Whatever your reason for cutting weight, the process can be difficult for a number of reasons. Everything from your diet and exercise routine to your genes and metabolism can affect how easily you are able to lose weight, making the experience a frustrating one for many people. Considering these challenges, it’s no surprise that those engaged in this herculean endeavor often try to find supplements and other substances that can help improve the results of their efforts or speed up the process of cutting. One of the more common types of products that people seek out is branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements, which have gained popularity in recent years for their beneficial effects before, during, and after exercise. To learn more about how these fitness supplements can help you lose weight and whether BCAAs are necessary for cutting, keep reading as the folks as aminoVITAL® discuss the topic.
Do You Need BCAAs When Cutting Weight?
When someone starts cutting weight, their goal is typically to lose a significant amount of body fat while retaining as much muscle mass as possible. While BCAAs can certainly help with this process, they are not truly necessary; all that’s absolutely required is a calorie deficit and maybe an exercise routine. That said, if you want to supercharge your weight loss efforts with an evidence-based product, BCAA supplements might be the way to go.
Preserve Muscle Mass While Cutting with BCAAs
One of the things that make amino acids, and especially BCAAs, effective when cutting weight is their ability to fight catabolism, the process by which the body breaks down muscle proteins for energy. This can happen for a number of reasons, including because of a calorie deficit or intense exercise. Either way, it can be difficult to avoid if you’re cutting weight, and it might undermine the results you’re striving for. By taking BCAAs, however, you can shield your muscles against much of this damage. This protection is the primary reason valine, one of the BCAAs, is used in amino acid supplements, and there’s some evidence1 to suggest that the byproducts of leucine, another BCAA, might have a similar effect.
Use BCAAs to Boost Energy While Cutting
When your body is low on glucose, its preferred form of fuel, it needs an alternative source to power your efforts at the gym or on a run. If you’re cutting weight, it’s likely that you’ve purposely reduced your body’s supply of glucose by changing your diet, so energy might be hard to come by, especially when you’re engaged in prolonged exercise. BCAAs can help fill this need, since they’re a fast-acting source of energy your muscles can use in a pinch, and they don’t come with the jitters or crash that tend to come with stimulant use.
BCAAs Can Fight Fatigue When Cutting
Whether you’re cutting or not, your exercise routine probably features (at least, some of the time) feelings of fatigue that can hinder your performance and dampen your motivation. BCAA supplements can fight this fatigue by limiting the uptake of tryptophan, another amino acid, into the brain, where it normally becomes serotonin – a neurotransmitter linked to central nervous system fatigue. Try BCAAs when cutting to maintain your intensity and push harder for longer.
Promote Fat Loss When Cutting with BCAAs
One of the challenges of cutting is promoting the loss of visceral fat without interfering with exercise performance. According to a study2 published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, BCAAs can aid you in this balancing act by facilitating the loss of fat when used in combination with calorie restrictions, and the competitive wrestlers used in the study were also able to maintain their high level of performance. If, like many people, you struggle to push yourself during workouts in the midst of a low-calorie diet, including when cutting, BCAAs may be able to help.
Low-Calorie BCAA Supplements for Cutting
Since the process relies on maintaining a calorie deficit, those people cutting weight generally need to devote the vast majority of their calorie intake to the nutrient-dense foods and drinks in their diminished diet. This leaves little room for traditional fitness supplements, such as protein shakes and powders, since they often come with a significant calorie count; a single scoop can contain well over 100 calories, not to mention plenty of sugar. BCAA supplements, on the other hand, don’t have these drawbacks.
Take the Action mid-workout supplement from aminoVITAL®, for instance. This lean, fast-acting product contains only 15 calories per serving, and it’s totally devoid of sugar. By supplying you with the three BCAAs along with the amino acids glutamine and arginine – plus electrolytes to balance hydration – our Action mix can help kick-start your body’s recovery process, even as you continue to work out, and it can help you maintain your endurance through intense bouts of exercise. If you’re cutting weight and would like a supplement tailored to your needs, consider using the BCAA supplements offered by aminoVITAL®.
Try Lean, Fast-Acting BCAAs for Cutting Weight and Boosting Performance
It can be tough to push yourself at the gym while cutting, thanks to the lack of calories in your diet. While they may not be strictly necessary for cutting, BCAAs can help; these supplements take effect up to three times faster than whey, and they contain far fewer calories while providing many of the same benefits. To learn more about how BCAAs can support you when cutting, visit aminoVITAL® online or call us today at (888) 264-6673.
Blog posts
Collagen is Essential for Yoga Practice
Why Consuming BCAAs During Strenuous Activity or Exercise is Essential for Peak Performance
