Our bodies also naturally produce creatine in our liver, kidneys, and pancreas from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. Branched-chain amino acids, or BCAAs, are a group of three amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Amino acids are the small building blocks that create proteins, which then combine to form muscles.

There are a total of twenty amino acids that all play key roles in protein synthesis. However, nine of these twenty are called essential amino acids EAAs , meaning it is essential that we consume them through our diet.

Leucine, isoleucine, and valine are three of the nine EAAs, and we call them branched-chain amino acids because their structures resemble branches.

These BCAAs have unique roles in skeletal muscle protein metabolism which is one reason why they are a popular supplement to support muscle gains.

The research surrounding BCAAs and their role in muscle development and athletic performance is not as vast as that for supplements like creatine.

What we do know is that these three EAAs are processed differently than the others. Leucine is especially interesting for its role in turning on the signal to start protein synthesis. Unlike creatine, BCAAs are found in both plant and animal protein sources, including:.

Of the twenty amino acids, eleven can be made by our body, whereas the nine EAAs cannot. For our body to have all of the necessary materials to build proteins and muscles, we must consume these nine from food or supplements.

As we use the phosphocreatine in our muscles during a workout, our ability to quickly regenerate ATP for energy decreases, making our muscles fatigued. Supplementing with creatine monohydrate will increase your baseline stores of phosphocreatine, meaning you can delay this fatigue longer and improve your performance.

In a study with 56 men, the group taking a creatine supplement was able to complete This will amplify your ability to regenerate your glycogen stores, which will fuel you for those high-intensity moments and improve your overall performance.

Branched-chain amino acids are best known for their role in prolonging energy and decreasing fatigue. It has been shown that BCAAs facilitate a reduction in central fatigue, which helps with focus and increases overall performance in athletes. This could be especially important for those participating in endurance activities to reduce fatigue over time and propel you through your training.

Since the combination of resistance training and creatine supplementation leads to increased overall performance in the gym, muscle growth will follow. Supplementing with more of these building blocks ensures that your body has the resources it needs to increase your muscle mass.

You may be wondering if using a protein powder is similar to a BCAA supplement. Protein powders also provide these three EAAs along with the other seventeen, but the advantage of BCAA-specific supplements is that they contain fewer calories than something like whey protein.

What we do know is that there is an association between high levels of the enzyme, creatine kinase, and more muscle damage. Creatine kinase is lower when taking a creatine supplement. One study found that athletes supplementing creatine had less muscle damage during the 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours following exercise.

There have been studies where BCAA supplementation was associated with fewer markers of muscle damage, as well as inhibiting muscle breakdown post-exercise.

Among its many other roles, creatine helps to lower inflammation and oxidative stress in your muscles. This helps with your recovery between training sessions.

A recent meta-analysis identified that BCAA supplementation has resulted in participants reporting less muscle soreness after a workout, but the reason behind this is still not well understood and seems to be dependent on the type of exercise. However, as a supplement, creatine is currently better understood, and there is more research to back up its positive effects on muscle function, gains, and power.

Creatine can cause water retention, which can lead to weight gain. For this reason, creatine loading may not be recommended for weight-bearing endurance athletes. Using BCAAs as an athletic performance supplement is relatively new, so the evidence is still unclear. There has also been some research to say that individuals consuming too many amino acid supplements may experience side effects such as stomach pain and upset.

Yes, you can take BCAAs with another protein supplement. But keep in mind that your protein powder supplement should be a complete protein, meaning it contains all of the amino acids, including leucine, isoleucine, and valine the 3 BCAAs. Cleveland Clinic. Forbes, S. Creatine supplementation and endurance performance: surges and sprints to win the race.

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition , 20 1. Kaufman, M. The Impact of Supplements on Sports Performance for the Trained Athlete: A Critical Analysis. Current Sports Medicine Reports , 21 7 , — Kaviani, M. Benefits of Creatine Supplementation for Vegetarians Compared to Omnivorous Athletes: A Systematic Review.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 17 9 , Khemtong, C. Does Branched-Chain Amino Acids BCAAs Supplementation Attenuate Muscle Damage Markers and Soreness after Resistance Exercise in Trained Males?

A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients , 13 6 , Marcon, M. The effect of branched-chain amino acids supplementation in physical exercise: A systematic review of human randomized controlled trials.

Martinho, D. Oral Branched-Chain Amino Acids Supplementation in Athletes: A Systematic Review. Nutrients , 14 19 , Each protein molecule is made up of a collection of smaller substances, called amino acids. BCAAs are a subset of three specific amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine, that contain a branch in their chemical structure.

The similar chemical structure of branched-chain amino acids is believed by many to make them work synergistically, being metabolized by the body faster and providing bigger and faster benefits for things like muscle protein synthesis. There are a total of 20 amino acids however, 11 of them can be synthesized by the body.

This leaves nine that are considered essential and are required to be obtained from our diet. BCAAs are three of the nine essential amino acids, which are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

It is considered an effective supplement for improving strength and performance because it helps boost adenosine triphosphate ATP. ATP is what provides energy to your cells for functions like muscle contraction. Increasing ATP can help boost energy intensity and therefore performance. About half of your body's creatine is produced from consuming high-protein foods while the other half is produced by the non-essential amino acids glycine and arginine in your liver and kidneys.

Both BCAA supplements and creatine supplements have benefits for building muscle. The one you choose depends on the specifics of your goals, along with your dietary preferences. If you follow a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, you'll benefit from taking BCAA supplements, as it's likely you're not getting enough from your diet alone.

Likewise, if your exercise focuses on endurance rather than intensity, BCAAs may fit your needs better. If your gym sessions focus on increasing power and intensity, creatine supplementation may be a better choice. However, to fully understand whether BCAA or creatine is the best for building muscle, we need to know more about how muscle growth happens in the first place.

Muscle Protein Synthesis MPS is your body's process of using protein to build and repair muscles following intense exercise.

These tears require protein to rebuild and repair these fibers so that they become a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger the next time you replicate that activity. The breakdown of muscle fibers causes inflammation that often results in muscle soreness. Ensuring you are consuming adequate protein in your diet or supplementing with a high-quality protein shake can help boost recovery and improve muscle soreness following intense activity.

But more importantly, giving the body the compounds it needs will enhance muscle protein synthesis, and speed up the process of building lean muscle mass. Some studies have even found that consumption of BCAAs alone might help to enhance muscle protein synthesis after exercise.

Specifically, leucine, one of the three amino acids in the branched-chain family, is believed to activate a specific pathway in the body responsible for stimulating muscle protein synthesis.

It should be noted however that studies have also found we must include the other essential amino acids, not just BCAAs, to successfully build muscle mass. Without these, results are not as successful. That being said, although BCAAs are linked with improved MPS, all amino acids play a role.

Therefore, taking a whey protein supplement post-exercise might have similar, if not better, results. This is especially true for people who struggle to get adequate protein in their diet. You could also take a full amino acids supplement like Naked EAAS, which contains leucine, valine, and isoleucine in the science-backed ratio for optimal muscle recovery.

Whether you take them in a supplement or focus on consuming high-protein food sources, BCAAs have many benefits when it comes to muscle development.

Not only do BCAAs help with MPS to stimulate muscle growth, but they also help with decreasing post-exercise muscle soreness by improving recovery.

Studies have found BCAAs help to reduce muscle tissue damage following exercise which can help to improve the length and severity of delayed-onset muscle soreness DOMS. BCAAs might also help to reduce post-exercise fatigue, which can boost performance.

Your body uses BCAAs during exercise. Once they start to be depleted, the essential amino acid tryptophan increases in your brain which causes a boost in serotonin. Higher serotonin levels in the brain are believed to be linked to post-exercise fatigue.

Some studies found supplemental BCAAs showed improvement in post-exercise fatigue levels. Although creatine does not stimulate MPS like BCAAs, it can still help to build muscle mass.

Creatine helps stimulate energy in your muscles which allows you to lift heavier at a higher intensity. This energy allows you to get a better workout that will create better results in muscle growth. BCAAs can help mitigate post-exercise muscle damage, reduce exercise-induced fatigue and potentially speed up recovery time [ 9 ].

Creatine is also believed to enhance post-workout recovery by decreasing recovery time between bouts of high-intensity exercise. However, not all research supports this theory and some studies found no improvement in recovery with creatine supplementation [ 11 ].

BCAAs appear more suitable for the prevention of muscle breakdown than creatine. Protein in our muscles is constantly being broken down during activity which is why we need to continue to consume protein to help rebuild what we lost.

We begin to lose muscle when the protein we are breaking down is more than the amount we are taking in. This can occur during certain periods of illness or injury, as well as during the natural aging process. Research has found that supplementing these can help to prevent muscle protein breakdown and improve overall health outcomes and risk for malnutrition.

Whether you're taking a BCAA or a creatine supplement, you might be wondering when you should take it. Unfortunately, the perfect timing for either of these supplements has not yet been determined and may not matter as much as you think.

Whether you are an athlete or an average gym goer looking to improve your physical fitness, the timing of BCAAs is basically down to preference. Because of limited studies, no set guideline has been determined when it comes to timing of these supplements.

In fact, newer research suggests that the previously recommended window of time to consume protein pre or post-workout has now been extended to up to 5 hours. This means the timing for your supplemental BCAAs may not be that important if you have already consumed a meal with protein within that time frame [ 17 ].

Although there is limited research to support the specific timing of creatine supplementation for athletic performance, most agree that taking creatine right before or right after exercise is likely best compared to waiting longer periods. According to one study conducted over a week period, participants who took supplemental creatine close before or after weight training gained more muscle and strength than the group who took it hours earlier or later [ 18 ].

You don't need to take BCAAs if you are already taking a creatine supplement and vice versa. But it could help to boost your exercise performance and recovery even further.

In fact, it's common for many supplement companies to mix creatine and BCAAs for a combined effect on muscle hypertrophy, strength, and to further increase lean muscle mass. With that said, it is not necessary to take both of these supplements if you don't want to or if you feel like it does not meet your specific goals.

For example, if you are just looking for improvement in muscle growth and recovery and don't feel you need increased energy for improved intensity of exercise then you can stick with just a BCAA supplement.

If you have a BCAA and creatine supplement you like, it's perfectly fine to mix them. Both supplements are generally mixed with light liquids, such as water or juice. So it's a natural fit to add both in with your pre, post or intra-workout hydration. In addition, creatine monohydrate the most common form of creatine supplementation is usually a flavorless powder, so you shouldn't have any weird taste issues by combining the two.

Just be aware of whether or not your supplements contain any additional ingredients, besides BCAAs and creatine. Pay attention to your body as well, and change it up if you feel any side-effects, like stomach discomfort.

The best way to pick between creatine and BCAA supplements is to consider your personal goals. If you want to access enhanced muscle strength and power, creatine might be more helpful. Be aware that creatine supplementation may lead to temporary weight gain due to water retention.

This is normal when you first start taking creatine, but should subside over time. Both BCAAs and creatine have research-backed benefits when it comes to improving your body composition and exercise performance.

Both are great choices if you're looking for a way to get more out of your workouts and hit your goals faster.

Kre-alkalyn however, does not need to be loaded in order to maximize performance benefits and can be taken and used immediately, for better strength and endurance. So, which one should you take BCAAs or Creatine? The answer is both! I'm just taking a guess here, but your goals probably fall in line with wanting to get stronger, increase performance, recover faster, and build more lean muscle mass.

If that's the case, then taking both BCAAs and Creatine will help you get there faster, and produce better results. We believe that everyone can optimize not only their athletic performance but their human potential.

The way we believe we can optimize performance is through transparency, clinically effective doses, and clinically proven ingredients with evidence-based outcomes.

We provide the nutrients you need to power your active lifestyle. Get exclusive access to discounts and the latest on fitness, nutrition, and wellness delivered straight to your inbox. Your email. Create your account Lost password? First name. Last name.

Your cart is empty. DAILY STACKS DIGESTIVE HEALTH JOINT HEALTH WEIGHT LOSS WELLNESS. What Are BCAAs And What Do BCAAs Do? Creatine Monohydrate can cause gastrointestinal issues such as bloating, stomach aches or cramping from converting creatine into creatinine a toxic by-product of creatine conversion Creatine Monohydrate requires a loading phase of doses typically 5 grams per dose per day for up to 5 days and once a day thereafter.

Creatine Monohydrate requires cycles, specifically 1 week of loading, 5 weeks of weeks of maintenance, and weeks off. RELATED ARTICLE Pros And Cons Of Creatine Monohydrate Creatine can be a bit confusing, considering there are so many types of creatine to choose from.

However, research has shown that the only type of creatine which shows any performance differences, is Kre-Alkalyn a pH correct form of creatine monohydrate. What is Kre-Alkalyn? Therefore as compared to creatine monohydrate; Kre-Alkalyn is not degraded to creatinine which subsequently leads to greater bioavailability, meaning your body can use it more effectively Kre-Alkalyn solves for side effects such as bloating and cramping.

BCAAs Vs Creatine Frequently Asked Questions Should I Take BCAAs Or Creatine? When Should I Take BCAAs and Creatine? Do I Need To Load Creatine? BCAAs Vs. Creatine: Takeaway So, which one should you take BCAAs or Creatine?

Ready To Add Kre-Alkalyn To Your Supplement Regimen? Swolverine's Kre-Alkalyn® is a patented pH correct form of creatine phosphate. With the addition of creatine phosphate PCr into the muscle cells, the body increases its immediate energy supply, by facilitating the production of ATP which increases power output and strength.

High-intensity training programs require the body to go under strenuous aerobic and anaerobic conditions. By supplementing the body with creatine, you will induce a greater improvement in exercise endurance and athletic performance, resulting in improved times, more peak power, and stronger lifts.

Tags: Bcaa , Creatine , Nutrition , Supplements. Previous article Next article. Join Over 1,, Fans Get the latest on fitness, nutrition, and wellness every week. Follow us. Featured products. Popular posts. The Swole Friends Podcast Sep 06, The Ultimate Bodybuilding Cutting Diet Fitness Jun 15, Join Over 1,, Fans Get exclusive access to discounts and the latest on fitness, nutrition, and wellness delivered straight to your inbox.

Top-notch support We're committed to an amazing customer experience. When you increase concentrations of essential amino acids, you increase competition, less tryptophan can enter the brain, and you delay fatigue onset.

Mitigate muscle soreness to enhance recovery. Because BCAAs help increase muscle protein synthesis and reduce muscle breakdown, they conserve tissue during periods of intense training. Studies show that people taking BCAAs reported significantly less soreness and hours post-exercise, which may be due to enhanced glutamine production from branched-chain amino acid degradation 4 ; glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid involved in the immune response to muscle damage and is used as an energy source by lymphocytes and macrophages to fuel repair and recovery 5.

They also found that serum creatine kinase CK levels were lower in participants who consumed BCAAs; this may be attributed to the role of BCAAs in attenuating CK efflux, reducing residual muscle soreness, and improving recovery of muscle function 6. Creatine is a compound produced within the body from the two amino acids, arginine and methionine.

Unlike the BCAAs, the precursor amino acids are non-essential, meaning both arginine and methionine can be produced in the body, as well as creatine. But despite being produced endogenously, it's one of the most widely consumed fitness supplements around. While creatine doesn't directly enhance muscle protein synthesis as the BCAAs do, it does a damn good job supporting it.

That's because creatine's function is to increase intramuscular phosphocreatine PCr concentrations, thereby enhancing work capacity. More specifically, it plays a vital role in energy availability and the regeneration of ATP, your body's main energy substrate.

During the energy production cycle, ATP is degraded into ADP and an inorganic phosphate molecule Pi , which provides the energy needed to fuel metabolic activities; when the phosphate group is hydrolyzed, energy is given off as heat, and this energy is used to drive whatever process is being performed, for example, muscle contraction.

This entire process helps to ensure energy availability to power maximal effort anaerobic activities 7. Essentially, the purpose of creatine is to serve as a substrate for the regeneration of ATP. In fast-twitch skeletal muscles, there is generally a large phosphocreatine reserve available for immediate regeneration of ATP during high-intensity, short-duration work 8.

However, with prolonged intense activity, phosphocreatine levels decline, which means energy availability falls because of the lack of ATP regeneration needed to meet high-intensity exercise demands. The logic behind creatine supplementation is to ensure adequate substrate for the regeneration of ATP.

More substrate equates to more extended work capacity and more muscle growth. Now that you can understand how BCAAs and creatine work in the body, it's time to talk about which one is better for you.

However, like every other supplement, neither BCAAs nor creatine are necessary to smash your workout, but they do come with their own unique set of benefits. The main difference between creatine and BCAA supplements is how they affect your athletic performance.

BCAAs are great for enhancing muscle growth, rebuilding lean muscle mass, and preserving existing muscle tissue, while creatine helps increase your power output during high-intensity training to boost strength and training volume.

So, if your goal is to gain strength, maximize muscle growth, increase muscle endurance, and optimize recovery, don't choose between them—use both.

BCAAs and creatine work together to enhance every aspect of your performance and give you the best possible outcome to optimize your performance. With all of that said, putting together a training stack can fuel your performance and recovery by hitting every possible corner where training is concerned.

So, if you're looking for the best supplements, we've got it nailed. Try this Performance Lab stack. Performance Lab Post counters the negative effects of training to restore depleted nutrients, recharge muscles, and optimize growth and repair.

Performance Lab Maintain is designed for everything in between. Maintain helps you be at your best in the gym by being smarter during downtime.

By combining cutting-edge creatine, beta-alanine, and iron innovations, Maintain helps restore depleted muscles, enhance muscle growth and recovery with extended hour nourishment, and prime muscles for stronger athletic performance in your next session.

Instead of looking at creatine and BCAAs as supplements competing for the crown, they're both valuable players on the same team vying for the same trophies: muscle growth, fat loss, better performance, and accelerated recovery.

Despite their differences in function, they both work towards a common goal and are completely necessary for pretty much every fitness supplement stack.

createElement 'div' ; el. parse el. querySelector '[data-options]'. Home Blogs Fitness BCAA vs Creatine: Which Should You Take? BCAA Quick Facts: Maximize gains by accelerating muscle growth while slowing muscle breakdown Extend athletic endurance by blocking fatigue-inducing brain chemicals Energize and enhance muscle strength across all athletic activities Reduce muscle soreness and reloads muscles for a faster, healthier recovery Protect lean muscle and guard against muscle wasting.

Receive unique insights, advice and exclusive offers. Email address Subscribe. Creatine Quick Facts: Provides rapid energy source to fuel muscle contractions Raise muscle ATP energy to power growth while recharging muscle for subsequent training sessions Stimulate the synthesis of proteins, stem cells, and growth factor used to build muscle Modulate the oxidative stress and myostatin that can limit muscle repair and growth.

The Best Supplements For BCAAs and Creatine With all of that said, putting together a training stack can fuel your performance and recovery by hitting every possible corner where training is concerned.

Get the best price on Performance Lab Post Performance Lab Maintain is designed for everything in between. Get the best price on Performance Lab Maintain. References SJ Crozier, SR Kimball, SW Emmert, JC Anthony, LS Jefferson.

Oral leucine administration stimulates protein synthesis in rat skeletal muscle.