[FAQ] Will taking Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) break my fast?
If you're a guy on our FF30X Phase #2-4 program you're familiar with the powerful health habit of Intermittent Fasting for improving your health and fat burning.
Because you're reading this post, you're probably wondering whether or not taking some BCAAs (before or after) your fasted workout "ruin" your fast?
Thankfully, the answer is NO, but that answer also deserves a bit more explanation...
Yes, it's true that BCAAs will elicit an insulin response (BCAAs, in particular, stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin). It's also true that one of the big benefits of fasting is the fact that our bodies' insulin levels stay very low throughout the fast which helps to improve fat burning. So, technically speaking, taking a small amount of BCAAs will slightly shift your body out of a pure fasted state due to the slight bump in insulin secretion.
Obviously, it's not ideal to spike our insulin levels during a fast when we're not exercising... but what if we are doing fasted exercise? Is there a benefit to taking some BCAAs then?
We believe there is some benefit, and here's why...
Taking 5-10g of BCAAs before or after your fasted workout will elicit a small insulin response (as we discussed above), which will help drive the amino acids into your muscles while also helping to prevent muscle breakdown (catabolism) that can happen after exercise if we don't eat.
I first learned (and personally tested) the use of BCAAs alongside fasting from one of the "godfathers" of the Intermittent Fasting movement named Martin Berkhan. He popularized the Lean Gains (16-8) fasting protocol around 10 years ago, and he covers this BCAA recommendation here -> https://leangains.com/early-morning-fasted-training/
- If you are training fasted in the morning and will eat soon after training (1-2 hours), you don't need BCAAs either before or after your workout. If your primary goal is fat loss, then avoid them altogether. If your primary goal is muscle building, then taking 5-10g pre-workout is an advisable idea. It may shift your body (slightly) out of a pure fast for 1-2 hours, but you'll be eating soon after training anyway.
- If you are training fasted in the morning and plan on continuing to fast after your workout, then I do recommend you use some BCAAs (5-10g) post-exercise to prevent muscle breakdown, because the anti-catabolic benefit of the BCAAs far outweighs any minor shift "out of the fast" that may happen in the scenario above.