BCAAs for MMA Fighters
SportsIn the highly competitive sport of mixed martial arts, the difference between winning and losing is often small. Combat athletes pay attention to all aspects of the fighting game and now more than ever due to the immense popularity of the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC and Dream. Athletic performance and training to win is the goal of not only every MMA fighter, but every other competitive athlete as well. A great weapon for all athletes is the Branch Chain Amino Acids anabolic amino acid supplement. BCAAs consist of three essential amino acids, leucine, valine, and isoleucine. BCAA sports supplements help rebuild muscles after intense exercise and stress. During training, you will burn stored fat and carbohydrates for fuel, due to the extreme training methods that accompany mixed martial arts; our bodies will then turn to protein for fuel. When this happens, our muscles will consume these amino acids and that will cause our body to go into a catabolic state, which leads to overtraining and possible injury.
Amino acids and BCAAs offer many benefits to the MMA athlete including:
- muscle recovery
- Helps prevent muscle catabolism.
- Promote protein synthesis
- fuel workouts
- increase metabolism
Over the past ten years, sports nutrition experts have discovered that you can increase your recovery time by taking certain nutrients immediately after strenuous exercise. Experts agree that this could be the most important time for the athlete to supplement with a muscle recovery supplement like L-Leucine, L-Valine, and L-Isoleucine. Amino acid supplements along with a combination of protein and fast-acting carbohydrates help build muscle, increase testosterone, and help maintain a positive nitrogen balance for the athlete. Some other great recovery aids that work well with BCAAs include:
- L-glutamine
- ZMA
- creatine
- HMB
- beta-alanine
Any sport involving weight categories means that competitors train on limited amounts of calories. The branched-chain amino acid in the supplement has been shown to reduce overall body weight and reduce body fat percentage. Athletes have also experienced a reduction in abdominal adipose tissue. When training for a fight or competition on a low calorie diet, introducing BCAAs into your program can help you lose more weight without compromising your performance in the ring or cage. The best way for fighters to take BCAAs is to take them 30 minutes before training and one serving immediately after training. MMA athletes should aim for 50mg of BCAAs per pound of body weight for maximum results.