AMINO ACIDS AND RECOVERY FROM HIGH INTENSITY RESISTANCE TRAINING: THE ROLE OF
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE BRANCHED CHAIN AMINO ACID SUPPLEMENTATION
Carwyn P.M. Sharp and David R. Pearson
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2008 22
Periods of high intensity resistance exercise (over reaching)
are commonly incorporated into periodized training models
for many sports. While adaptative stimuli from these periods
is high, so too is the risk of injury or illness. Acute doses of
branched chain amino acids (BCAA) leading to elevated
plasma levels, in conjunction with an acute bout of resistance
exercise has been shown to elicit a net increase in protein
synthesis. However studies have not identified the effects of
chronic supplementation on multiple bouts of training as
experienced by athletes who are over reaching.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether chronic
BCAA supplementation could maintain a chronic anabolic
hormonal profile and decrease muscle cell damage during
a period of high intensity resistance training, thereby
enhancing recovery and decreasing the risk of injury and
illness.
METHODS: The effect of a commercially available
recovery supplement high in BCAA, on promoting a net
anabolic hormonal profile in 10 healthy college aged males
following a high-intensity resistance training protocol was
examined. Subjects followed a double blind cross-over design
with 3 weeks of supplementation of either BCAA or Placebo
(P), followed by a week of resistance training (4 training
sessions) with continued supplementation. Each training
session comprised 3 sets of 6–8 repetitions of a total of 8 lower
and upper body exercises at 80% of maximum (1RM). Blood
was drawn prior to and after 3 weeks of supplementation,
then again after 2 and 4 days after training, and finally 36
hours after the final training session. Serum was analyzed for
testosterone (T), cortisol (C), and creatine kinase (CK).
RESULTS: Serum T levels (AUC) were significantly higher
(p , 0.001), and C and CK levels significantly lower (p ,
0.001, and p = 0.004 respectively) in the BCAA group during
and following resistance training.
CONCLUSIONS: Chronic BCAA supplementation is capable of inducing a favorable
anabolic hormonal profile and decreasing muscle cell
damage over extended periods of time. PRACTICAL
APPLICATIONS: The use of a post-exercise supplementation
product high in BCAA would be useful for a trained
individual wishing to increase strength and lean muscle mass
as well as enhance recovery time between workouts.