Creatine and BCAAs They are a fairly powerful combination of sports nutrition that can give you the desired result in the shortest possible time. The mechanism of action of these supplements is different, however, together they have a synergistic, that is, mutually reinforcing effect, which allows you to train longer and more intensely, and recover two or even three times faster than usual. Today we will try to understand what creatine is needed for, why BCAA amino acids are so good, what effect these supplements have on the body, and most importantly, how to combine creatine and BCAA.
How does creatine work?
Creatine is responsible for energy transfer in the body. It is a nitrogen-containing carboxylic acid. Professional athletes use it to increase muscle mass and strength.
NOTE! The body needs 2 grams of creatine per day to function properly.
Creatine also promotes the formation of relief, neutralizes lactic acid and increases the secretion of the male hormone testosterone. Relieves inflammation in arthritis.
IMPORTANT! Creatine does not help you gain muscle mass. It increases strength during training, which helps to build the necessary amount of muscle.
Creatine is taken 5-10 grams before and after training for 2 months. The powder must be mixed with clean water and drunk.
Creatine and BCAA
Have you ever wondered what effect taking these supplements together has on your body? How much more effective is their combined use? Any more or less experienced athlete will tell you that sports supplements work best not alone, but in combination with other supplements. So it is in our case. It is best to take creatine and BCAA together, and this regimen will be even more effective if you include protein in it. Everything is simple here: creatine gives strength, amino acids give energy, and protein acts as a building material for muscles (since amino acids are a structural element of protein). This model of taking creatine and BCAA with the inclusion of protein is considered optimal for any task.
TOP creatine
According to experts in the field of sports, the TOP 8 creatine manufacturing companies are:
| Item no. | Creatine | Manufacturer |
| 1. | SuperPump | Gaspari Nutrition |
| 2. | naNo Vapor | MuscleTech |
| 3. | NO-XPLODE Creatine | BSN |
| 4. | Lava | Universal Nutrition |
| 5. | Hardcore Musclebuilding Stack | MuscleTech |
| 6. | GlycerGrow | Controlled Labs |
| 7. | Storm | Universal Nutrition |
| 8. | JetFUSE NOX | German American Technologies |
Before you start taking a course of creatine on your own, you need to consult a medical expert and trainer. This way, taking the drug will be safe and effective.
How does BCAA work?
BCAA is an amino acid that contains the proteins leucine, isoleucine and valine. They take an active and direct part in the formation of muscle mass. The dietary supplement is taken during a low-calorie diet to prevent the breakdown and loss of muscle mass.
IMPORTANT! If the body receives the required amount of amino acids with daily food intake, it is better not to consume BCAA. In this case, the nutritional supplement will not harm the body, but will not contribute to muscle growth.
BCAA is involved in energy metabolism, prevents the destruction of protein in the body, destroys fatty tissue and produces the necessary muscle protein.
PLEASE NOTE: It is better to take BCAA in the form of an energy drink (water + BCAA + sugar) before or during training.
The amino acid BCAA is a popular nutritional supplement in sports nutrition. But to preserve and take care of your own health, you need to choose time-tested and high-quality products.
| Item no. | BCAA | Manufacturer |
| 1. | BCAA | Optimum Nutrition |
| 2. | BCAA | San |
| 3. | DNA | Magnum |
| 4. | BCAA | Multipower |
| 5. | BCAA | Dymatize |
| 6. | AXcell | Anabolic Xtreme |
| 7. | BCAA | GEON Lab |
| 8. | BCAA | Gaspari Nutrition |
After purchase, the nutritional supplement can be checked for authenticity. Real BCAA will never completely dissolve in water, but will cover its surface with a cloudy film.
What is the essence of the additives action?
Creatine is an organic nitrogen-containing acid necessary for energy exchange in nerve and muscle tissue during the oxidation of substances. With its deficiency, the latter slow down significantly, and with excessive concentration in the body, muscle growth accelerates, strength indicators and endurance increase.
When using creatine, athletes note:
- increase in muscle mass;
- increase in peak force;
- less fatigue after physical training;
- better recovery of the training field;
- increasing the number of lifts of maximum weight;
- reducing the load on the nervous system;
- decreased pain sensitivity.
This is interesting! Creatine was discovered and studied back in 1832. At the same time, its role in the body was proven. But until 1992, athletes did not widely use the supplement, until after the Olympic Games in Spain information appeared about the use of creatine by athletes.
BCAA (BCAA or BSA) is a complex of 3 essential amino acids - valine, leucine and isoleucine. Unlike others, they are not synthesized by the body independently and enter it exclusively from food. Amino acids are necessary for the body’s synthesis of protein molecules, are building materials for muscles, and affect energy metabolism processes.
Up to 30% of muscle tissue consists of BCAA amino acids.
The use of BCAA supplements allows the athlete to:
- increase endurance indicators;
- accelerate the process of muscle tissue recovery;
- slow down the process of muscle destruction with low-calorie nutrition;
- reduce the risk of injury;
- maintain high testosterone levels.
How does protein work?
Protein is milk protein. It is responsible for muscle growth and energy supply to the entire body. Protein strengthens the immune system and supplies the body with essential amino acids.
NOTE! There are two types of proteins: slow and fast. Slow ones are absorbed gradually, do not particularly affect muscle growth, but act for a long time. Fast ones provide maximum muscle mass gain, but are quickly absorbed and short-term in action.
Protein is an organic addition to the diet, but not a replacement for it. Therefore, you should not skip meals and then try to catch up with protein shakes.
IMPORTANT! Protein is dangerous to take for people with individual protein intolerance and renal failure.
It is better to take protein half an hour after an intense workout.
How to take creatine and BCAA
On the one hand, the advantage of many sports supplements is the fact that they can be used at the same time. One way or another, the body will still absorb all the nutrients that enter it, and therefore many do this. But we will take a slightly different, more intelligent path. And since we’re talking about the regimen for taking amino acids with protein, let me remind you that we talked about this in detail in the corresponding article “Protein and BCAA”. If we turn to the classic scheme - creatine and BCAA, then it is advisable to consume them with juice or sugared water, since sugar is the conductor for creatine molecules. Plus, fast carbohydrates allow you to replenish the body’s energy reserves, which, based on the sum of factors, gives a quick result.
The absorption of both supplements occurs in the shortest possible time, literally within 15-20 minutes, and after half an hour you can drink a protein shake as needed. In this case, the protein will be just right, since metabolic processes will already be accelerated and its absorption will take place with maximum benefit for the body. As for the time of administration, if we are talking about BCAA, you can drink them literally at any time of the day. Starting from waking up and ending with reception at night. The optimal number of doses of BCAA amino acids will be from 1 to 3. The optimal daily dose for the average person is 5-7 grams, for an enthusiastic amateur - 7-10 grams, and for a fairly hard training athlete - over 10 grams.
With creatine, things are a little more complicated. There are two schools of thought on how to consume creatine. Both the first and second have an extensive evidence base, and the essence of these two approaches is as follows. The first point of view indicates that the concentration of creatine in the body accumulates gradually, which means that it is necessary to start taking it with a dosage of 5 grams for one week with a further transition to a full portion of 10 grams. The second point of view indicates that the concentration of creatine in the body reaches its peak literally immediately after the start of its intake, which means that there is no point in a weekly loading phase. One way or another, both points of view agree that the optimal dosage of creatine is 10 g/day.
So, whether you use creatine loading in your practice or not, in any case, we found that the daily dosage of creatine is 10 grams, and the daily dosage of BCAA amino acids is 5-10 grams. It is necessary to take creatine once a day, and it is recommended to take BCAA 1-3 times a day. You can take these supplements together or separately. It is very important to monitor how your body reacts to taking creatine and BCAA. If taking them together causes you bloating, belching, nausea or even vomiting, you need to switch to using the supplements separately, or maybe even separate their intake for different periods of time.
TOP proteins
There are now a variety of protein shakes on the sports nutrition market. With such a huge selection, you can get confused. We present to your attention the TOP 8 best proteins:
| Item no. | Protein | Manufacturer |
| 1. | Platinum Hydro Whey | Optimum Nutrition |
| 2. | Syntha-6 | BSN |
| 3. | ISO-100 | Dymatize |
| 4. | Prostar 100% Whey Protein | Ultimate Nutrition |
| 5. | 100% Whey Protein | Scitec Nutrition |
| 6. | 100% Whey Gold Standard | Optimum Nutrition |
| 7. | ISO Sensation 93 | Ultimate Nutrition |
| 8. | Protein 80+ | Weider |
With all the diversity of the protein line, it should be remembered that most of the protein must be obtained from natural food. You shouldn’t get carried away with proteins unless absolutely necessary because such a load negatively affects the urinary system and kidneys.
Creatine and BCAA
Creatine and BCAA are a fairly powerful combination of sports nutrition that can give you the desired result in the shortest possible time. The mechanism of action of these supplements is different, however, together they have a synergistic, that is, mutually reinforcing effect, which allows you to train longer and more intensely, and recover two or even three times faster than usual. Today we will try to understand what creatine is needed for, why BCAA amino acids are so good, what effect these supplements have on the body, and most importantly, how to combine creatine and BCAA.
