Why You Need Amino Acids

What are BCAAs exactly, and do you need them? BCAAs are branch chain amino acids, and here is why they play an important role in your fitness goals.

Muscles can't grow without protein, which is composed of 20 different amino acids. That's why they are often referred to as "the building blocks of proteins." Responsible for the production of the body's enzymes, amino acids aid in repair, growth, and development of muscle tissue. They also play a key role in normalizing mood, concentration and sleep.

Our bodies break down the proteins we eat into amino acids, which are then used to create necessary body proteins and enzymes. Therefore, getting enough amino acids in your diet is needed to maintain good nutrition.

Of the 20 amino acids, there are 8 that the body cannot produce: isoleuceine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These are called to as essential amino acids because they must be ingested in food or supplementation.

And while the body can make are histidine and arginine, they are sometimes considered essential in children because their rapidly growing bodies cannot synthesize them fast enough.

Twinlab's Amino Fuel Liquid contains all 8 essential amino acids, including L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine, as well as L-carnitine.

Check out Chad Waterbury, Christian Thibaudeau and John Berardi BCAA protocols on T-Nation. Charles Poliquin also calls BCAAs the most important supplement to take on a calorie-restricted diet in How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle.

Why does this matter to you? Because you want to maximize your efforts in the weight room while minimizing your digits on the bathroom scale! You can use tyrosine to support appetite suppression, glutamine to help muscle development and curb carb cravings, carnatine to aid fat burning and metabolism enhancement, and arginine to help the release of HGH (human growth hormone).