BCAA: Branched-Chain Amino Acid (Wikipedia)

"BCAA’s do a phenomenal job at, amongst other things, maintaining muscle mass, promoting fat for fuel, stimulating protein synthesis levels, and promoting recovery." (David Lamb)

So, Nick placed a big order last week with RippedCanadians.com (lol?) and this week, I got to try USP Lab's Modern BCAA formula (as recommended by David Lamb) for the first time during my pre-breakfast HIIT and during a weight training session.

Everything David said about this formula is true - it mixes well and tastes great.  But more importantly, it absolutely provided me with the energy I needed to complete an early morning HIIT session, presumably without burning any muscle.  I sipped on 7.5g as I ran, and quickly went from sore and tired to actually feeling like I could have continued when my intervals were complete.  That's basically unheard of for me, so a huge win for BCAA's in my books.

As for my weight training session, I didn't notice any boost of energy while working out (the way I've come to expect from products like SizeOn), but BCAA's also aid in muscle repair, and I wasn't as sore the following day as I have been in the past from as significant a lower body workout as I did.  So, another win.

In addition to muscle maintenance and repair, this formula is awesome for the fact that I don't need to work it into my daily macros.  Without the essential amino acids, BCAA's can't complete the bonds to make full proteins so they don't theoretically have any calories.  They are a source of energy, but since Modern BCAA's are readily metabolized within the muscle providing an immediate source of energy, the amount is transient and doesn't impact your daily calories significantly (usplabsdirect.com).