When you think of post-workout recovery, you might think of rest and lots of quality food. After a workout, glycogen stores are depleted and muscle fibers have been torn down. The recovery process lets your body rest, repair, and get ready for the next workout. Where do EAAs come in? 

A Look At EAAs

As you may know, amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 20 “proteinogenic” amino acids, which simply means that they create protein. Of these 20,the body can make 11 but there are 9 that the body cannot make, they must come from diet and supplements. They are therefore essential. These 9 are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Of these 9 (and all 20), leucine is the most important in terms of recovery and growth. But, without enough of these amino acids, recovery and muscle growth efforts will not happen.  

Protein Synthesis

One goal of workout nutrition is to stimulate protein synthesis. Leucine, a BCAA (branched chain amino acid) that’s also an EAA, is a direct trigger of protein synthesis which is believed to signal muscle growth. With that in mind, we’re told to stay in a positive protein balance, thereby ensuring high levels of leucine so protein synthesis can happen. It should be noted that, as important as leucine is, it needs all the amino acids for optimal protein synthesis stimulation.

Nitrogen Balance

What is nitrogen and how does it fit into this? Most of us think of amino acids only when we think of protein components. Yet nitrogen makes up about 16% of protein. So what is it? It’s a naturally occurring element essential for growth and reproduction in both plants and animals. It is a component of the amino acids that create protein. These aminos also contain hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. If you have ever heard the term “positive nitrogen balance”, it essentially means “positive protein balance”. Ultimately, this means the rate of protein synthesis is greater than the rate of protein breakdown.^(1,2)

How Do EAAs Support Recovery?

With all this in mind, EAAs promote recovery in the following ways:

• Jumpstarts Muscle Repair
• Supports New Growth
• Adds Carbs To Replenish Glycogen

Of course, you can get EAAs as part of an amino acid supplement and a protein powder. 

All Day You May and Real Carbs

We’ve seen that EAAs are a critical part of recovery and growth. We also know they must come from diet and supplements. One way to get them is from an amino acid powder. 5% Nutrition All Day You May is the most innovative amino acid powder on the market. That’s because it’s much more than just an EAA powder. It also includes the BCAAs in a special 10:1:1 ratio, which creates a leucine-dominant Blend. Plus, there’s our Conditionally Essential Amino Acid Blend, Intra-Cellular Buffer Blend, Joint & Liver Support Blend, and an exclusive Amino Acid Support Blend. Finally, you can also choose a Caffeinated version. The bottom line is that no other amino product comes close.

What About Those Carbs?

Carbs are crucial post-workout, and 5% has Real Carbs and Real Carbs Rice. Each of these features quality carbohydrates from real food sources only. Drink All Day You May while you train, then post-workout, enjoy a shake with Real Carbs or Real Carbs Rice, and add Shake Time, our real food protein powder. Finally, drink a couple of servings of All Day You May during the day, and enjoy a delicious Shake Time protein shake a few times in between meals. Of course, eat plenty of high protein, quality carbohydrate meals. 

References: 

1. Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th edition. New York: Garland Science; 2002. The Shape and Structure of Proteins. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26830/
2. http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/Research/Clue/nitrogen.html