The ideal way to reach your top performance during your training sessions, intra-workout supplements provide your body with more enriching ingredients to boost your energy, help you last longer and reduce the damage to your muscles. Similar to pre-workout and post-workout products, intra-workout supplements are filled with everything you need for advanced muscle growth during bodybuilding sessions.
Intra-workout supplements often rely on BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) or EAAs (Essential Amino Acids) to support muscle building by fighting muscle breakdown (catabolism), stimulating muscle protein synthesis and reducing exercise fatigue. amino acids are the building blocks that make up the thousands of proteins found in the human body. By supplementing with BCAAs/EAAs during a workout, your body has more available proteins that are essential during exercise for energy and reduce cell damage.
The effects of BCAAs/EAAs in intra-workout supplements
There are 20 amino acids used by the body to make proteins. Of these, nine are essential amino acids (EAAs) and three of these 9 are BCAAs. The BCAAs are leucine, isoleucine and valine. These acids work in conjunction with each other and are often found in intra-workout products at a clinical ratio of 2:1:1.
L-Leucine - increases muscle protein synthesis, resulting in faster development of muscle tissue during exercise. Leucine is seen as the strongest BCAA for its muscle-building abilities.
L-Isoleucine - also promotes protein synthesis for muscle growth, though not as strongly as leucine. Isoleucine is believed to be the BCAA which best supports glucose uptake which is essential for maintaining energy levels during a workout.
L-Valine - Seen as the least effective BCAA, Valine has similar qualities to Leucine and Isoleucine and is still an EAA so incorporating it into your diet is useful when trying to build muscle mass quickly.
Best intra-workout supplements in the UK
In addition to our BCAA intra-workout products, we stock some of the finest supplements for bodybuilders the US has to offer, many of which can only be found exclusively in the EU on A-list Nutrition. Our range also makes use of reliable energy boosters, muscle pumpers, and fat burners like Creatine, Beta-Alanine, Citrulline Malate, L-Glutamine and L-Carnitine.
Get the most out of your body every session with our premium-quality intra-workout powders and capsules and enjoy free UK shipping on orders over £100.
FAQ's
Each of the BCAA products stocked on A-List Nutrition is specially designed to improve your workout and support your body. But each product also has its own unique recipe, so finding the best product for you will be a personal choice and will be dependent on your fitness goals and training regime.
Each of our products includes detailed information to help give you an understanding of how they benefit you before you buy. Many of our products have also been reviewed by our customers so check those out for an indication of how other fitness fans have enjoyed our intra-workout supplements.
Since BCAAs and EAAs are essential amino acids, meaning the body doesn’t naturally produce them, supplementing them as part of your workout regime ensures that your body has all the natural ingredients it needs to promote muscle health and provide improved workout results.
BCAAs protect the muscles from protein breakdown during exercise and reduce muscle soreness by aiding with recovery, meaning they are an ideal supplement for bodybuilders and those who do high-intensity workouts.
At the proper dosage level, there are few side-effects of BCAAs and they are generally safe for everyday use. However, side effects that have been observed include nausea and headaches. This is generally from overuse so ensuring you follow the dosage instructions on your chosen products can usually help you avoid these side-effects. In the event that you experience any negative side-effects, try dropping your dose or stop using the product altogether.
BCAAs can also affect blood glucose levels so you should discuss their use with your doctor if you are diabetic or if you are about to have surgery.
BCAAs stocked on A-List Nutrition have been designed to be safe for everyday use. As long as you are following the recommended dosage guidance, there is little risk of consuming them every day and this can provide benefits beyond their use during workouts. L-Leucine, l-Isoleucine and l-Valine are used to support muscle recovery, so taking BCAA supplements during rest days can also help your body recover, especially if you have been working particularly hard at the gym and your muscles are in need of some care and support.
BCAAs are amino acids, meaning they play an important role in the building of proteins which helps build muscle faster and prevents protein breakdown by ensuring a consistent supply of the essential building blocks proteins need. Amino acids, specifically isoleucine, are also useful for providing energy to the muscles through glucose intake, meaning your body can last longer during intense exercises. These features make BCAAs perfect intra-workout supplements to keep your body pumped and protected but means they can be taken at any time and still provide benefits.
Intra-workout supplements are designed to be taken during your workout. Supplementing in this way means your body replenishes the energy and proteins it needs that have been used up and broken down during your exercises. Supplementing intra-workout means you can push yourself to your limits and then give yourself extra energy and the nutrients to keep going.
You can take pre-workout and intra-workout supplements for the same session, but there probably won’t be many benefits from using both products. Many pre-workout powders already contain BCAAs like leucine, so doubling your dosage will give your body more than it needs and you won’t see any significant results.
Pre-workout supplements are great for giving your body a boost of energy before you start so that you are energised throughout your workout, while intra-workout is used to help your body recover some energy during your workout so you can keep going once you’ve pushed yourself. Deciding which product is best suited to you will depend on your fitness schedule and you should consider when each product will best benefit your goals for each session.
Amino acids are essential for building proteins in the body which contribute to muscle mass production. Because BCAAs aren’t naturally produced by the body, taking supplements is an effective way of providing your body with the amount of protein it needs so you can make sure your diet is targeted towards your fitness goals.
If you are fasting for religious reasons, you should check the nutritional information of your chosen BCAA product carefully to determine if it contains calories that will break your fast. If you are fasting for exercise purposes, even those BCAAs that contain calories can sometimes be taken in small doses which will not bring you out of a fasted state but will allow you to still benefit from their use.
Not all BCAA products will be suitable for vegans as some get their proteins from animal sources. A-List Nutrition stocks a range of vegan proteins and exercise supplements so you can keep to your vegan diet and power your body naturally during exercise.