Quote:
Originally Posted by Verbiage
BCAA's, just like any other form of supplementation, are best used as part of a recovery group/stack along with adequate whey/casein, creatine/beta-alanine, multivitamin, etc. I have noticed immediate and significant changes after implementing a daily dose of BCAA's, especially during my recovery weeks when I will go without training for a specified amount of time. It assists with the creation of lean muscle and tissue recovery, and not the accelerated loss of fat.
Intermittent fasting is helpful, but largely circumstantial based on your physical state and conditioning frequency. I've personally never been on either extreme; never felt the need to eat every 2-3 hours, snack throughout the day, or severely cut calories. In fact, it is most beneficial to focus your meals and caloric intake bulk within 2-3 meals a day, and supplement whatever your deficit may be with intermittent snacking; this can't be overdone however, as you will end up upside down without knowing it. Tracking calories can assist with avoiding of this.
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I haven't delved too deeply into it, because i have a few bodybuilder friends whom i trust. They told me to take BCAA's and i started taking them. But they told me i should be consuming them just before and during any intense workouts that are over 30min. Mainly because during high intensity work outs, your body will metabolize the BCAAs you get from natural proteins leaving you with a deficit for recovery. I haven't noticed much of a difference with or without them. One thing i have noticed recently is that the few days that i've used coconut water when mixing my BCAAs i felt much better, fresher and more powerful during my rides than when i use straight water. Before the coconut water, i used to mix some straight up BCAAs with another brand of BCAAs which also has creatine and electrolytes. But the potassium and electrolytes in the coconut water seems to be somewhat magical. That's the biggest supplemental difference i've experienced so far. The only other things i supplement is magnesium, D3 and fish oil. I use the BCAAs with the creatine the morning after workout days and usually have a muscle milk or quest bar the following day to just a small protein boost.
I'm going to be seeing a dietician soon. The wife has already done it and is learning a lot. The one she's seeing is also a MD which makes me happier. We're not seeing her for shopping lists, or meal plans, rather for genetic preferences, blood type preferences and any nutrient deficiencies we SHOULD be supplementing. We have friends who spend $1000 a year on supplements and they have no idea whether or not they need them. Seems to make sense to pay some of that up front and find out exactly what you should be supplementing.
I'm with you on fasting, not a big fan unless you're doing a detox/cleanse of sorts. Because of that, i feel that fasting for health reasons is a valid concept. Fasting for weight loss is silly in my opinion. Unless we're talking about rolling out of bed, having a shot of espresso and hitting a 20 - 30 run. Doing that once likely has no affect on your weight loss, but doing it 2 to 3 times a week will train your body to be proficient at burning fat stores for energy when you are nutrient deficient. Not only will this help your bodies effectiveness in regards to burning fat, it will help you power through any longer exercise sessions when you can't consume and process enough food energy to keep up with your burn because your body will be accustomed to turning to fat stores for energy. Clearly, not as important with weight training, but with cardio and endurance training, its valuable training aid.