As anyone who works out regularly, training for a race, or playing competitive sports can tell you, post-workout muscle soreness and fatigue can be a game-changing factor.

The Essentials for Endurance and Recovery

There are three crucial amino acids, also called Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s), that aid in muscle recovery: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These BCAA’s are found in meat and dairy protein sources, but also in many plant-based sources, like legumes, nuts, and seeds.

These BCAA’s are important when it comes to post-workout muscle recovery, but they also kick-start muscle growth and work to delay fatigue signals in the brain. In fact, many high performance athletes take BCAA supplements both before and after working out in order to delay fatigue and stay mentally sharp even though they are physically drained.

BCAAs provide the basis for protein synthesis and energy production (Harper AE et al 1984; Patti ME et al 1998; Xu G et al 1998; Anthony JC et al 2001). In fact, BCAAs can comprise up to one-third of muscle protein (Mero 1999). Because of their prevalence and involvement in protein synthesis and energy production, BCAAs are important to many metabolic processes.

However, if BCAAs are going to participate in these processes, they must be available to the body. This means we have to eat enough BCAAs, and at the right times, to enable such processes to occur.

Supplements aren’t necessarily a must for great performance; there are many whole food sources of BCAA’s that would make delicious, easy pre- and post-workout snacks. Here are some of our favorite plant-based sources of BCAA’s.

Legumes
Legumes, such as soybeans, black beans, lima beans, and lentils, are all great sources of protein and BCAA’s. Here are some great ways to eat legumes before or after your workout:

• Edamame offers a potent amount of energy because of all of its protein and iron. Simply steaming edamame will make for a great snack.

• Lentils contain the third-highest levels of protein out of all legumes and nuts. Give these roasted lentils a shot!

• Lima beans provide your body with steady and slow-burning energy. Want a hearty snack? Try some toast with lima bean hummus.

• Juice Plus+ Complete offers whole-food nutrition and a scoop of this mix will provide protein to any smoothie!

Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are another good source of protein. Almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, and pumpkin seeds carry those 3 specific BCAA’s, which make them good for workout recovery. Here are a few ideas for how to get a little more creative than grabbing a handful of almonds at the end of your workout:

• Almond butter with a banana

• Almond butter or cashew butter with toast

• Superfood trail mix

• Homemade seedy granola bars

The awesome thing about these snacks is that most of them can be prepped at the beginning of your week to have on hand to eat before and after your workout. You can also mix up new flavor combinations to keep things both interesting and delicious.

What about Supplementation?

We turn to supplements anytime you can’t get the nutrients you need from diet alone, and BCAAs can be one of the most helpful supplements in the athletes arsenal. Especially  in-season or during high training volumes when you need a quick and instant source of protein for performance and prevention.

However, just like all supplementation you want to ensure 1) quality ingredients – because any erroneous ingredients can actually impair performance long-term. In particular, avoid articicial sweeteners often used to sweeten these types of supplements like, sucralose, aspartame, and potassium acesulfame.

2) Second, look for a 3rd party certification, like NSF Sport, where possible  guaranteeing your athlete is not consuming illegal substances unknowingly.

BCAAs are burned for energy (oxidized) during exercise, so they’re also an important exercise fuel.

Consuming BCAAs before training can increase uptake into muscle tissue (Mittleman KD et al 1998). This has many benefits:

1. BCAA supplementation may lower lactate levels after resistance training and improve muscular oxidation.
2. BCAAs may increase growth hormone (GH) circulation, which may be related to anabolic mechanisms causing muscle growth (De Palo EF et al 2001).
3. BCAA supplementation may decrease serum concentrations of the intramuscular enzymes creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase following prolonged exercise. This can decrease muscle damage and improve recovery (Coombes JS, McNaughton LR 2000).

Summary & Recommendations

BCAAs play an important role in:

• Synthesis of proteins in general
• Glucose homeostasis (i.e. keeping blood sugar levels constant)
• Direct regulation of muscle protein synthesis (via insulin signaling cascade)

Try adding BCAAs into your workout drink at a rate of 5 g BCAA per hour of training.

During periods of lower calorie intake, try adding a BCAA supplement every 2-4 hours during the day.