Take Aminos, Feel Better, End
Written by: Coach Slater
Hey fellow old people, listen up. Why aren’t you buying more Branch Chain Amino Acids? You hate feeling sore and crappy all the time, right? Did you know aminos can help that? No? Oh, ok, oops my bad. Then let me tell you why you should be taking it.
First, let’s clarify that Nutrition & Sleep are the two most important factors for recovery. If you’re not doing either correctly, then additional supplements aren’t going to fix the problem. I’ve previously mentioned Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Vitamin C here and Magnesium again here, as well as a handful of items in my Combating Soreness article.
With that out of the way, allow me to rave about about Branched Chain Amino Acids. BCAAs refer to three amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They’re typically presented in a 2:1:1 ratio (2g Leucine, 1g Isoleucine, 1g Valine), with leucine being the star of the BCAA cast. It’s like the “On” switch signaling the body to use proteins to build new muscle. Anyway, BCAAs have been shown to reduce the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that seems to occur due to the tiny micro-tears that occur to your muscles during a workout. So, since BCAAs play a role in repairing muscle, they also play a role in reducing soreness. Got it?
Most studies point to BCAA supplementation to the tune of 100mg/kg body weight, but I’m from ‘Murica and don’t understand kilograms, so math, math, math…. I don’t know. If you weigh 150lb, it’s recommended you take about 6.8g of BCAA, which is like one big scoop of our Driven Nutrition Aminos. I weigh in at around 235lb, so I’m taking two big scoops a day, about 11g. Unfortunately, I can’t objectively measure my level of soreness I was experiencing BEFORE I started consistently taking BCAA’s, but subjectively, I can tell you that I feel much better day-to-day and less achey now that I am taking them. I still get achey, don’t get me wrong, but much less achey, which means I can train a little harder and get a little fitter.
So, let me end this article with a quick plug… we’ve got Aminos in stock, which is what I take daily, and recommend for any athlete, but especially our older ones who generally ache more day-to-day. We also have a product called “Dysrupt” which contains BCAAs AND a little caffeine, which gives you a nice
boost while also reducing soreness by blocking some central nervous system receptors related to pain. Try either one out for 30 days and let me know if you don’t also feel “less sore”.
Sources:
“Amino acid supplementation and impact on immune function in the context of exercise“, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
“Branched-chain amino acid supplementation before squat exercise and delayed-onset muscle soreness“, International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism
“BCAAs And Taurine Reduce DOMS“, Breaking Muscle
“Nine Amazing Ways to Reduce Post-Workout Muscle Soreness” Poliquin Group