BCAA in endurance sports

BCAA are mainly supplemented in weight training. They act to a large extent in the musculature and provide energy during stress. For this reason, however, endurance athletes are also increasingly resorting to BCAAs.

So they make sure that they still have enough energy available at the end of a race, for example. This has a positive effect on the endurance performance and increases the performance. It is important that endurance athletes take care not to consume BCAAs in excessive amounts. In contrast to weight training, BCAA can be taken not only after but also before endurance training and help the athlete to achieve better performance. However, the intake should be irregular so that the urea levels of the athletes do not exceed a certain level in the long run.

Dosage

When dosing BCAA, always follow the dosage recommendations given for the product in question. The dosage of BCAAs should be roughly based on the weight and training goals of an athlete. Scientifically, a need for isoleucine of approx.

42 – 48 mg per kilogram of body weight per day has been proven. . For athletes, a daily amount of 5 to 20 grams is usually recommended, whereby the composition should consist of about 2 parts leucine and one part each of valine and isoleucine.

Although the dosage depends on the weight and training intensity of an athlete, a quantity of 50 grams BCAA per day should definitely not be exceeded. The individual, optimal dosage can be discussed with a nutritionist. You can find detailed information under: Dosage of BCAA

The correct intake of BCAA

BCAA in powder form or as capsules can be processed by the body faster than in tablet form. It is generally recommended not to exceed the amount of food supplements specified by the manufacturer. BCAA can be taken as a dietary supplement in the form of capsules or powder.

Both variants have roughly the same effect, but powder is digested in our body somewhat faster than capsules. On the other hand, the BCAA content in capsules and tablets is usually higher than in powder. This may be due to the fact that powder still contains flavourings and therefore the proportion of BCAA’s is lower.

Once you have decided on the powder form of intake, all you have to do is choose the right product. With the multitude of suppliers and different compositions, this is not so easy and usually requires trying out different varieties. Among the best known powders are five products that have a very similar composition (ratio 2:1:1 for leucine, valine, isoleucine) and are therefore easily comparable.

Another advantage of taking BCAA as a powder is explained by its rapid absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. This means that the supplements are available more quickly for the muscle cells. The intake of BCAA in addition to the normal diet makes sense for athletes, because by taking BCAA powder you do not take in additional calories, but are still more powerful and improve muscle growth. .