Amino Acid Supplements

Amino Acids are organic compounds that combine in your body to form proteins. For this reason, they’re basically the fundamental building blocks of any weight or strength training regime. They break down into 3 categories: Essential Amino Acids, which you can only get from your diet as your body cannot produce them on its own; Nonessential Amino Acids, which your body can produce but are also available in food, and Conditional Amino Acids, which your body generally only needs at particular times, such as when you’re ill.

Because of the various roles they perform in your body, amino acid supplements provide a range of benefits. As the building blocks of protein formation, they’re particularly beneficial for anyone looking to promote growth in muscle mass.

Amino acids are a vital part of every healthy diet and foundational to a number of key bodily functions, so they’re definitely healthy. Some amino acids are difficult to get from non-meat or dairy food sources, so they can be an especially good nutritional supplement for anyone on a vegetarian, vegan or similarly restricted diet.

Most amino acid supplements are intended to supplement the nutrition you get from your regular meals, so we generally advise taking them with meals, so they’re absorbed with other nutrients. Some people choose to take Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplements before training as tablets or mixed into a pre-workout so their body is supported during strenuous exercise.

Amino acids are suitable for anyone and everyone, particularly anyone on an intense weight, strength or resistance programme looking to build muscle mass. Amino acid powders are especially good for mixing into pre-workout blends with other popular pre-workout ingredients such as caffeine, B-Vitamins, green tea extract and black pepper extract.

The 3 main types of amino acids are Essential, Nonessential and Conditional. Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) can only be obtained through your diet—your body can’t synthesise them on its own—making them vital in any diet. Nonessential Amino Acids can be synthesised by the body from other nutrients. Conditional Amino Acids are amino acids that your body doesn’t generally need, but may require during certain times, such as during illness or intense stress. There are also Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) which are particularly important for repairing muscle damage and promoting growth in muscle mass.

Amino acids are absolutely worth taking, especially if you’re on an intense weight, strength, or resistance training programme. By taking amino acid supplements, you’re making sure your body has the building blocks it needs to repair muscle and grow muscle mass, supported by a healthy diet that includes a variety of foods and nutrition sources.

Essential amino acids, as the name suggests, are a group of nine essential amino acids that cannot be synthesised by the body, so much therefore be acquired through food and supplements. The BCAAs are three essential amino acids. Non-essential amino acids are a group of eleven amino acids that are synthesised by the body, therefore they are not essential.