BCAA’s and Endurance Sports

Carlos Sánchez 7 min. of reading Amino Acids Leave a comment

The ergogenic effect of BCAAs or branched-chain amino acids appears to have an impact on long-duration endurance sports. Recent research, together with the appearance of powder formats, make this supplement an indispensable weapon in endurance sports practice. Discover the turn that branched-chain amino acids can give to your performance and reinvent the meaning of the term “endurance”.

Index

1 What are long-duration sports?
2 What role do BCAAs play in endurance sports?
3 Why are branched-chain amino acids suitable for these sports?
4 What are the benefits of taking branched-chain amino acids in prolonged sports?
5 Take note of these conclusions on endurance or long-duration sports

What are long-duration sports?

Let’s start with the basics: what is endurance? Well, the physical capacity that allows you to maintain a given effort for as long as possible. It is divided into:

General endurance. It involves large muscle masses and the entire cardiovascular and respiratory system
Specific endurance. It refers to the ability to maintain a given effort, which is related to a specific sporting movement

There are three types of endurance: short, medium and long duration. Long-duration endurance sports are those that last more than 30 minutes and in which the main energy pathway is aerobic.

The Ironman, marathon, cycling or long-distance triathlon are some of those that top the podium of long-duration sports.

What role do BCAAs play in endurance sports?

Without fear of being wrong, we can speak of a decisive role. Not surprisingly, skeletal muscle oxidises between 1 and 6% of the total energy that comes from amino acids, at 2 levels:

In a direct way, through gluconeogenesis
In a direct way and at muscular level, through branched-chain amino acids, which is why they are considered to be involved in energy metabolism

For its part, the increase in oxidation will depend on 4 factors:

Intensity
The previous diet
Glycogen depletion
The duration of the sporting event

Why are branched-chain amino acids suitable for these sports?

Branched-chain amino acids are essential amino acids, which means your body cannot synthesise them or, in other words, you have to ingest them through food or supplements so that your body can have access to them. Their name BCAA is an acronym from the English “Branched Chain Amino Acids”.

If you are wondering why BCAAs are vital for prolonged or long-duration sports, the answer is very simple: once absorbed, they pass to the liver, where only 26% are taken up, while the rest is distributed mainly in muscle tissue, for which they have a great affinity.

What does all this mean? Well, it means that:

They are the only essential amino acids that can be used by the muscle as energy, helping other significant energy sources such as glycogen
They inhibit muscle protein breakdown during prolonged exercise
They promote the formation of liver glycogen
They help reduce post-exercise muscle pain and inflammation due to physical stress (provided they are taken before exercise)
Recent studies show that the administration of BCAA branched-chain amino acids during long-duration exercise improves both physical and mental response, reducing the feeling of fatigue

Reasons why you should take them in this sporting context

A somewhat more detailed analysis of why you should take branched-chain amino acids in long-duration sports concludes that the reasons are:

Muscle recovery. BCAAs have anabolic effects on muscle, a key factor in post-exertion recovery. Some studies have determined that leucine is the amino acid responsible for increasing post-workout protein synthesis.

Miller, et al. (2011) state that leucine supplementation before a long-duration race is associated with lower proteolysis and increased oxidation during the recovery period, which is why it is considered a very interesting amino acid in endurance sports.

And, how should the effect of increased BCAA oxidation be interpreted? Well, as the possibility of reducing lactate production during prolonged races.

Lower tissue breakdown. Numerous studies suggest that supplementation with branched-chain amino acids after long-duration exertion reduces the intramuscular concentration of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), enzymes related to myofibrillar destruction at musculoskeletal level or proteolysis.

What are the benefits of taking branched-chain amino acids in prolonged sports?

The benefits of taking BCAAs in ultra-endurance sports are numerous and very varied in nature. Here are the main ones!

Reduction of muscle damage. The latest research leads us to conclude that supplementation with branched-chain amino acids is an invaluable aid in improving muscle recovery, as a decrease in markers of muscle breakdown, such as the aforementioned CK and LDH, has been observed.
Reduction of central fatigue (nervous system). BCAAs have the ability to act as a neurotransmitter, with the reduction of fatigue being one of their functions. Several studies have determined that taking a branched-chain amino acid supplement before exercise increases the profile of BCAAs in the blood. The result? By following these guidelines, you will improve your perception of exertion.

This shows that supplementation with branched-chain amino acids in prolonged sports of more than 3h in duration may have a beneficial effect, given the reduction in central fatigue after the depletion of that body fuel: muscle glycogen stores.

To what extent?

In a study carried out with cyclists, the intake of 150-200 ml of a solution with BCAAs 7g/L during and after the event produced positive effects in improving mental fatigue and perception of exertion
Another study carried out between two groups showed changes in the amino acid profile in the blood after a 25 km race, with higher amino acid levels in the group that took branched-chain amino acids
Anabolic response and muscle recovery. Protein intake after exercise increases rates of muscle protein synthesis after practice, stimulating net muscle protein growth and facilitating the adaptive response of skeletal muscle to prolonged training.

Take note of these conclusions on endurance or long-duration sports

To finish, here are some conclusions that will convince you, if you are considering taking BCAA supplements in long-duration sports:

Branched-chain amino acids have anabolic effects on muscle, even when the supplement has been administered during exercise. Taking leucine also has a positive effect, by reducing the breakdown of muscle proteins and increasing leucine oxidation during the recovery period
BCAA supplementation in endurance sports provides positive effects in terms of reducing post-exercise muscle damage. For its part, leucine may have a positive influence on recovery and protein synthesis
The subjective perception of effort is lower thanks to taking BCAAs beforehand

In short, long-duration sport and BCAAs are a combination that works. Deciding to supplement in this context is a very wise decision that your performance will notice from the first dose. You have a lot to gain from taking them, and we are not just talking about first places!

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