Hi folks...
I´m changing my workout routine and diet plan these days and I´m very happy with what I´ve achieved in the past couple of weeks but I still have a few questions regarding amino acid tablets.
Those of you who workout regualarly and with a bit more dedication and passion than the average Joe probably remember that amino acids were quite the hype in the early to mid 90s. I have never used them with the necessary discipline to make a judgment because I took them on and off, sometimes only for a couple of weeks, and sometimes not as many as recommended but I know some guys used to swear that amino acid tabs give you more of an edge, more energy and a much faster muscle tissue recovery after a hard , intense workout.
But why should a small,dry, very hard tablet consisting of pressed milk protein in form of whey protein be any better than a liquid whey protein shake which contains the same BCAAs ? ( branched chain amino acids ) . Sure, they are pre-digested ( at least that´s what the label claims) and they are quite practical but nutritionwise, you´d have to swallow tons of them to get the equivalent of a protein shake . ..so what´s the big deal about them ?

I usually drink one protein shake in the morning, one before going to the gym, and one right after my workout ( usually blended with a banana and oatflakes to load up some glycogen) and one before going to bed ( casein based before sleep, longtime release...but whey based after working out for faster absorption) .

Sure, some might say why take protein at all but I trust my experience of a decade of working out. And it´s very difficult for me to actually EAT that much protein, so I don´t want this thread to turn into a discussion about supplements in general...all I´m asking for is some advice when it comes to amino acid tablets.
I read on some European fitness website that they don´t even sell them anymore in America and that most of the American companies only make them for export reasons.

Any info / advice is appreciated.

Hi there. I am a certified fitness trainer and physical therapy student w/ several years experience. I think as long as you get the essential amino acids that you need, you don't need to spend extra money on amino acid tabs. The human body only NEEDS around 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (unless you have a large amount of lean muscle mass or you are a trained athlete, in that case you could need as much as 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight). You will be able to build muscle and sustain your gains by eating enough lean protein.

If you insist on taking the amino acid supplements, I'd check to see if they are "essential" or not. This means that your body does not make them on its own and they need to be consumed. There are about 8 of them. If they are not one of these:

isoleucine
leucine
lysine
threonine
tryptophan
methionine
histidine
valine
phenylalanine

then I would put it back on the shelf because most of our bodies make the other 20+ non-essential amino acids. The idea that amino acid tabs are better than complete proteins is the issue of digestability and how quickly the muscle tissues can benefit from them. The truth is that the body can only absorb so much protein at a time so consuming extra is sort of redundant. Just because you can buy something at a supplement store doesnt mean it will help you become more healthy or more fit. What you can bet on for sure though is walking out of the store with less $ in your account.
[Edited 10/18/07 20:01pm]

Are there any Amino Acids in the greasy Taco Supreme that I'm scarfing down right now?

PurpleJedi said:

Thanks Dreamfactory. The aminotabs I´m talking about contain all the essential amino acids, including the ones you mentioned but I guess you´re right, they´re not worth the price because for that money I could get much more protein from other sources. I was just wondering what the benefits could be....

Thanks.

KoolEaze said:

anytime.

dreamfactory313 said:

In the past, I've used Myoplex, Betagen, Creatine & Cr2 - what's your opinion on these?

uPtoWnNY said:

I bought some creatine years ago but I only used it for a couple of weeks. It´s supposed to be quite effective, gives you more strength and endurance and stores more water in your muscles, hence making them look bigger and also helps build up muscle tissue but not knowing where it came from and how they make it made me a bit skeptical, and it was a bit too complicated to use. You go through some loading phase of several weeks, than take a break for several weeks, then load again. And drinking lots of water is recommended. Also, you should take it with simple carbs like grape juice and should drink it right away because the creatine turns into creatinin in a few minutes...waaaaay to complicated and inconvenient for me but maybe it´s better when you use capsules instead of powder.
You should also reduce your caffeine intake while loading creatin.
Maybe Dreamfactory can tell you more.