Has anyone had experience taking mass amounts of BCAA during your workouts? I know Charles Poliquin is a huge fan of giving his athletes between 40-45g per workout. I’m certainly considering this. Any thoughts??
This has to be the 100th thread started on the topic.
Gee…one is still on the first page, a couple of posts down from yours.
what do you consider alot of bcaa, the more the better, but it gets expensive
Surge has a lot of BCAAs. It works pretty well. I really don’t think any supplement regime is capable of being any more effective than just eating extremely well.
Taking Mass Amounts of BCAAs would be really expensive. If you’re doing everything perfectly with your diet and recovery already and you think this will be the trick of taking lots of BCAAs will push you over your current plateau, then take BCAAs by the fistful. But I doubt this is the case and your money and efforts would be better spent elsewhere.
Do a search, this has been discussed many times before.
I have done it/ am doing it. However, I’m currently cutting, so your results may vary. However, using BCAA peri-workout (we’re talking about 90 grams) I’ve been able to get lean while gaining strength.
I also take them between meals on my off days.
Durh? I thought I responded to this earlier but here goes again…
Personally, while cutting, I’ve had great success using 15 grams prior, 60 grams during, and another 15 or so grams post workout. Gained a significant amount of strength while getting lean. Currently have some friends using this while trying to gain and they are making good gains.
I’d recommend you try it. You may want to use a powder to achieve those kind of doses if the pills get too expensive. PM me for a source.
Not pure BCAA but my protein mix is 27G per serving about 5G of that is BCAA. I have 2 servings before I workout, 2 during and 2 after. From a BCAA I have 30g in the time during and right after my workout. Plus I get the added benefit of 160g of protein. If I do this for a week I notice a difference. If I then take a week off also notice it. Nothing super drastic but maybe an extra rep or two or 5-10lbs depending on the lift.
There was just a thread on this same topic. I am trying the mega dosing right now.
[quote]NewDamage wrote:
Durh? I thought I responded to this earlier but here goes again…
Personally, while cutting, I’ve had great success using 15 grams prior, 60 grams during, and another 15 or so grams post workout. Gained a significant amount of strength while getting lean. Currently have some friends using this while trying to gain and they are making good gains.
I’d recommend you try it. You may want to use a powder to achieve those kind of doses if the pills get too expensive. PM me for a source.[/quote]
ND,
We’ve chatted about BCAA’s before. Seriously though, 90g total? You don’t think that’s excessive?
That’s insane! I’me a great fan of Surge, though I have just made my own custom PWO shake using a similar split to Surge, except that it has 20g BCAA’s per serving. (It costs a lot to get supps over here from there, but amazingly I’ve made something that taste similar to chocolate Surge)
Anyway, I thought about 40-50g would do that trick, have you played around with amounts ranging between that and 90g?
[quote]sapasion wrote:
Nothing super drastic but maybe an extra rep or two or 5-10lbs depending on the lift.[/quote]
I think that is a very impressive difference.
im taking about 32g peri/post workout right now…and i’m doing pretty well with my lifts. i use the powder though…its not as expensive if your going to take mass dosages like that…
[quote]rsg wrote:
ND,
We’ve chatted about BCAA’s before. Seriously though, 90g total? You don’t think that’s excessive?
That’s insane! I’me a great fan of Surge, though I have just made my own custom PWO shake using a similar split to Surge, except that it has 20g BCAA’s per serving. (It costs a lot to get supps over here from there, but amazingly I’ve made something that taste similar to chocolate Surge)
Anyway, I thought about 40-50g would do that trick, have you played around with amounts ranging between that and 90g?[/quote]
Well, yes…I did think it was excessive at one time. But, I was determined to get lean without losing strength and size. This goal had eluded me in the past, and once I discovered a source for cheap powdered BCAAs, I suddenly had the chance to use mass amounts of them.
Now, I was/am taking 15 g BCAA between meals, in addition to my 90 grams protocol on workout days. One might argue that I’m taking in 240-360 extra calories from BCAAs, and this, in addition to my dietary caloric intake, is resulting in a caloric deficit that is not so extreme as to cause muscle loss. In effect, I’m just not cutting calories as severely. I’ve pondered this as well. However, I simply have not been able to make the kind of gains I’ve made while getting lean when simply upping my calories slightly.
When I say gains, I mean this: while losing about 30lbs of fat, I was able to take my deadlift from an incomplete 5x5 @ 495lbs to 555 5x5 and 565 for 6,4,3. Started using 100lb dumbbells for all chest pressing movements for 4-5 hard reps to cranking out 12-15 reps in flat, decline, and incline positions and handling 115s for 8. Squat went to 405 for 6, raw, ATG, before something happened to my knee - this really put a damper on things. Was doing pulls ups, pronated, with 50lbs attached for sets of 6.
Bsaically, using BCAAs in this manner, along with HOT-ROX and creatine (which I always take) allowed me to achieve the best bodycomposition I’ve ever had while simultaneously being stronger than I ever had been.
As an anecdote, my recent training session, I forgot my BCAAs, and I’m so much more noticeably sore now, its ridiculous.
There were also times were I became lax on taking my branched chain amino awesomes, and did not perform as well.
Now, I don’t have body fat percentage graphs and charts and any of that horseshit - I simply sought to get stronger while getting leaner, and I did it very well, and I attributed it to the use of BCAAs, as following similar diets without using the BCAAs did not yield nearly the same results.
But, this is just me. I’m currently trying to repeat what I did, and will be keeping somewhat of a workout log in my profile, so we’ll see how it continues to go.
[quote]NewDamage wrote:
rsg wrote:
ND,
We’ve chatted about BCAA’s before. Seriously though, 90g total? You don’t think that’s excessive?
That’s insane! I’me a great fan of Surge, though I have just made my own custom PWO shake using a similar split to Surge, except that it has 20g BCAA’s per serving. (It costs a lot to get supps over here from there, but amazingly I’ve made something that taste similar to chocolate Surge)
Anyway, I thought about 40-50g would do that trick, have you played around with amounts ranging between that and 90g?
Well, yes…I did think it was excessive at one time. But, I was determined to get lean without losing strength and size. This goal had eluded me in the past, and once I discovered a source for cheap powdered BCAAs, I suddenly had the chance to use mass amounts of them.
Now, I was/am taking 15 g BCAA between meals, in addition to my 90 grams protocol on workout days. One might argue that I’m taking in 240-360 extra calories from BCAAs, and this, in addition to my dietary caloric intake, is resulting in a caloric deficit that is not so extreme as to cause muscle loss. In effect, I’m just not cutting calories as severely. I’ve pondered this as well. However, I simply have not been able to make the kind of gains I’ve made while getting lean when simply upping my calories slightly.
When I say gains, I mean this: while losing about 30lbs of fat, I was able to take my deadlift from an incomplete 5x5 @ 495lbs to 555 5x5 and 565 for 6,4,3. Started using 100lb dumbbells for all chest pressing movements for 4-5 hard reps to cranking out 12-15 reps in flat, decline, and incline positions and handling 115s for 8. Squat went to 405 for 6, raw, ATG, before something happened to my knee - this really put a damper on things. Was doing pulls ups, pronated, with 50lbs attached for sets of 6.
Bsaically, using BCAAs in this manner, along with HOT-ROX and creatine (which I always take) allowed me to achieve the best bodycomposition I’ve ever had while simultaneously being stronger than I ever had been.
As an anecdote, my recent training session, I forgot my BCAAs, and I’m so much more noticeably sore now, its ridiculous.
There were also times were I became lax on taking my branched chain amino awesomes, and did not perform as well.
Now, I don’t have body fat percentage graphs and charts and any of that horseshit - I simply sought to get stronger while getting leaner, and I did it very well, and I attributed it to the use of BCAAs, as following similar diets without using the BCAAs did not yield nearly the same results.
But, this is just me. I’m currently trying to repeat what I did, and will be keeping somewhat of a workout log in my profile, so we’ll see how it continues to go.
[/quote]
Awesome stuff - I definitely notice vastly improved recovery at around 30g a day, but I haven’t done much higher for a prolonged period of time. I’ll be making more use of powdered BCAA’s in the near future and I’ll also be keeping an eye out on that log of yours.
Great progress!
[quote]rsg wrote:
Awesome stuff - I definitely notice vastly improved recovery at around 30g a day, but I haven’t done much higher for a prolonged period of time. I’ll be making more use of powdered BCAA’s in the near future and I’ll also be keeping an eye out on that log of yours.
Great progress![/quote]
Thank ya, sir. Like I said - this was my experience incorporating the BCAAs into a fairly solid diet and training program. After a few setbacks I’m not trying to recreate this. Hopefully you’ll have similar success!
[quote]NewDamage wrote:
Durh? I thought I responded to this earlier but here goes again…
Personally, while cutting, I’ve had great success using 15 grams prior, 60 grams during, and another 15 or so grams post workout. Gained a significant amount of strength while getting lean. Currently have some friends using this while trying to gain and they are making good gains.
I’d recommend you try it. You may want to use a powder to achieve those kind of doses if the pills get too expensive. PM me for a source.[/quote]
Did you have any issues with digestion, (i.e. the shits) when first started? Or did you slowly add in the BCAA until reaching your peak level?
[quote]2thepain wrote:
Did you have any issues with digestion, (i.e. the shits) when first started? Or did you slowly add in the BCAA until reaching your peak level? [/quote]
Nope, no problems. I think in the beginning I did occasionally use 45 grams during workouts, but then would sometimes bump it up to 60. Never experienced any problems. I may get frisky and bump it up higher, who knows? 
Anyways this isn’t anything new, I’m basically following CT’s guidelines, so if you don’t wanna take my word for it, look to the man himself.
NewDamage,
If you don’t mind me asking, what do you mean by “after a few setbacks I’m not trying to recreate this?” If it - bcaas, strict diet and training - worked that great, why wouldn’t you recreate it? Or did I read you wrong?
[quote]dharmabum31 wrote:
NewDamage,
If you don’t mind me asking, what do you mean by “after a few setbacks I’m not trying to recreate this?” If it - bcaas, strict diet and training - worked that great, why wouldn’t you recreate it? Or did I read you wrong?[/quote]
I dunno, shit happens and my knee is not 100% and I’m so damned busy that I don’t know if I’ll be able to replicate those results exactly - plus this gives me an out, if I don’t replicate the results I can say "See? I expressed doubt that I’d make any progress. "
what im doing now is splitting my Surge serving in half (i have two shaker bottles). i put half a serving of Surge and 7.5g of BCAA and drink/sip it during a workout. for PWO, i use the other half Surge serving with 15-22.5g of BCAA and 5g creatine.
bulk bcaa is very affordable. 35-40 bucks for like a kilo (1000g). and the Surge definitely helps mask the BCAA taste A LOT.