How to Use Amino Acid Power to Boost Your Riding Game
Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs)—once mostly talked about in body-building circles—are enjoying a rise in popularity with the endurance set, especially among Paleo and other low-carb followers who extoll these protein precursors as near metabolic superheroes, praising their ability to burn belly fat, quell cravings, improve endurance, build lean tissue, hone mental focus, build immunity, and bypass delayed onset muscle soreness.
Some of that is still up for scientific debate. And it may be a bit oversold. No one macronutrient has all those magical powers. But BCAAs are really important for and have long been overlooked by cyclists and other endurance-oriented folks, especially those who tend to take a more carb-centric fueling approach, says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, sports nutritionist at Pittsburgh based company Active Eating Advice. “Too many endurance athletes still emphasize carbs to the expense of other essential macronutrients and that leads to performance problems,” she says. Here’s a breakdown of what BCAAs are; how they can boost your riding game, and how to get what you need.
Protein Building Blocks
BCAAs are essential amino acids (most notably valine, leucine, and isoleucine) that are the building blocks of protein, which in turn are the building blocks of muscle. “BCAAs account for 33 percent of muscle tissue and stimulate the building of protein in muscle and reduce muscle breakdown,” says professional athlete and exercise physiologist Magdalena Boulet, VP of Innovation, Research & Development at GU Energy Labs. They also supply fuel for your muscles, especially during hard rides as your glycogen supplies run low. “During endurance exercise, between 3 to 8 percent of energy needs are supplied by branched-chain amino acids, specifically leucine, isoleucine, and valine,” says Bonci. After exercise, they help with muscle repair. They are “essential” in that your body doesn’t make them. You have to get them through your diet.
Here are some quick tips on how to get more energy into your diet:
The Many BCAAs Benefits
Research finds that endurance athletes who get the BCAAs they need perform better, suffer less muscle soreness, are less likely to have compromised immunity after taxing workouts, and may maintain better mental focus during long, hard efforts.
In one study on canoeists, scientists found that those who took leucine for six weeks improved their power output, increased the time they could row until exhaustion by more than 10 minutes, and lowered their “rate of perceived exertion” or how hard they felt they were working nearly two points from “hard” to “somewhat hard,” while a similar group of rowers taking dummy pills enjoyed no such benefits. (For more tips on how to break into longer rides, consider checking out our Century Training Program.)
A study on cyclists found that when researchers gave an amino-acid infused energy drink to a group of riders, they suffered significantly less muscle damage, didn’t feel as sore, and could produce more power 24 to 48 hours after a 90 minute ride than when they slugged down an equal calorie drink that contained just plain carbs. “By consuming BCAAs during training, you may be able to decrease muscle damage and perform better when it comes time to compete,” says study author Beau Kjerulf Greer, PhD.
Another, longer term study found that cyclists who took 12 grams of mixed BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) per day during their 10 week training season improved their sprint performance and maintained healthier immunity during intense training bouts better than those who were given placebo pills during the same training time.
RELATED: This Is Your Body in a Sprint
Where the Aminos Are
Experts recommend getting about 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of BCAAs every day, depending on your size and how active you are. The easiest way to meet your amino acid needs is to meet your protein needs, which according to the American College of Sports Medicine is 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight for active adults like cyclists. That’s about 110 grams a day for an active 140 pound woman and about 130 grams a day for an active 165 pound man.
Your body can only assimilate so much protein at one time, so piling it all in a giant protein shake to wash down a high protein breakfast isn’t the best idea. Instead spread it out throughout the day, including 20 to 30 grams of protein with every meal and snack. Super sources include lean meat, poultry, fish, soy foods, eggs, dairy (especially yogurt), and nuts and seeds. If your diet isn’t protein heavy and/or you are putting in tons of miles and training hard, you can supplement BCAAs in pill form, such as GU Roctane BCAA capsules, which contain 1500mg of Amino Acids per serving. Or incorporate into your hydration with a product like Amino Vital, which delivers 1200 mg of BCAAs per serving. But take note that the jury is still out as to whether supplementing BCAAs is necessary—or effective for stimulating muscle growth—by themselves, so get the bulk of them through a well-rounded diet when you can.
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