Everyone in the space of fitness and exercise uses a variety of supplements aimed at boosting performance and recovery. Some of these are amino acid supplements. While protein itself is made up of amino acids, targeted amino acid supplements can offer more focused support depending on your fitness goals.
There are two distinctions of amino acid supplements – BCAAs and EAAs. So let’s explore what these are, their unique differences and benefits, and how to choose the supplement best suited to your personal workout goals. Whether you’re thinking about adding an EAA supplement to your workout routine or exploring the complete profile of BCAAs, understanding what each offer will help you make a smarter choice suited to your needs.
What are BCAAs?
Firstly, it stands for “branched chain amino acids”. BCAAs include three essential amino acids – leucine, isoleucine, and valine – that are absorbed by the body to become energy sources for our muscles.
(A little trivia: The structure of these three amino acids resembles branches! – and that’s what grants it its name.)
We can’t make BCAAs on our own. Our body gets them from the proteins in the food we eat, or through supplements. Taking BCAA pre workout or during training is popular among athletes or fitness enthusiasts because it helps with muscle growth and enhancing their performance.
So what does BCAA do in the body to strengthen our workouts?
1. Stimulates Muscle Growth: Leucine is key to stimulating protein synthesis for our muscles. BCAAs are broken down in our body and used for building our muscles.
2. Increases Lean Muscle Mass: BCAA supplements help increase your lean muscle mass while also decreasing body fat amount.
3. Reduces Fatigue: BCAAs can impact the chemicals in our brain and influence the decrease of serotonin, which brings on the feeling of fatigue. Studies have shown that intake of BCAAs reduces mental and physical fatigue, and improves our physical performance.
4. Reduces DOMS: You know when you feel sore a day or two after your workout? That’s called Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Since BCAAs reduce muscle damage by stimulating growth, they play a role in reducing or preventing DOMS.
Here’s a pro tip: You should look out for “BCAA 2:1:1”, the optimal Leucine : Isoleucine : Valine ratio. Leucine is the king for muscle building, but the other two amino acids are also important to include. You’ll notice that higher ratios only increase the amount of leucine, while isoleucine and valine remain the same amount, rendering them almost useless. So 2:1:1 provides the BCAAs in their most ideal amounts.
What are EAAs?
This stands for “essential amino acids” – where “essential” suggests that we can’t make these on our own either. So they must be obtained through food or an EAA supplement. Their most important function is for protein synthesis, making EAAs the building blocks of our building blocks!
EAAs consist of nine amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, valine, histidine, lysine, tryptophan, threonine, methionine, and phenylalanine. You must have noticed that the BCAAs are made up of three of these.
So like BCAAs, EAAs also support muscle repair and recovery. But because EAAs are more vast than and cover BCAAs, the scope of their functions is broader. They additionally play a role in regulating our sleep and appetite, skin health, etc.
How does an EAA supplement boost our performance?
1. Prevents Muscle Soreness: EAAs have been found to reduce muscle soreness after resistance training.
2. Boosts Muscle Recovery: Apart from reducing soreness, EAAs also accelerate the muscle recovery time after intense resistance exercise.
3. Improves Sleep: One of the EAAs, “tryptophane” is vital for producing serotonin, which controls our mood and sleep primarily. This way, EAAs can be used for managing anxiety and stress and irregular sleep, further improving our exercise performance.
So What’s the Difference?
We’ve explored each of the amino acid types and everything they offer to sustain our energy and muscles during our workouts. But is there a clear line between the two?
The difference is that BCAAs are included under EAAs; so essentially, all that BCAAs can do, EAAS can do too. But the supplements are usually used to fulfil different goals – BCAA to support muscle health during your workout, and EAA for muscle recovery post-workout.
When to Use EAA vs BCAA
Although it’s not a rigid rule, EAA and BCAA are also most effective at different times and for different goals.
To reduce muscle fatigue and soreness, taking BCAA intra-workout is recommended. BCAAs are quickly absorbed, so taking it during your workout will ensure you have more than enough energy to power through, and also kill early pain and muscle fatigue. Some might even take BCAA pre workout, but it’s most effective to take during exercise, to delay muscle degradation and fatigue and help you push through your exercise for longer.
For overall muscle repair, growth, and recovery, an EAA supplement comes in handy, because it contains all 9 amino acids that our body needs for these functions, which BCAA can’t effectively provide. EAA is best taken post-workout, especially in longer exercises like endurance training where full muscle protein synthesis support is needed. This timing is perfect for the supplement to improve recovery of our muscles and body.
EAA vs BCAA: What’s the Verdict?
|
|
EAA |
BCAA |
|
What is it made of |
9 essential amino acids - leucine, isoleucine, valine, histidine, lysine, tryptophan, threonine, methionine, and phenylalanine |
3 essential amino acids – leucine, isoleucine, valine |
|
Main function |
Stimulate protein synthesis and muscle growth, prevent soreness, boost recovery |
Stimulate muscle growth, increase muscle mass, prevent fatigue, reduce delayed effects of soreness |
|
When to take it |
Best taken intra-workout |
Most effective to take post-workout |
|
Goal |
Protein synthesis and muscle recovery to support overall muscle health |
Better workout with reduced muscle soreness and fatigue |
Finally the decision hinges on your specific fitness goals and nutritional needs.
BCAA’s specific task is to reduce muscle fatigue and soreness during and after workouts. They provide quick energy and preserve lean muscle mass for intense training sessions. So if your primary focus is to enhance workout performance and reduce muscle breakdown, BCAAs are the way to go.
EAAs, on the other hand, offer a more comprehensive approach to muscle growth and recovery. EAAs provide all nine essential amino acids, which support the synthesis of proteins needed for our muscles, making them more effective for overall muscle repair and growth. Additionally, they work to improve our mood, sleep, immune function, etc.
Final Thoughts
Both BCAA and EAA play important roles in supporting muscle growth, recovery, and overall workout performance. BCAAs can be a great fit if you’re going for quick energy and reducing fatigue during training. On the other hand, EAAs offer broader benefits, supporting our overall health apart from just muscle benefits.
Ultimately, there’s no totally “correct” choice; it depends on your personal goals. Whether you’re searching for the finest EAA or best BCAA in India to power your workouts, understanding each on an individual level and the difference between the two helps you choose what truly fits your fitness needs.
FAQs
Q1. Is BCAA or EAA better for muscle growth?
Both BCAA and EAA support muscle growth, but EAA is considered better only because it contains all nine essential amino acids needed for complete muscle protein synthesis, while BCAA includes only three.
Q2. Which amino acid is best for muscle growth?
The amino acid leucine, one of the BCAAs, is considered the most beneficial for muscle growth because it triggers muscle protein synthesis. While all BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) are crucial for muscle repair and growth, leucine is the primary trigger for the process.
Q3. Do I need BCAA if I take EAA?
No, if you’re already taking EAA, there’s no need to additionally take BCAA. EAA consists of all nine essential amino acids, so it already includes the BCAAs within it.
Q4. Which supplement is best for muscle gain?
One of the best supplements for muscle gain is BCAA, which gives us the essential amino acids required to build and repair muscle tissue – leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These also provide energy to our muscles during exercise and reduce post-workout recovery time.
Q5. Do BCAAs help build muscle?
BCAAs activate the enzymes vital in muscle building. They also increase your lean muscle mass. This way, BCAAs could be beneficial to build muscles.