Cardio…
Some Love It… Some Hate It…
But regardless of how you feel, it’s a must in order to get ultra lean and ripped.
Practically every bodybuilder and fitness competitor that I know of does cardio (and lots of it) in order to get ripped for competition.
Even though cardio works great for burning bodyfat, you run the risk of also burning up some of your hard earned muscle mass in the process. During cardio your body not only burns fat for fuel, but it can also dip into your skeletal muscle tissue and use it as a source of easily accessible Amino Acids to help fuel your exercise efforts.
This is definitely something we do NOT want to happen. This is why you often see folks who do excessive cardio training looking flat, scrawny, and stringy… NOT the look you’re after if you are training to be a bodybuilder. You want to have a big, full, and defined physique – Not skinny and flat looking.
So how do we overcome this dilemma?
Simple…
Just take a serving of Branched Chain Amino Acids before you do your cardio workout.
Research has shown that taking Branched Chain Amino Acids can keep you anabolic even while you do cardio! In fact, supplementing with BCAA’s has been shown to increase protein synthesis by 33% while at the same time decreasing catabolism.
What I suggest you do is take a serving of BCAA’s right BEFORE you start your cardio workout. And another serving right AFTER you finish your cardio workout.
If you are going to do an Extra Long cardio session (1 hour or more) you can even take a serving of BCAA’s right in the middle to help keep your body in an anabolic state.
It’s OK to take several servings of BCAA’s like this because they are basically just super fast absorbing protein that gets easily and rapidly used by your working muscles. Rather than breaking down your hard earned muscle tissue, your body will use the BCAA’s instead…
Helping to keep you in a more anabolic state!
You can (and should) also use this BCAA’s supplement trick with your weight training workouts as well. It will work wonders for keeping your body in an anabolic state and maximizing your muscle gains during any type of exercise or activity – Be it cardio, weight training, or playing sports.
68 Comments
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James
mike,
So basically your too cheap to buy BCAA’s which are awesome. Don’t bash Lee for giving us quality advice.
scott
wow, im dual citizenship america (florida) and wales, united kingdom. youd be lucky to get anyone answering questions, giving help so liberally like lee on a british site. (just found your web site, awesome).
you would have to pay for un biased information like this, and i dont care what you say, it is unbiased, iv spent thousands over certain years on rediculous supplements, iv done a few cycles. this guy int sellin anything, hes trying to help you get into shape. so you ‘conspirators’ that think youv worked it all out, instead, grow a pair, listen take heed to the great wealth of information, and instead of bitchin at this guy, get your ass in the gym. who knows, you start gettin results you might lose the douchebag personlity traits. and no, im not trying to sell douchebags.
Jim USMC
It’s too bad blue star is using what they call a proprietary blend for their BCAA’s. Then selling that BCAA prop blend for about 2.5 times more than anyone else.
Lets get some facts here. There are a lot of arguments around about what the right ratios of the 3 basic incgredients of a BCAA capsule are. There is already enough BS in the Body building/Nutrition Biz.
I never thought I’d write anything like this on your excellent website. I also understand you don’t make the product or set the price. BUT, there is only one kind of advertising that is worth anything in this business, it called informative advertising.
I think your advice is excellent, it’s the product informatiion that is obviously deceptive.
Thomas J Ahern(Irish)
This is not a “wise-ass” comment! I have been told that L-Glutamine replaces Amino Acids. I take an
L-Glutamine supplement. Would this do the same thing? I must be careful what I take as I am Diabetic!
Thomas J Ahern (Irish)
leehayward
Thomas J Ahern(Irish),
Glutamine is an amino acid and it’s important, but it doesn’t replace BCAA’s. Technically glutamine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that the body can make it from other amino acids. But BCAA’s are essential amino acids that must be obtained through your diet (or supplements).
Kevin
hello Lee,
I am overweight and try to work out in weight training, also try to do cardio i am not so much
interested in the reading of the scale but i would like to lose inches and body fat and if i lose
pounds that is a plus, but is it wise to just do cardio and lose alot of weight then lift to build muscle?
i am just afraid that i am right now just going to put muscle on top of fat because im at least 50-75
pounds overweight.. thanks for you time.
leehayward
Kevin,
You need to do BOTH weight training and cardio in order to lose bodyfat.
The weight training will build muscle and increase your metabolism so that you burn more fat all day long. And the cardio will help you burn fat during the actual cardio workout itself.
Deodua
If your protein supplement already contains some amount of BCAA, do you still need to take additional quantity BCAA? How much will you typically need for a 90 minute workout?
John
Hi Lee, I cannot put my hand on the reference material for BCAA but from memory they pretty good for fasted individuals so yes they may well be good in a run up to a comp. Also there is evidence that they are good for endurance such as football and long runs. Sorry but my recall is there is no definitive proof for building mass for body builders if you are already using whey and have a good balanced diet. Saying all that I am not a competing body builder like Lee. Whatever he is doing he certainly seems to be doing right and looking good year after year. But I bet most of his gains are down to training real hard and eating good whole food and not supplements.
John
Dino Tassigiannis
Nice to see Blue Star being featured, though personally I’d only ever use a powdered BCAA.
Peter
Hi Lee is ok to take BCAAS when working in remote hot condition in forty degree heat to help retain muscle tissue due to repetitive manual handling work also what’s the best diet for repetitive manual handling occupation
Kind Regards
Peter Heather
leehayward
Peter,
You can take BCAA’s during the day during a hard days work to help maintain muscle. But the main thing is to consume enough protein and calories throughout the day to meet your caloric needs. You can calculate your needs at: http://www.leehayward.com/calorie_calculator.htm
tom
Lee,
You mentioned Tuna once. Can you not just eat a an of Tuna before and after cardio workouts for a great amino acids push?
leehayward
Solid food protein isn’t the ideal thing to have as a pre-workout supplement because it takes longer for your body to break down and digest. Whereas BCAA’s are rapidly absorbed by the body so they can be used by your working muscles.
Samme
Hi Coach Lee Hayward!!!!
Great advice for BCAA’s!!!! I plan to incorporate BCAA’s whenever I train especially when I exercise with hard core intense cardio. Tell me how much of each ingredient in the BCAA’s you highly recommend.
Cheerrio, Samme
leehayward
You should take at least 5 grams of BCAA’s during your workouts. The easiest way to do this is with a BCAA powder drink mix that you can mix with your water and sip on during your workout. I personally use this one: http://www.leehayward.com/go/amino-acids.htm
rami elewa
hi lee,
great article…what about whey either isolate or hydrolyzed as a fast source for Amino acids
can I have my whey protein before after and during working out like a big shaker 1/3 before 1/3 after and 1/3 during would i still need BCAAthen (whey vs BCAA), especially that whey have the full spectrum of Amino Acids Including BCAA …thanks in advance
Lee
I personally prefer BCAA’s because they are more concentrated, 5 grams of BCAA’s vs. 30+ grams of protein powder. But you could still have a protein shake if you wanted to.
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