Whey protein vs BCAA is an all-time debate.
Whey protein and BCAA are the supplements that every fitness enthusiast and bodybuilder knows about. These supplements are the most famous and widely taken by people all over the world.
Whey protein and BCAA are known for enhancing athletic performance and for their muscle-building benefits.
However, both the supplements are beneficial but the real debate is which one is to choose and why?
This article will clear all your confusion regarding this and explain to you that which one is better for you to achieve your fitness goals.
Let’s compare them both.
What Is Whey Protein And BCAA?
Whey protein is a protein made up of milk. During the process of making cottage cheese, a liquid by-product separates out which is called whey.
After various processes, this liquid gets converted into a powder form which is known as whey protein powder. Originally it doesn’t taste good that’s why you get it usually flavored.
There are a lot of delicious flavors of whey protein available in the market. Chocolate flavor is mostly prefered. You can easily get any of them online.
On the other hand, BCAA is a group of three essential amino acids:
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Valine
These are called branched-chain amino acids because these three amino acids have a chain that branches off to one side.
BCAA supplements are easily available in the market in various flavors. You can buy them online.
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Everything About Amino Acids and BCAAs
How Whey Protein and BCAA affects your body?
Both these supplements certainly help you in achieving your fitness goals. However, they affect your body in different ways.
Whey Protein:
Whey protein is rich in high-quality protein. Its protein availability is very high – 70-80% protein in concentrated form and about 90% in the isolated one.
Whey protein gives you about 20-25 grams of protein in each serving. It is considered to be the highest quality protein as it contains all the essential amino acids. Your body needs them to build and repair muscles.
In addition, whey protein contains fast-digesting protein which is why it is recommended to be the best option in your post-workout drink. After a workout your MPS (muscle protein synthesis) is high and it is essential to consume a fast-digesting protein to repair the damaged muscle fibers.
These are the reasons that whey protein is a commonly used supplement. It is particularly famous among fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders, and professional athletes.
Whey protein helps them to increase their lean muscle mass and enhance their athletic performance in the gym. It is also an easy way for them to complete their high protein intake.
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SUMMARY: Whey protein contains 20-25 grams of high-quality protein per serving. It helps in increasing lean muscle mass and quick recovery.
BCAA:
BCAA affects you by providing the three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Like other amino acids, BCAAs are the building blocks of protein.
If you want to build muscles, these three are certainly the most important amino acids among all of them. In fact, BCAA comprises of around 35-40% of all the essential amino acids present in your body.
Here is the molecular structure of branched-chain amino acids:
BCAA supplements usually contain leucine, isoleucine, and valine in the ratio of 2:1:1. Leucine content is always higher because it directly stimulates muscle protein synthesis.
The primary reason for taking BCAA supplements is to boost muscle growth and to avoid muscle loss during a workout. It can also help in reducing fatigue after exercise. However, taking BCAA alone may affect you in the opposite way.
SUMMARY: BCAA consists of the 3 most important amino acids which stimulates muscle protein synthesis. It may help in reducing exercise fatigue and in avoiding muscle loss.
Can You Take BCAA Alone?
BCAA supplements certainly have some benefits in bodybuilding and fitness. However, this does not mean that you can rely on BCAA alone. It can probably affect you in a negative way.
When you consume BCAA, you provide an additional amount of three essential amino acids. But the fact is that there are a total of nine essential amino acids. Your body needs all of them to function properly.
So by taking BCAA for a longer time, you create an imbalance of amino acids in your body. Due to which, your body craves for the other six essential amino acids.
As a result of this imbalance, your body starts deriving the remaining 6 amino acids from your muscles. Due to this, you may lose your hard-gained muscles which is a nightmare for anyone.
So, consuming BCAA supplements with some whey protein would be a better and safer approach.
SUMMARY: Consuming BCAA for a longer time, probably creates an imbalance of amino acids in your body. To counter this, you may lose your muscles in order to get the remaining 6 essential amino acids.
Which One Is More Recommended?
Though both these supplements promote muscle building. Now the question is that if you can’t afford both, then which one to choose?
No doubt, the answer to this question would be whey protein. It is definitely more beneficial than BCAA.
In addition to high-quality protein, whey protein also contains a decent amount of BCAA. One serving of whey protein gives you about 5.5 grams of branched-chain amino acids. This is a fairly good amount.
On top of that, whey protein contains all the essential amino acids. While BCAA supplements give only 3 of them. Also, whey protein is an easy way of meeting your daily protein intake.
SUMMARY: If you can afford only one of them, then whey protein is a better bid. In addition to a high protein, it also contains 5.5 grams of BCAA per serving.
When Do You Need BCAA Supplements?
During the gaining phase…
While gaining muscle mass, you have to be on a caloric surplus mode. That means you need to eat more calories than you burn throughout the day.
So in your gaining phase, you provide enough calories to your body. Due to which, the risk of losing muscles while working out is negligible.
Hence, you don’t need to take BCAA supplements while gaining muscles, providing you are eating enough protein. Protein is the building block of muscles, therefore, it is essential to eat high protein foods in order to gain muscle.
A good portion of protein-rich foods in every meal helps you in gaining lean muscle mass.
Related Article:
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SUMMARY: BCAA supplements are not that beneficial during gaining phase. There is no risk of losing muscle because you have enough energy to fuel your workout.
What happens when you are on a fat loss diet?
During fat loss or cutting period, you take a caloric deficit diet. That means your body is burning more calories than you are eating.
In a calory diet, there is a chance that your body may go into a catabolic state. As a result of this, you may lose your muscles during an intense workout.
In order to lose more fat, some people prefer to do an empty stomach workout or cardio usually. In this case, there is a possibility of losing muscle during exercise. This is due to the fact that your body is not getting enough calories to fuel your workout.
So sipping BCAA at this time can actually help you in avoiding muscle loss. However, I recommend to take it along with some whey protein.
SUMMARY: BCAA supplements may help when you are on a low calory diet. They can boosts performance and avoid muscle loss during an intense workout or an empty stomach cardio.
Conclusion
So the battle of whey protein vs BCAA finally wins by whey protein.
After this detailed analysis of whey protein and BCAA, it is clear that whey protein is better. Though BCAA supplements have their own benefits, but if you want to choose one, then go for whey protein.
Whey protein provides a sufficient amount of high-quality protein. It is very beneficial for you, no matter what your goal is. It helps in increasing lean muscle mass and enhances performance in the gym. Due to this, it is the most used supplement.
BCAA also provides these benefits in bodybuilding and fitness. However, the primary goal of taking BCAA is to prevent muscle loss and to reduce exercise fatigue.
For getting actual benefits of BCAA, take it while you are on a low-calory diet. In that phase, you are not getting enough calories, due to which you can go to a catabolic state. Hence, BCAA can help you to prevent muscle loss at that time.
To avoid the side effects of BCAA, it is better to take it along with some whey protein.
