Just curious, does anyone know approximately how much a dose of EAA’s, such as Myokem mTor pro (current EAA formula) or perhaps EAA Max (next EAA I’ll be trying) is in regards to dietary protein? So I shoot for a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, and no point using the EAA’s if I’m getting enough protein, so I’d rather not waste my money using it. And yes Brawn, I know real food is better 
EAA’s and BCAA’s contain calories (Around 6 kcals) So yes you would want to factor them towards protein intake if you do intake them since they do contain calories. If you lack protein from whole foods or from whey then it would be beneficial if you need to use them to reach intake. But honestly whey has a larger amino spectrum as does food. I mean if you have a meal with just mixed trace protein sources (think a cheese pizzza) and you don’t get enough leucine it would be beneficial to take BCAA’s/EAA’s with that meal to help meet 3g of leucine to spike MPS/get enough leucine per meal.
2 Likes
10g EAA’s carry the same initial MPS spike as 25g of whey. I wouldn’t put too much thought into that though since it drops fairly quickly as well. IMO, they’re only worth taking if you have whey allergies and want something post workout.
Inb4 intra which science says no
1 Like
Does science say no to intra though? I recall seeing one study that found intra workout EAAs provided some nice gains, as did intra carbs, and the two together was even better. I suppose it likely becomes redundant if you had a big meal close before your workout, but if not, I can certainly see EAAs having some benefits intra-workout.
1 Like
I really just consider whey as a food haha. But yeah, adding some leucine/EAAs to a low-protein meal makes a lot of sense IMO.
1 Like
I have a hard time finding any amino studies that weren’t financed by someone with a need to show they “work”. For example, that Wolfe study slamming Bcaas and pushing EAA’s is a joke. The guy literally owns the patent or is a part owner of a patented EAA product. Shocking.
There are usually two thoughts around aminos intra. One, to elevate MPS which regardless of what is advertised, you do not want while lifting not to mention your body is going to do the opposite.
Next is as an energy substrate. Again, this is incorrect as it’s not a first or even second choice to fuel anaerobic exercise.
I can only think of one use, post workout for the MPS trigger that can and does occur.
Layne Norton had a presentation at the Arnold 3 years ago where he went over the MPS PowerPoint in full and took questions in regards to bcaa and eaa dosing and I remember that was one of the key points on adding to meals with just trace protein or that lacked content
1 Like
It makes complete sense even just thinking about it, but it is nice to have actual research supporting it. I remember that there was also a study showing that leucine added to a low dose of whey was able to stimulate MPS to the same degree as a higher dose of whey protein, which seems to support this; maybe that was one of the studies he cited; it’s been a little while since I read what he had to say about it.
1 Like
Here’s one study (the EAA, carbs, or EAA + carbs study I mentioned earlier).
Granted, it was in untrained subjects, and you could argue that the partial support from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute would constitute a potential conflict of interest, but I don’t think that inherently entirely discredits the study.
1 Like
I am familiar with that study and note, they took it post training which is the same thing I am saying. It’s really the only thing that makes sense or I would agree with additional leucine or EAA’s with low protein meals like maybe vegan ones etc.
Did you even read the study or just the abstract? The “following resistance training” in the title doesn’t mean what it seems like you think it means.
From the full text:
[quote]Following commencement of the exercise bout, subjects
consumed either a CHO (Gatorade, Quaker Oats, Inc.,
Chicago, IL, USA), a EAA (Musashi, Notting Hill,
Australia), a combined CHO + EAA supplement, or a
PLA (aspartame and citrus flavouring, Quaker Oats,
Inc.), dissolved in water at a fluid volume of
8.5 ml kg body mass1 (an average of 675 ml of solution).
The total volume of fluid was divided by 25
servings, allowing for between 22.5 and 30.0 ml
depending on body size to be ingested between each set
of resistance exercise[/quote]
That’s definitely intra-workout, no?
I just read the title and recognized it. If they drank it intra, I didn’t realize it. What was the benefit again with this study?
In your defense, the title is pretty misleading, and the abstract didn’t seem to specify any specific timing.
All treatment groups had a greater increase in fat-free mass than the placebo, and the group that had EAA + carbs had even greater gains than either single-treatment group did. Additionally, all treatment groups made progress in 1-RM leg press strength for all 3 4-week training blocks, while the placebo group did not make further progress during the last 4-week block. The increases in fat-free mass was around 2kg (placebo), 3kg (single-treatment), and 4kg (EAA + carbs) in 12 weeks (untrained individuals, so this makes more sense).
I currently use my Myokem intra workout with some Carb10. Going off the study, I presume that is optimal?
Yeah, EAAs and carbs would be optimal. As to if it’s necessary or beneficial if you had a big, high-protein and carb meal close before your workout is potentially a different story, but EAA + carbs should be “ideal” the way I see it. The study just used Gatorade powder, which is what I use when I use intra-workout carbs, mainly because it’s super cheap compared to fancy carb powders.
1 Like
I need to read up on that study. Was there a dietary protocol? I see where you mentioned Gatorade financed. What university conducted it? I’m on mobile and can’t stop to read it until later tonight
“School of Human Movement Studies, Charles Sturt University” in Australia according to the study. I don’t know if Gatorade actually financed the entire study, or just provided the Gatorade, as they also say the same “supported in part by” about Musashi, whose amino acids they used. Subjects were instructed to consume their normal diet throughout the study. I’d have to check to see if there were any differences between the groups.
The term “normal diet” is very vague.
What is labeled normal?
McDonald’s and fast food like most Americans?
A tracked intake?
2500 Calories , 2000 Calories ?
How were their macros distributed
That’s the issue with all of these studies they just add in a variable to lackluster diets . Sure if someone doesn’t have an optimal diet and they add 50g it carbs and extra protein from BCAA’s I would hope their workout performance would increase
Go find a regular gym trainee and have them
Add carbs and protein intake workout for most it will
Make a good impact on performance endurance and recovery because it’s added calories on top of their diet to asssit their optimal Performance
I don’t disagree with you. They didn’t seem to control the diets from what it looks like. Normal would just mean they keep doing what they do, whatever that happened to be. It is entirely logical that more protein (EAAs) and carbs would lead to more gains, particularly for people who likely don’t have an ideal diet. I still like to have EAAS and carbs intra-workout when I’m really pushing it, especially if it’s been a few hours since my last meal before working out.
Does it mention body comp at all? Haven’t had a chance to thoroughly analyze it