Introduction 

At the beginning of fitness journey body changes quickly and everything seems to be quite easy and positive. However, the body reaches a plateau within a few weeks of starting training and that’s when you have to look into the right diet and supplementation plan.

Having a better understanding of the process of muscle building and fat burning can successfully lead your way to better body composition.

Amino acids are one of the most widely used supplements by pro athletes for improved performance and better muscle mass.

But all the aminos are not created equal, some are proven effective for muscle development and others are proven to be very effective in weight loss. let’s learn some basics about aminos before we discuss the best amino acid supplement for muscle growth and weight loss.

What do amino acids do

There are more than 20 amino acids in total but not every type of amino is essential. Amino acids are divided into two broad categories.

• Essential amino acids 
• Non-essential amino acids.

The human body can produce Non-essential aminos on its own, that’s the reason they are called non-essential amino acids. But sometimes you need to supplement with the non-essential aminos because of greater needs.

Essential amino acids can not be produced within the body that’s the reason we need to fulfill their requirement through food products or supplementation.

Most of the people associates amino acids with protein synthesis and muscle development, that’s not exactly true. Amino’s plays a vital role in other bodily functions as well like physiological function, including enzyme production, hormone regulation, cognitive ability, metabolism, etc.

Difference between BCAA and amino.

Most of the people are soo much confused over the difference between BCAA and amino.

Amino includes a blend of essential and non-essential amino acids and their reliability depends on the blend and composition present in your amino supplement.

On the other hand, BCAA stands for Branched-Chain Amino Acids, these contain a combination of three essential amino acids:

• Leucine: maintaining muscle mass
• Isoleucine: instant energy
• Valine: promotion of muscle growth

So in simple terms, BCAA’s are specially engineered to give you an upper hand while promoting athletic performance and muscle growth.

Best amino acid supplement for muscle growth. 

BCAA

It is the most important Amino acids that play a crucial part in muscle building.

Supplement benefits: Increased strength, faster recovery, better focus and prevents catabolism.

How it works:

BCAA’s are mainly comprised of 3 essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. 

BCAAs are unique because of the way they are processed by the body, they are directly metabolized within muscle instead of the liver which make them a quick solution for your muscle energy needs.

BCAA has become one of the most celebrated supplement because of its ability to reduce fatigue, improve energy levels and promote muscle development.

Dosing and Timing: Take 5 of BCAAs, Twice a day is an optimum dosage for better performance and muscle building. You can split the dose into pre-workout and post-workout.

Especially helpful for people on a low carb diet.

L-Glutamine

Preserving muscle tissues is as important as the development of new ones.

Supplemental Benefits: It’s an amino acid that helps in preventing muscle breakdown. Not just that, it also helps in improving the immune system and faster recovery post-workout.

How it works:

it’s one of the most essential conditional amino acid in skeletal muscles. its called conditional amino acid because the body can produce it on its own but you might require additional supplementation to meets the body’s demands.

L-Glutamine has been used by athletes for decades, its believed to improve training volume and muscle endurance.

Dosing and Timing: Consuming 5-gram of L-glutamine post-workout seems to deliver the best results. A study carried on the dosage reported even 0.65 g/kg body mass of glutamine (in solution or as a suspension) have been reported to be tolerated by patients.

D-Aspartic Acid

D-aspartic acid is a physiological amino acid occurring principally in the pituitary gland and testes.

Supplement benefits: It’s an amazing amino acid that helps in boosting the testosterone levels of the body. D-Aspartic acid is found to be responsible for releasing multiple hormones like:

• Human growth hormone (HGH)
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)

A study conducted to find out the effect of D-aspartic acid found a positive association in the elevation of testosterone levels. 

Dosage: A typical dose of D-aspartic acid is 3 grams per day but the dosage may vary from person to person.

Beta-Alanine

A common amino acid that is found in almost every effective pre-workout.

Supplemental Benefits: it’s a non-essential amino acid that is produced naturally in the body. It assists in the production of Carnosine, a compound that helps in improving muscle strength and endurance.

Higher levels of carnosine allow the muscle to perform for extra repetitions which directly affects your better muscle hypertrophy.

A study (2)conducted on the athletes doing HIIT rowing found considerable improvement in muscle endurance and lesser fatigue. Another study (3) proves a significant effect of β-alanine supplementation compared to a placebo.  

Dosing and Timing: 3g of Beta-Alanine is an optimum dosage for best performance. Consuming 30 minutes before the workout is the best time to have it.

1.6 to 3 grams of beta-alanine 30 minutes before and right after training. On rest days, take 1.6 to 3 grams with breakfast and 1.6 to 3 grams later in the day.  

Best amino acid supplement for weight Loss

Some aminos are works incredibly well to mobilize fat and weight loss journey. Let’s have a look at the best aminos to trim down excess fat and improves cardiovascular performance.

Tyrosine

A popular amino acid that assists in improving mood, focus, energy.

Supplemental Benefits: It produces important brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that help nerve cells communicate and may even regulate mood (1).

Mechanisms of Action: Stress is something each one of us deal with, whether it’s because of work, family or medical conditions.

Tyrosine helps in the release of Dopamine that helps in relieving stress and anxiety (2).

This supplement is also responsible for regulating Thyroid hormone plays a crucial part in maintaining a healthy body.

Stress from intense training and caloric restricted diet can severely impact your mood. Excess stress may disrupt the optimum balance of neurotransmitters and other hormones. Taking a tyrosine supplement can combat the adverse effects of severe stress, which results in better mental and physical performance. It also helps in keeping you motivated and less exhausted.

Dosing and Timing: Take 500 to 1,500 milligrams two times daily, one dose upon waking and the other 30 minutes prior to training.

L-Carnitine

Most appreciated amino acid for the cutting phase.

Supplemental Benefits: Metabolizes stored fat, lactic acid removal, enhanced recovery and avoids catabolism.

How it works: L-Carnitine has proven it’s a crucial role in fat metabolization by transporting them into cell mitochondria and the production of energy (5, 6).

L-carnitine tartrate is a bioavailable form of carnitine that is readily digested, thus boosting the absorption in skeletal muscle and making them more effective than other forms.

Not just fat metabolization, it also helps in providing antioxidant support which optimized the blood flow and helps in gaining better endurance while lowering fatigue.

Dosing and Timing: 3 grams of L-carnitine tartrate can be an optimum dosage for a normal person, splitting the dose into two 1.5g serving can be more beneficial for some people.

Ending note:

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