■ BETA BCAA is a
concentrated powdered
formula containing 5000 mg
of branched-chain amino
acids (BCAA), 3000 mg of
citrulline malate, and 1600
mg of CarnoSyn® Beta
Alanine per scoop. It is
designed to be taken during
or after intense training,
but it can also be used as a
non-stimulant pre-workout
formula to improve your
muscle building efforts and
enhance recovery.
Amino acids are the building
blocks of muscle, and of
the 20 “essential amino
acids” (meaning they must
be supplied by the diet) the
BCAA – leucine, isoleucine
and valine – are perhaps the
most important for physique
athletes. In fact, the BCAA
make up about 35% of
skeletal muscle protein and
are rather unique in their
roles in controlling protein
metabolism, neural function,
and blood sugar and insulin
regulation.
Leucine is the considered
the King of amino acids,synthesis. This “leucine
trigger” has unleashed a
relatively new, yet simple and
effective strategy in athletes
seeking to gain muscle
mass: eat moderately sized
meals every 4-6 hours, but
in-between meals sip on a
leucine-rich “cocktail”. At 10
times the muscle building
strength of any other amino
acid, this is a good strategy!
Isoleucine and valine are
the other two BCAA that are
taken up by the muscles to
form glucose during exercise.
Isoleucine also plays a role
in regulating blood sugar
and synthesizing hemoglobin
(which carries oxygen
throughout the body), while
valine has mild stimulant
properties and can reduce
appetite at higher doses.
Collectively, the BCAA
are used by many athletes
in-between meals in theBETA
BCAA
because scientists have
shown that under certain
circumstances it can increase
muscle protein synthesis
all by itself. Whey protein
contains a high concentration
of leucine, and this is thought
to be one reason why whey
is such an effective muscle
builder. Research has clearly
demonstrated that leucine
stimulates the amino acid/
energy sensor mTOR (which
stands for mammalian
target of rapamycin).
mTOR in turn stimulates
protein synthesis via two
independent mechanisms that
are active in skeletal muscle,
especially during exercise
and recovery. Several studies
have demonstrated just how
potent leucine is with respect
to muscle growth. The first
study demonstrated that a 2.5
gram dose of leucine could
stimulate muscle protein90 FLEX| JUNE 2017FOOD & SUPPS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE