Roleta BJJ - Unity Is Our Strength

BCAA's For Fighters

In the highly competitive sport of Brazilian jiu jitsu, the difference between winning and losing is often small. Combat athletes pay attention to every aspect of the fight game and now more than ever. Athletic performance and training to win is the goal not only for every fighter, but also for any other competitive athlete. One great weapon for every athlete is the anabolic amino supplement Branch Chain Amino Acids. BCAA’s consist of three essential amino acids leucine, valine, and isoleucine. BCAA sports supplements help rebuild muscles after intense exercise and stress. During training, you will burn up fat and stored carbohydrates as fuel, due to the some of the intense training methods that go along with Brazilian jiu jitsu training; our bodies will next turn to protein as fuel. When this happens our muscles will use up these aminos and that will cause our body to turn into a catabolic state, which leads to over training and possible injury. Amino acids and BCAA’s offer many benefits to the Brazilian jiu jitsu athlete that include:

• Muscle recovery
• Help prevent muscle catabolism
• Promote Protein synthesis
• Fuel workouts
• Boost Metabolism

Over the last ten years sports nutrition experts have found that you can increase the time of recovery by taking certain nutrients immediately following strenuous exercise. Experts agree that this could be the most important time for the athlete to supplement with a muscle recovery supplement like L-leucine, L-valine, and L-isoleucine. Amino acid supplements along with a combination of protein and fast acting carbohydrates help build muscle, increase testosterone, and help maintain a positive nitrogen balance for the athlete. Some other great recovery aids that work well with BCAA’s are:

• L-glutamine
• ZMA
• Creatine
• HMB

Any sport where weight classes are involved translates to competitors training on limited amounts of calories. The supplement Branch Chain Amino Acids has been shown to lower overall bodyweight and a decrease in body fat percentage. Athletes have also experienced a reduction in abdominal adipose tissue. When training for a fight or competition on a low calorie diet, introducing BCAA’s to your program may help you lose more weight without compromising your performance in the ring or cage. The best way for fighters to take BCAA’s is to take it 30 minutes before training and one serving immediately after your workout. MMA athletes should shoot for 50mg of bcaa’s per pound of body weight for maximum results.