BCAA's for the Rugby Athlete

Supplements are and most likely always will be a hot buzz among athletes and those seeking an edge up in physical performance. There is no shortage of supplements available that create broad claims of increased performance, enhanced recovery, and maximum strength gains. It's enough to make you want to dump your whole paycheck into a long list of powders and pills that claim to transform you from a slimy lizard to a battle-armored Godzilla.

Spoiler Alert:

They don't.

Along with tons of claims, there is no shortage in variety of TYPES of supplements. Protein powder, creatine, beta-alanine, BCAA's, test-boosters, fat burners, and on and on. Seriously, go walk in a GNC and look at all the hot garbage they stock their shelves with.

Why Are Most Supplements Useless?

That's a country-strong question.

The supplement game is overwhelmingly unregulated and most products go to market without being third-party tested to confirm or refute their claims that they put on the bottle. Think about that. I could make a supplement right now, fill it with sugar, and tell you it will boost muscle size, find a nice label, put it to market, and it most likely won't get tested. It also won't work. Which is what happens.

Then there's the other side of the coin. The supplements that DO have benefit, but the consumer doesn't do other things correctly - diet, sleep, training - to have their body realize the full benefit of the supplement. The prime example is protein powder.

For real, protein powder is great. But, it's not meant to be a meal replacement. It's not meant to be a breakfast, or a lunch. It's meant to be drank post-workout. It's a liquid, so it will enter your body and be absorbed very quickly. This will leave the person feeling hungry quicker.

Whole foods take time to digest, not to mention it takes more effort for your body to digest it - using (marginally) more calories to do so. So you're satiated longer, burning more calories, and spending less money.

Use your protein powder post workout and eat whole foods at meal time.

Oh, and a "mass gainer" is usually full of carbs and sugars. Go eat a candy bar if you want the same thing for way cheaper.

And finally, supplements are just that - supplemental.

Imagine ordering a salad. It comes with lettuce and dressing in a bowl with croutons on it. The salad itself represents your regular meals. The dressing is your training. The bowl it's all kept in is your sleep. The croutons represent supplements. You can have a salad and do most things right without croutons. But, if you take the bowl, lettuce and dressing away or neglect them - you're left with only croutons. What the fuck are you going to do with just croutons? Probably fail.

Let's get specific.

I hear ya. All of this has been leading up to one of the most overused, over-claimed and misunderstood supplements out there - and that's BCAA's.

BCAA - branched chain amino acids. They are amino acids that aren't produced naturally in the body that claim to support muscle synthesis, recovery, and boost performance. Boom. That's enough to sell me one of those kool-aid flavored BCAA mixes.

Here's the rub - if you are eating enough real food, you don't need a BCAA supplement. Not by a long shot. Especially if you're meeting your protein goals. That's GENERALLY 0.7-1.0g of protein per pound of body weight.

Spoiler Alert:

BCAA's aren't produced in your body, but they are in food. And you eat food. Whole foods, hopefully. Therefore, you do not need a weird flavored powdery mixed drink claiming they have in their powder what is in real food.

The best is when I hear or see someone taking BCAA's alongside their protein powder. My friend, your protein powder has all of those BCAA's in itself. That kool-aid drink you bought? It's useless. Your body isn't doing anything with it.

If you aren't meeting your protein goals, I'd rather talk about how you could boost that instead of taking an amino acid drink that doesn't actually contain protein. If you need help, sure, let's look at a protein powder to start. Ideally, let's add an extra source of protein via food.

So no, BCAA's aren't a magic wizard powder as much as they may taste like it. And as a consumer, you will never stop being bombarded with claims that will try to get you to buy a product.

It's up to you, ultimately. Buying supplements can be exciting and send us back on track with our training - I know the feeling. But, we have to use our brains. What is going to make you progress further, more sustainably, and with better results on the field?

BCAA's aren't moving the needle towards your goals.