According to a recent survey, the number of people who took part in weightlifting during the pandemic dropped dramatically. This was largely due to the fact that many gyms shut down for months on end.

If you struggled to lift weights like usual throughout the pandemic and suffered muscle loss because of it, you should get back into the gym ASAP to start lifting again. You should also consider using BCAA supplements to help regain the muscle you lost.

So, what is BCAA, and what do BCAAs do to make it possible for you to add more muscle than you might be able to otherwise? We're going to fill you in on what BCAAs are so that you can start making the most of them right away. Continue reading to get the inside scoop on BCAAs.

What Is BCAA?

Before we begin discussing what BCAAs actually do once you put them into your body, let's kick things off by answering the question, "What is BCAA?" It'll help you start to understand why BCAAs are so important to those who are interested in adding muscle to their frames.

BCAA is short for branched-chain amino acids. BCAAs are a group of three essential amino acids called leucine, isoleucine, and valine that make up approximately 35% of the muscle protein found in your body.

Your body cannot produce BCAAs naturally, so it's going to be up to you to get enough of these essential amino acids into your body. You can do this by eating foods like:

• Chicken
• Beef
• Fish
• Eggs
• Lima beans
• Chickpeas
• Lentils
• Brown rice

You can also do it by incorporating BCAA supplements into the mix. These supplements will ensure that your body gets the BCAAs that it needs to create more muscle protein over time.

What Function Do BCAAs Have?

BCAAs play a vital role in everyone's body. But BCAAs are going to be especially important to those who take health and fitness seriously and want to work on building up their muscles.

Under normal circumstances, your body will rely on a form of glucose called glycogen to provide your muscles with energy while you're working out. But when you take BCAAs, studies have shown that they can step in and set your muscles up with a consistent energy source even after your glycogen levels have been depleted.

Because of this, BCAAs should put you in the perfect position to work out harder for longer periods of time than you've been able to work out in the past. This should result in you being able to bulk up quicker by allowing you to push your muscles to the brink of exhaustion every time you're lifting weights in the gym.

What Are the BCAA Benefits?

There are so many BCAA benefits that you'll get to enjoy when you start eating more foods with BCAAs in them and taking BCAA supplements.

For starters, you'll be able to participate in much harder workouts when you're in the gym while taking in more BCAAs. They're going to energize your body and enable you to push your muscles much harder than ever before.

BCAAs are also very effective when it comes to muscle protein recovery. Your body should be able to build your muscles back up after you're done breaking them down more effectively than they've been able to do after past workouts.

Additionally, there are studies that have suggested that leucine, in particular, may be extremely important in stimulating muscle protein synthesis following a workout. This would explain why the typical BCAA supplement dosage includes more leucine (5 grams) than valine (4 grams) and isoleucine (2 grams).

When Should You Take BCAA Supplements?

If you're interested in adding BCAA supplements to your routine so that you're able to make the most of the BCAA benefits, you'll need to know when to take BCAA supplements and how to take them.

When it comes to when you should take BCAA supplements, you're welcome to take them before, during, and after your workouts. You'll be able to flood your system with BCAAs when you do this and reap their rewards.

As far as how you should take BCAA is concerned, the simplest way to do it is by looking for whey protein drinks that contain leucine, isoleucine, and valine in them. You can mix up a protein shake in a BlenderBottle in a matter of just minutes and give your body the BCAAs that it will need.

Outside of taking BCAA supplements, you should also make it your mission to eat a balanced diet filled with foods that have BCAAs in them. Between using BCAA supplements and taking in these types of foods, you should be able to provide your body with all of the BCAAs and other nutrients that it will need to take your workouts to the next level. You'll be bulking up in no time at all.

Ready to Give BCAA Supplements a Try?

Now that you know the answer to the question, "What is BCAA?," and have a much better understanding of the importance of BCAAs, you should be prepared to take full advantage of them.

We can help you get more BCAAs into your system by providing you with a large assortment of shaker bottles that can be used to mix protein shakes. They'll guarantee that your body is able to get access to all the essential amino acids that it'll need for muscle recovery.

Check out our shop to see some of the great products that we have in store for you!