The branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They are considered essential amino acids because human beings cannot survive unless these are present in a daily diet. And of course, plant-based bodybuilders and athletes can’t build muscle without them. Vegan BCAA is entirely plant-based, whereas standard formulas might actually have some, if not all, of their aminos sourced from duck feathers or human hair. NOW Foods and CleanMachine have vegan BCAA (others are listed at the bottom of this article). BCAA are the primary force behind muscle repair and building. They have multiple properties that enhance the growth process above and beyond normal amino acids. It is essential to be regularly supplementing with BCAA, we recommend this product. They not only stimulate muscle growth, but they also create an anabolic environment in the body, providing energy to muscles and helping the body burn fat and build muscle simultaneously, as well as improve recovery and reduce muscle soreness.
Of all the methods we provide each month to help you get big, boosting the levels of hormones in your body that lead to muscle growth while minimizing those that chew it up might seem overly complicated. But when combined with resistance training, BCAA supplementation increases testosterone and reduces cortisol to create a favorable anabolic environment. We also know from studies that leucine stimulates insulin release, further increasing the capacity for growth. The benefits to your “get-ripped” phase don’t stop at preserving muscle. Branched-chain aminos have also been associated with the simultaneous reduction of fat and the growth of muscle in a phenomenon known as nutrient partitioning, which may be the most promising of all the recent findings on BCAA. In this scenario, BCAA are stealing energy from fat cells and giving it to undernourished muscle tissue. Leaning out is a balancing act of losing fat and keeping muscle, usually involving a calorie-restricted diet.
This mild state of starvation means you’re often in an energy deficit, which can induce an alarming amount of muscle shrinkage because catabolic enzymes will break down muscle protein just to get to the BCAA. Cautionary Tale: A while back, I made the mistake of trying to lean out through drinking raw vegetable juices, living off veggies and protein shakes, and not supplementing BCAA. I dropped almost 15 pounds of muscle in four weeks. Do you know how long it took me to build that? Much longer than four weeks. This happened because there wasn’t enough fuel for my muscles while training (even though I trained light during this time), resulting in an energy shortage. If I had taken these supplemental aminos, they would have filled the energy-gaps to avoid the reduced muscle growth and shrinkage. To make things worse, I only lost seven pounds of fat. Not a good trade off! You’ve no doubt experienced soreness after training that grew worse as the days progressed, known as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Although there are different schools of thought as to why that happens, BCAA seem to significantly help reduce the condition. Let’s point out the obvious: the faster you recover from a workout, the more quickly you can get back in the gym. Dr. Carwyn Sharp, professor of exercise physiology at the College of Charleston, says he recommends BCAA to his athletes before and after training because they enhance the repair and growth of muscle. This applies to everyone, regardless of whether your goal is size, power, or endurance. “With optimal recovery, you can train with more volume and intensity, which equates to greater adaptations,” he adds. In short, that means more muscle growth. Most vegans won’t be able to get enough BCAA sufficient for building mass through food intake only. Vegetarian bodybuilders have the option of eating eggs, dairy, and whey protein powder, and don’t necessarily need to take BCAA supplements (I don’t typically). We get into further discussion about optimal supplementation with our vegan bodybuilding supplement guide.
Note: Whey protein has the highest level of BCAA compared to all other available types of protein powder. Most amino acids come from meat protein sources, and generally speaking, getting enough aminos and protein is one of the more challenging aspects to bodybuilding as a vegetarian. Here is a quick list of how to get BCAA from protein-rich vegan food sources: It's about time I compiled a comprehensive guide to my system, so here it is. Intermittent fasting and Leangains How does Leangains differentiate itself from some other intermittent fasting based diets? Here's a brief primer. In-depth coverage of my approach, and the benefits of intermittent fasting, can be read about here. A much shorter summary can be found here. My general position on the fasted phase is that it should last through the night and during the morning hours. Afternoons and evenings are usually spent in the fed state. However, the fast could also also be broken later in the day depending on your personal preferences and daily routine.
I personally tend to break the fast as late as 4-6 PM since I work well into the night and rise later than most people with normal jobs. The recommendation for fasting through the earlier part of the day, as opposed to the latter part of the day, is for behavioral and social reasons. For adherence reasons during dieting, I've also found that placing the feeding phase later in the day is ideal for most people. I work with four different protocols depending on when my clients train. Depending on setup, one, two, or three meals are eaten in the post-workout period. Training is initiated on an empty stomach and after ingestion of 10 g BCAA or similar amino acid mixture. This "pre-workout" meal is not counted towards the feeding phase. Technically, training is not completely fasted - that would be detrimental. The pre-workout protein intake, with its stimulatory effect on protein synthesis and metabolism, is a crucial compromise to optimize results. The 8-hour feeding phase starts with the post-workout meal.
11.30-12 AM or 5-15 minutes pre-workout: 10 g BCAA 1 PM: Post-workout meal (largest meal of the day). 4 PM: Second meal. 9 PM: Last meal before the fast. Calories and carbs are tapered down throughout the day in the example above. Here's a sample setup for a client that trains early in the morning and prefers the feeding phase at noon or later. Read this for details regarding this protocol. 6 AM: 5-15 minutes pre-workout: 10 g BCAA. 8 AM: 10 g BCAA. 10 AM: 10 g BCAA 12-1 PM: The "real" post-workout meal (largest meal of the day). Start of the 8 hour feeding-window. 8-9 PM: Last meal before the fast. For the sake of conveniency, I recommend getting BCAA in the form of powder and not tabs. Check my supplements guide for specific brand recommendations. This is the most common setup for my younger clients that are still in college or have flexible working hours. 12-1 PM or around lunch/noon: Pre-workout meal. Approximately 20-25% of daily total calorie intake.
3-4 PM: Training should happen a few hours after the pre-workout meal. 4-5 PM: Post-workout meal (largest meal). This is the usual protocol for people with normal working hours. 12-1 PM or around lunch/noon: Meal one. 4-5 PM: Pre-workout meal. Roughly equal to the first meal. 8-9 PM: Post-workout meal (largest meal). * No calories are to be ingested during the fasted phase, though coffee, calorie free sweeteners, diet soda and sugar free gum are ok (even though they might contain trace amount of calories). A tiny splash of milk in your coffee won’t affect anything either (½-1 teaspoon of milk per cup at the most - use sparingly and sensibly if you drink a lot of coffee). Neither will sugar free gum in moderation (~20 g). * The fast is the perfect time to be productive and get things done. Don’t sit around, get bored and brood about food. * Meal frequency during the feeding phase is irrelevant. However, most people, including me, prefer three meals.
* The majority of your daily calorie intake is consumed in the post-workout period. Depending on setup, this means that approximately 95-99% (fasted training), 80% (one pre-workout meal) or 60% (two pre-workout meals) of your daily calorie intake is consumed after training. * The feeding window should be kept somewhat constant due to the hormonal entrainment of meal patterns. We tend to get hungry when we're used to eating and maintaining a regular pattern makes diet adherence easier. If you're used to breaking the fast at 12-2 PM and ending it at 8-10 PM, then try to maintain that pattern every day. * On rest days, meal one should ideally be the largest meal, as opposed to training days where the post-workout meal is the largest meal. A good rule of thumb is to make meal one on rest days at least 35-40% of your daily calorie intake. This meal should be very high in protein; some of my clients consume more than 100 g of protein in this meal. * When working with clients I am always open to compromising on the above rule.
If your preference is to eat a larger meal in the evening instead of noon, or whenever you break the fast, it's no great harm. Some people prefer to save the largest meal on rest days for dinner with their family instead of having a large lunch and that's fine by me if it makes them enjoy and adhere to their diet better. * Macronutrients and calorie intakes are always cycled through the week. The specifics depends on the client's ultimate goal: fat loss, muscle gain or bodyrecomposition. The details will be revealed in the book. Generally speaking, carbs and total calorie intake is highest on training days. On rest days, carbs are lower and fat is higher. Protein is kept high on all days. * Here are the supplements I recommend everyone to take on a daily basis: a multivitamin, fish oil, vitamin D and extra calcium (unless dairy is consumed on a regular and daily basis). * For fasted training, BCAA or an essential amino acid mixture is highly recommended. However, if this feels like too much micromanaging or simply questionable from an economic standpoint, you could also make due with some whey protein.
The importance of protein intake prior to fasted training is outlined in this and this post. * People sometimes ask me which protocol is best. I tend to look at things from a behavioral perspective first and foremost, so my reply to that is to choose the protocol best suited to your daily routine and training preferences. When dealing with clients I make the choice for them. If you work a 9-5 job and your only option is to train after work, training fasted is generally a bad idea and I always choose the one or two meals pre-workout protocol. * Even from a physiological perspective, each protocol has it's own strengths and theoretical benefits. With "physiological perspective" I mean in terms of nutrient partitioning, fat loss and muscle growth. This deserves an article on it's own. I have some interesting and compelling arguments that I think are very unique. Below I'll list some other resources that I think will give you an idea of what Leangains is all about. Calories, foods and macronutrient choices play an important role in the optimal diet.
The following articles will give you an insight into my philosophy on this topic. Scorch Through Your Fat Loss Plateau Maintaining Low Body Fat Intermittent Fasting, Set-Point and Leptin The right mental attitude is a crucial factor for a successful diet and training routine. This is an area that is all too often overlooked. I've explored this subject through many different perspectives. The Secret Benefit of Being Lean How to Look Awesome Every Day How People Fail Their New Year's Resolutions Commentators often ask me if this or that is fine or how they should optimize things. I simply don't have time or energy for that any longer. Understand that a lot of factors need to be taken into consideration when determining calorie intake and macronutrient cycling; body weight, body fat, activity level, training routine, gender, insulin sensitivity and so forth. That's why I have clients - optimizing a diet plan requires time and reflection, and being a perfectionist by nature I simply can't "okay" something without having all the facts in front of me.