[bucky]

I decided to try a Branched-Chain Amino Acid supplement. I lift five or six times a week and do 16/8 intermittent fasting every day, and one of the many fitness gurus I follow on YouTube recommended BCAA supplementation to facilitate muscle growth while fasting. I went with this BCAA because I like this company's creatine and preworkout supplements and they appear to have a reputation for quality:

https://www.kagedmuscle.com/products/bca...5293003267

Thing is, although it claims to be unflavored, I would describe the taste more as puke or acid reflux. A reviewer on amazon suggested adding some vanilla stevia which helps a little, but it's still unpleasant. That said, I'll continue to choke it down if it's going to help me get gains.

My question is, does anyone have any recommendations for a quality BCAA supplement that doesn't taste horrible?

[SteezeySteve]

Unflavored Bcaa has the best bang for your buck but BCAAs are known to taste nasty,and are not water soluble so supplements use emulsifying agents + flavoring to make them more consumer friendly.
If you really want you could mix it with an artificially sweetened drink or Gatorade powder (If not taking it while fasted) and looking into adding an emulsifying agent if clumpiness is an issue.

Most people say extenze bcaa has the best taste. I used the one from met rx nutrition back when I utilized it in my training...It tasted alright normally,and if you're training is intense enough to benefit from bcaas it'll taste fcking amazing mid session.

Those before and after pictures are hilarious...not gonna help you get jacked at all but if you're doing combat sports,long bouts of cardio,circuits,GPP work,2 hour masocistic high volume body building sessions,trying to lose weight etc its gonna help you recover a little easier and spare some muscle. If you aren't cutting and those bcaas don't taste 12x better than they did at the begining of the session they aren't gonna benefit you to much.

Doing short mike metzner hit style workouts,power lifting,oly lifting or starting strength 5x5 might be great but that's not the type of training that benefits from bcaas. This would usually be for idiots who genuinely enjoy to train sub optimally for growth by overdoing sustained effort,and intensity,over long periods of time. BCAAS will not benefit the average lifter at all with recovery assuming that you are training in a way thats optimal for recovery and muscular hypertrophy.

More so suited for the cat who borderlines training like an elite level athlete. Ie. does mma,lifts to benefit that,and running a mile each day ain't shit. Or some guy who works 60 hours a week plays really competitive tennis,swims for cardio,and lifts here and there to stay 'toned'.
Otherwise bcaas provide little benefit as they only serve to preserve muscle tissue during highly catabolic states.

[redbeard]

BCAA's are a waste of money.

Take that money and spend it on high quality meats and vegetables.

Grass Fed Beef. The original BCAA.

[Steelex]

The science behind BCAA supplementation is solid.

Here is the problem. If you're eating protein on the regular, than protein is already in your small intestine, being broken down into bcaas and constantly absorbed by the blood stream. Adding direct form bcaa doesn't make sense.

Supplementing with BCAA'S only makes sense if you're in a fasted state.

If you're interested in a decent intra workout drink, look into HYDROLYZED CASIEN paired with highly branched cyclic dextrins, usually on a 1 part HC to 3 parts HBCD ratio.

That combo right there is expensive but totally effective at restoring glycogen during the workout. It also tastes awful too, so pair it with crystal lite.

[Sidney Crosby]

[Gorgonzola]

Scivation Xtend is a good quality BCAA w awesome taste. I drink 10g pre workout (I train fasted) and love it. Blue raspberry is my fave. Like others mentioned, BCAA only if you're fasted. Otherwise just drink a shake or eat PWO. Cheers!

[Nordwand]

(10-15-2017 02:07 AM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

Reminds me of the ads for Cybergenics.

[bucky]

(10-15-2017 12:04 AM)redbeard Wrote:  

BCAA's are a waste of money.

Take that money and spend it on high quality meats and vegetables.

Grass Fed Beef. The original BCAA.

The way I look at it, I'm not struggling to put food on the table and some of the fitness experts I follow encourage BCAAs for training while in a fasted state to avoid muscle loss, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. At least one of the other guys who replied says that BCAAs while in a fasted state are helpful. Have you tried BCAAs with intermittent fasting and found them not worth it?

[bucky]

(10-15-2017 07:47 AM)Nordwand Wrote:  

(10-15-2017 02:07 AM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

Reminds me of the ads for Cybergenics.

Yeah, that's admittedly a pretty ridiculous before/after picture. The difference is in the lighting and sucked in gut as much as anything, although he does seem to have less body fat in the after pic (and less chest hair plus more tattoos). Regardless, I like KMs creatine HCL and preworkout and they seem to care about quality of ingredients, so I went with their BCAA. Just finished a workout and took some with a little stevia and a few drops of vanilla extract and it wasn't as hard to choke down as last time, I guess since I knew what to expect. I'll finish off this bottle at least and see if it makes a difference.

[bucky]

(10-15-2017 07:39 AM)Gorgonzola Wrote:  

Scivation Xtend is a good quality BCAA w awesome taste. I drink 10g pre workout (I train fasted) and love it. Blue raspberry is my fave. Like others mentioned, BCAA only if you're fasted. Otherwise just drink a shake or eat PWO. Cheers!

I appreciate it, and I'll check that brand out. One of the other posters said that unflavored BCAA is your best bang for your buck, but I'm guessing he just means it costs less, not that the flavoring necessarily make it less efficient, correct? Since I'm not strapped for cash I'd be fine paying more for something that actually tastes good.

[MOVSM]

(10-15-2017 10:42 AM)bucky Wrote:  

(10-15-2017 12:04 AM)redbeard Wrote:  

BCAA's are a waste of money.

Take that money and spend it on high quality meats and vegetables.

Grass Fed Beef. The original BCAA.

The way I look at it, I'm not struggling to put food on the table and some of the fitness experts I follow encourage BCAAs for training while in a fasted state to avoid muscle loss, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. At least one of the other guys who replied says that BCAAs while in a fasted state are helpful. Have you tried BCAAs with intermittent fasting and found them not worth it?

You honestly don't need them after the 'novice' stage, which you have passed already. BCAAs are present in meat, and since you eat that, you get plenty of them.
That said--lean gains recommends using BCAAs *IF* you are doing a fasted workout. They however, recommend a meal 2-3 hours before workout, which renders BCAAs unnecessary.

[SteezeySteve]

I meant unflavored,generic,unmarketed bcaas are cheap as hell https://www.powdercity.com/products/bcaa-powder

vs

The good flavored stuff
https://www.amazon.com/Scivation-Xtend-B...H0DT4?th=1

All absorbs the same the latter just provides for a much better experience

[kosko]

BCAA tend do pair well with stronger cirtrus flavours, use zero calorie lemon'lime Crystal Light to help mix and improve the taste.

[Shimmy]

I try to avoid these only because of the sucralose, but if that doesn't matter to you these taste amazing:

https://usplabsdirect.com/modern-bcaa

http://www.nubreednutrition.com/helix-bcaa/

https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/cellu...-bcaa.html

Also if you don't want to taste it at all optimum makes capsuls. I've heard mixed results about the Leucine/Isoleucine/Valine ratio and that it should be higher Leucine. You can always mix in more if it's low. Just by raw Leucine on ebay or amazon.

I have been out of the US so I haven't messed with newer brands, but I tried to order stevia BCAA and it tasted like death.

[Shimmy]

(10-15-2017 07:47 AM)Nordwand Wrote:  

[quote='Sidney Crosby' pid='1665379' dateline='1508051251']

Obviously there's something in the BCAA that makes your chest hair fall out. I will stay away.

[bucky]

Follow up question: is there any reason not to mix my BCAA in sparkling mineral water? I mean something like Perrier or San Peligrino, for example. I'm getting used to the bittersweet taste when I mix it with stevia and a little bit of vanilla, and the carbonation might make it actually taste sort of good.

[Steelex]

Sparkling water is ok. Im still of the opinion that BCAA supplementation is more hype than anything else.

For reference, I've ran up to 45g BCAA per day and I did not notice a difference, even when training pretty damn hard.

Supplement research is pretty much bullshit at best, in my opinion. How much money do you think is going into really researching the way to build a bigger bodybuilder? Like pretty much none. The supplement business runs off of a handful of fairly shitty experiments that they try and use as "proof" that you should shell out thirty bucks for a jar of amino acids that are already present in every protein source you eat....

[Fortis]

I like BCAA's before workouts.

Could be placebo, but I have been waiting for my BCAAs to come in the mail and I feel as though my workouts are just less intense. I usually keep a pretty aggressive, low-rest pace throughout my sessions, and I find that my BCAA + creatine + green tea concoction helps with that.

That said, I'm a guy who naturally gases easily, so could just be me. I'm a big fan of BCAAs preworkout whether fasted or not.

[polar]

I've been using them before fasted workouts and mid-morning before breaking my fast (ran IF for 6 months). Seems to have made a difference with muscle retention but I also don't work in a sports laboratory, so what do I know.

All I know is I look better than a year ago, so I've been doing something right.

If you're doing fasted workouts on IF and can afford them, go for it. Otherwise do a scoop of whey without carbs, or eat a meal. If you're not dieting then you probably should save the money.

[bucky]

(10-18-2017 11:02 AM)polar Wrote:  

I've been using them before fasted workouts and mid-morning before breaking my fast (ran IF for 6 months). Seems to have made a difference with muscle retention but I also don't work in a sports laboratory, so what do I know.

All I know is I look better than a year ago, so I've been doing something right.

If you're doing fasted workouts on IF and can afford them, go for it. Otherwise do a scoop of whey without carbs, or eat a meal. If you're not dieting then you probably should save the money.

Thanks for your input. I figure I'm not struggling financially so I'll at least give it a try with one bottle and see what happens. Seems like most of the guys who have responded who aren't of the "all supplements are bunk just buy more steak" school agree that BCAAs are useful when training in a fasted state, which is what I'm doing.

One question for you and anyone else who is following along: how important do you think it is to take your BCAA supplement before your workout as opposed to after? I ask because I'm already taking creatine HCL and often a caffeine-based preworkout formula before workouts. Adding a third supplement beforehand just seems like a lot. One of the main things that inspired me to try BCAAs was the channel on YouTube I linked below, because one of the two "Zen Dudes" recommended taking them after your workout while still in a fasted state. These guys have pretty much the ideal figure for my body type (tall and lean, probably never going to be one of the stronger guys in the gym) and I generally get a good vibe from them. I'm basing my current workouts on their "Brad Pitt" video and, so far, getting good results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJKM8-878xY&t=30s

[Shimmy]

I look at it like I would multi vitimins, you may not need it if you have the perfect diet and have the right food in your system at the time, but it never hurts to have an insurance policy in place.

[polar]

creatine and caffeine give you an energy boost during your workouts. The intermittent fasting guys recommend 10g BCAA pre workout, as particularly in a fasted state, BCAA help buffer your muscles from breakdown. And ditto post-workout, until you break your fast - 10g BCAA every 2-3 hours until a real meal.

Unless your pre-workout has BCAA already, BCAA wouldn't hurt. As BCAA taste bitter, try mixing with sour drink mix to balance the taste.

[kosko]

There is no scam with BCAAs. The stuff isn't magic dust, it is literally "processed" protein that would skip the fort step of your stomach towards your small intestinal tract. It is purely for convenience and for nutrient supply when needed quickly. If you are or time limited and are able to eat normal food whenever there is no bet benefit to the staff. But, if you are fasting it helps big time to help maintain muscle levels and enable you to train hard in a fasted state.

[bucky]

(10-21-2017 04:14 PM)kosko Wrote:  

There is no scam with BCAAs...if you are fasting it helps big time to help maintain muscle levels and enable you to train hard in a fasted state.

Yes, that is essentially what I've heard from a few different sources: good for training in a fasted state. I've only been using the stuff for like two weeks but it does seem to be making a difference.