If you want to keep your metabolism boosting, fat melting, body shaping, lean muscle, than you need to make sure you are getting your branched chain amino acids!
The same holds true if you want to increase your muscle mass!
Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine!
Those are the three known as the BCAA's.
You need an adequate amount of protein each day to maintain or build your lean muscle tissue. Amino acids are the foundation of protein. And leucine, isoleucine and valine are the really important amino acids for the muscle building process.
The amino acids from the branched chain may help prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue. Remember that painful soreness you get from some of your workouts? The BCAA's may help reduce that soreness as well as general fatigue.
You may be able to improve your nitrogen retention, too. This helps keep your body in an anabolic (muscle building) state so that you don't lose muscle mass.
Your muscles also use these amino acids for energy. So if you are working out and doing any kind of resistance training, you may be using them all up for energy. That doesn't leave any for all these other important functions.
One of the key processes with regard to muscle building is muscle protein synthesis. What happens is amino acids get strung together to form more protein. This special group of three amino acids, especially leucine, is a very vital part of the muscle protein synthesis process. Without it, the entire process could come to a grinding halt.
Another great role these amino acids play is with regard to cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is released during stress, such as while working out, that can results in a breakdown of muscle tissue. The BCAA's have been shown to help decrease the amount of cortisol that is released, which helps the muscles from breaking down.
Whether your goal is to increase lean muscle mass, or burn more body fat, you need to be sure you are getting enough of these special amino acids.