BCAA's and Glutamine Prevent Overtraining and Reduce Cortisol

All bodybuilders walk a fine line when training— you want to stimulate muscle enough for growth, but not train so hard that your body can’t recuperate. It’s very much like the title character in “Fiddler on the Roof” in that you must maintain balance— move too far in either direction, and you are doomed to fail.

Many bodybuilders eat plenty of protein, but think that taking a few amino acids is not going to help. After reading this, you may want to reconsider that pec-tacular postulation. Prior research has shown that resistance training alone, while it increases skeletal muscle protein synthesis, also results in an increase in protein breakdown. Although the net effect is an increase in protein synthesis, skeletal muscle remains in an overall catabolic state in the absence of adequate nutritional intervention. The ingestion or infusion of amino acids, in conjunction with an acute bout of resistance training, has been shown by numerous studies to significantly increase protein synthesis and yield a net anabolic state.

Research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that taking glutamine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) can reduce the catabolic state caused by heavy resistance exercise. Resistance-trained males were randomly assigned to either a high-BCAA or placebo group. Subjects consumed the supplement for three weeks before commencing a fourth week of supplementation, with concomitant high-intensity total-body resistance training.

The amino acid supplement contained L-glutamine 2,000 mg; L-leucine 1,800 mg; L-isoleucine 750 mg and L-valine 750 mg. The BCAA group consumed 6 grams (12 capsules, which is the manufacturer’s recommended daily dose). At the end of the study, it could be concluded that if you are not taking BCAAs, you are going to kick yourself in the ass!

Compared to the placebo group, the group of men training hard and taking BCAAs had decreased levels of cortisol, higher testosterone levels, and lower markers of muscle damage. After reading Dr. Gwartney’s “Fat Attack” in MD about the role of dieting and cortisol, you know that consuming a reduced-calorie diet causes an increase in cortisol— so taking BCAAs may reverse this catabolic state

These findings suggest that short-term amino acid supplementation, which is high in BCAAs, may produce a net anabolic hormonal profile— while attenuating training-induced increases in muscle tissue damage.

Reference:

Sharp CP, Pearson DR. Amino Acid Supplements and Recovery from High-Intensity Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res, 2010 Mar 17.

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