched-chain amino acids products, also known as BCAAs, are one of the more popular supplements on the market today, and for good reason. There is plenty of research out there documenting the benefits of BCAAs, and there are a number of good reviews out there as well. These products can help you to build muscle, preserve muscle while dieting, and just be in a more optimal state in general when trying to reach your fitness goals. Whether you’re a bodybuilding, athlete, or just a regular person wanting to improve their physique, BCAAs can be beneficial for you. Doubtful? Just take a peek at some amino acids reviews online if you’re wanting human proof of this phenomenon.
BCAA Reviews – The Top Tier
A number of BCAA reviews exist, and we’ll start with one on one of the most popular products available in the BCAA category of supplements today. A BCAA review on Scivation’s Xtend says “I had the grape flavor, and it was very refreshing. I had to adjust the amount of water I was using at first, but it definitely became a pleasure to drink this. I had an excellent amount of energy during workouts while taking this product, and my recovery was great.” One of the anecdotal benefits that a BCAA supplements review will typically mention is the accelerated recovery between and after workouts that many people notice. This is something to take note of, as any serious lifter, athlete, or fitness enthusiast wants to recover from workouts quickly and feel great. Just take a look at any other BCAA powder review online, and you’ll likely see someone mentioning these benefits.
Some other Great BCAA Reviews
Some of the other most popular products available on the market include Controlled’s Labs Purple Wraath, USPlabs’ Modern BCAAs, and Amino Fuel from Twin Labs. These are all pretty good products as well, for the most part, with solid reviews out there. A review on Purple Wraath says: “I like the fact that it doesn’t have any glutamine added which is a plus. You will notice when you are on this product, especially on cardio days, you can last longer and have faster recovery, but it doesn’t taste that good and doesn’t mix good either. But it is worth it.”
While the taste reviews on USPlabs’ Modern BCAA aren’t as good, it is another solid product formula-wise, which has reviewed good reviews on its recovery properties. Amino Fuel from Twin Labs is a solid product as well, but includes many other amino acids, vitamins, and carbohydrates rather than just BCAAs, and comes unflavored as well. This product hasn’t had as great of reviews as the others, but is still a pretty decent product overall.
Scivation Xtend is a great product in particular due to its 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Many studies have shown that leucine in a high concentration compared to the other amino acids is beneficial for protein synthesis, and this product follows accordingly with that idea. Citrulline malate and glutamine are two ingredients which are featured in Scivation’s BCAA product which are proven effective and beneficial. Citrulline malate is known to slow muscle fatigue, and glutamine helps to preserve muscle tissue as well as allowing you to recover better between workouts due to its ability to minimize muscle breakdown (among other benefits that it has).
Now, allow us to move on to show you some of the research which is out there on BCAAs as well as tell you some of the additional benefits which are mentioned with this product. BCAAs are known for their ability to keep testosterone levels high, minimize coristol (a stress hormone), and accelerate protein synthesis. But that may not be all they can do; a study done by the Weider Research Group at the College of Charleston shows that consuming a BCAA supplement during exercise may bring better gains in lean mass and strength, as well as a greater reduction in body fat, than consuming a whey protein supplement or carbohydrate drink.
Another study, done at the University of Illinois on rodents, shows that nutrient partitioning is related to the leucine content of the diet. This research supports making an effort to consume a source of leucine at every meal; whether through a BCAA drink or a protein source. So, if you were looking for leucine reviews, this should be as good as any review. In addition, Carwyn Sharp, PhD, CSCS, professor of exercise physiology at the College of Charleston, says “they have multiple properties that enhance these growth processes well above and beyond normal amino acids.” In addition, Sharp says, “we also know from previous studies that leucine stimulates insulin release, which further increases the capacity for growth.”
Less Soreness?
You’ve undoubtedly experienced soreness the day after, or multiple days after, exercise, and this can be an unpleasant experience for some. Delayed-onset muscle soreness, also known as DOMS, is the cause of this. Research from Sharp showed that BCAAs also help to decrease the muscle damage caused by high-intensity workouts. For people wanting to stay in the gym, and keep out of pain, this is a great quality in a supplement. And, again, we think that this scientific proof of their benefit should be better than any amino acids review out there.
Needless to say, BCAA supplements have a number of benefits, and if you look at just about any BCAA supplement review, you’ll see the benefits others have been getting from these products. Scivation Xtend certainly isn’t the only BCAA supplement available on the market, but it’s one of the best due to the ingredient details mentioned earlier in this article. The research out there behind these products is so stacked up that we could basically write a book on why you should take one, but it’s pretty obvious, just from seeing a couple studies and looking at some of the BCAA supplement reviews out there, what they can do for people.
