Top 7 Best BCAA to Buy in The Philippines (Updated 2020)

Apart from Protein Shakes, the next supplement that comes to mind when you are on a workout plan is a BCAA - and there is a good reason for that. Here at Whey King Supplements will help you understand what BCAA supplements are, how they help you achieve your fitness goals, and the best BCAA powders that are available in the market today.

Whey King Supplements Store Branch in Taft, Manila. All our branches carry the best BCAA supplements available in the Philippine market today. Our customer service representatives are available online and on the phone to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Table of Contents

• What are BCAA supplements and what do they do?
• How does BCAA help your body?
• Forms of BCAA supplements
• How much BCAA do you need?
• BCAA pros and cons
• What to look for when buying BCAA
• Top 7 Best BCAA supplements in the Philippines (2019)

What are BCAA supplements and what do they do?

The term BCAA means Branched Chain Amino Acids. BCAA contains 3 essential amino acids that help the synthesis of protein in your body. This simply means that healthier proteins in your muscle will replace or repair older proteins.

The three amino acids in BCAA are: leucine, valine, and leucine. At least one-third of your muscle tissue is made up of the three amino acids. They help your muscles get the proper nutrition, especially during workouts.

Getting BCAA through food or supplementation is important because these amino acids cannot be produced on our own by our bodies.

Some sources of BCAAs found in food include chicken, eggs, milk, beef, fish, soy, legumes, and whey - but in reality it is not very easy to fulfill the body's BCAA requirement solely from food.

Especially when you are on a workout plan, it is important to get the proper amount of these amino acids. That's why, with a proper consultation and dosage, BCAA supplementation can really help a lot.

Make sure to visit one of the Whey King Supplements branch near you or contact our customer support to help you choose the best BCAA to buy that fits your requirements.

How does BCAA help your body?

Protein Synthesis is Increased

The amino acid Leucine helps build muscle through protein synthesis. This means that the amino acids create blocks of protein, and protein builds your muscle.

Leucine also increases insulin levels, and insulin helps aid in building up muscle tissue. Leucine also boosts the growth hormone in your body. More growth hormone means your muscle growth also increases.

Muscle Breakdown is Prevented

During exercise, your muscles have a tendency to break down and instead of bulking up, it is having an opposite effect. BCAAs prevents that because it can protect your muscle tissue by halting the production of cortisol. Cortisol is the enemy of muscle growth - it breaks down muscle and also prevents the muscle building hormone - testosterone - from doing its job.

Workout Fatigue is Reduced

If you ever wondered why at certain times of the day you just want to lie down, relax yourself, and snooze a bit - that's because your body is producing the chemical serotonin. Serotonin is produced by the chemical tryptophan.

Valine, an amino acid found in BCAAs, stops tryptophan from entering the brain and in effect, it delays experiencing fatigue. This is one of the effects that gym supplement buffs like and describes it as "beast mode" because your workout can last longer.

Delayed-Onset Muscle Sorenes is Decreased

Those who are just starting out their workout will experience DOMS after an intense session. That's because your muscle are stressed to the point that there are rips that happen to the muscle fibers. Because of these rips, new muscle fibers are formed, which increases the size and strength of your muscles. But in this process, muscle soreness happens. 

There has been proof that BCAA can help minimize the pain caused by DOMS.

Fat Loss is Enhanced

Our body's main source of energy is the protein in the muscles and fat. Ideally, we want the body to burn fat only and avoid using the muscle proteins. Unfortunately, the way the body works when fueling energy is consuming the muscle proteins first before it takes on the stored body fat.

BCAAs help direct our bodies to prioritize using the body fat first before going into the muscle proteins.

Forms of BCAA supplements

BCAA is usually available in two forms - in capsule and powder form. Powder BCAAs are mixed with water and also come in a variety of flavors. BCAA Powders referred by many but the BCAA capsules are also popular for those who want to avoid the extra step of shaking.

How much BCAA do you need?

It is recommended that you consult a professional before taking in any BCAA supplement so that you are equipped with the best information to decide. 

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To take advantage of the effects of BCAAs, it is recommended to take it before and after workouts.

When your program is geared more towards building muscle, it's also recommended that you take BCAA at the start of your morning so that muscles can have an instant supply of the amino acids and also before going to sleep to help the repair of muscle fibers.

The intake of BCAA should also be consistent because once you start the supplementation and your workout routine, your muscles will always need it.

With the Amount of BCAA to take in - it will depend on the amount of leucine that the body can use at a certain amount of time. The sweet spot of leucine intake is at 4 grams because any amount more than that is already considered excess and will not be utilized by your body anymore.

The most common formulation for BCAAs is: 4 grams of leucine is contained in 8 grams of BCAA. You can take this amount of BCAA before, during, and after your workouts.

BCAA risks and side effects

Most healthy adults can utilize the benefits of BCAA without any side effects. However, there are conditions where it is NOT allowed to take in this supplement and can bring more harm than good. These are:

• those suffering from ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease
• those who have branched-chain ketoaciduria
• those who suffer from chronic alcoholism
• those who will undergo a surgery soon
• all infants should not be given BCAA

What to look for when buying BCAA

In the past, BCAA powder used to leave a bad taste in your mouth, literaly, because it was not pleasant to take in. But the modern variants of BCAA powder have been formulated with great-tasting flaovrs and that's why this form of BCAA became more popular than it's tablet or pill counterpart.

BCAA tablets take longer to release the amino acids and you need to take in bigger doses to reach 8 grams. This may cause your stomach to be bloated with water just by taking in multiple tablets or capsules.

The BCAA powder can be added to your pre and post workout drinks. You may consider this an advantage depending on your routine.

BCAA supplements also have different ratios of the three important amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The most preferred ratio is 2:1:1 and based on studies, has shown to have the best effect in helping muscles grow.

You may also check if the BCAA has a fast absorption formula. This is also important because the BCAA you take in may just be expelled through your digestive system if it is not absorbed quickly.

Some BCAAs have extra formulations for energy booster or weight loss. If you workout in the morning, then those that have the energy booster can even replace your daily caffeine does. If your goal is to burn fat faster, then the weight loss formulation can help with that.

Also check if there is sugar content - the recommended formulation should have very little to no sugar.