# FITNESS and NUTRITION FORUM > SUPPLEMENTS >  BCAA vs Amino Acids

## Woodson

WHILE CUTTING... 

Which one is the best to take? which one did you get the best results with?

BCAA's or Amino Acids?

Can you take them both?

Is it good to be taking them and taking Glutamine?

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## painintheazz

I thought BCAA's were Amino Acids, BCAA = Branched Chain Amino Acids.

Pain

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## FmRommel

BCAAs are Amino Acids...however, they are the kind your body can not produce, so you need these more than just a wide array of common Aminos. Plus BCAAs are known to be good anticatabolics...
Which is important while cutting...very.

FM

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## Woodson

so I'm guessing you are saying its better to take BCAA's than amino acids.

another point I want to make is I take Optimum whey protein which contains BCAA's in the shake .. would I need to take extra BCAA's to get better effect or is that enough?

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## FmRommel

Well what I am saying is that BCAAs are more vital to your supplementaion because your body can not produce them and they have such a strong anticatabolic property....

Yes, the optimum whey does have a lot of BCAAs, but supplementation with them is still good during pre/post workout, but personally I like to use them around bedtime when Im cutting because I usually dont eat for a couple of hours before bed and I find it helps to combat any breakdown...


Good Luck


FM

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## WiLLpOwEr

First of all, *amino acids* are simply proteins! So is it important to include protein in your diet...YES! Get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day, preferably 1.5-2 grams per day, spread out over at least 5 meals(preferably every 3 hours), and this holds true regardless if you are trying to build muscle or lose fat and maintain muscle.

Are branch chained amino acids an important supplement? Yes and no. They are important when you are attempting to lose weight. Why? Because they provide a very strong anti-catabolic effect(they prevent muscle loss), and this is critical during the cutting phase because the diet at this time may not provide an ample amount of them. During the off-season, you should get plenty of these from your normal diet, so do not worry about that.

When's the best time to take BCAAs? Immediately after training, along with whey protein and simple sugars. Say 10-15 grams of BCAAs, 30-40 grams of whey protein isolate, 20 grams of sugar(while cutting, higher during off-season), 5 grams of creatine, and 5 grams of glutamine. Some trainers also feel that 10 grams of BCAAs before training helps preserve muscle as well, so if you want, you can try BCAAs before and after training during the cutting cycle.

By the way, about the glutamine, USE IT! It can be used with whatever, and does not have to be cycled, unlike creatine(which should be cycled every 6 weeks, at the end of which take 2 weeks off). I reccommend 10-20 grams of glutamine per day, spread out, and make sure you get 5 of those grams after training and 5 before bed.

Hope this cleared that up.

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