Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs - isoleucine, leucine, and valine) help to enhance exercise performance, prevent fatigue, improve concentration, and reduce protein and muscle breakdown during intense exercise. What more could you ask for?

BCAA-AKG is BCAAs chemically bonded to alpha-ketoglutarate. Like Kre-Alkalyn® and Glutamine-AKG, BCAA-AKG is a concentrated version of it predecessor so less is needed to give the same results. 1 gram of BCAA-AKG is equivalent to 5 grams of regular BCAAs. Due to its superior transport and uptake, a fraction of the dose of regular BCAAs is needed. In fact, two 4 cap servings of BCAA-AKG provide the equivalent of 12.5 grams of regular BCAAs!

BCAAs make up about one-third of muscle protein. By supplementing them, one can suppress the use of muscle proteins for fuel, thereby sparing the breakdown of muscular protein. With less muscular protein being broken down by the body during training, the net result is increased protein synthesis and more muscle for you!

Believe it or not, BCAAs have been shown to turn on muscle synthesis (muscle growth) even without weight training. They increase the highly anabolic hormones testosterone, growth hormone, and insulin. Taken post-workout insulin may help drive the other components of GP3™ into your muscles (as well as protein and carbohydrates) even more efficiently and/or quickly!

Improved recovery time is an added benefit of BCAA supplementation. Most users experience less muscle soreness post-exercise. The quicker you can recover the sooner you can hit the iron again and continue making size and strength gains.

BCAAs compete in the brain with the amino acid tryptophan which causes drowsiness. A problem occurs during intense exercise as the body uses BCAAs for energy. When the BCAAs are used up, the evil tryptophan gets to the brain and turns on the “sleepy switch”. If you have a sufficient amounts of BCAAs in your system, they will block the tryptophan and allow you to train harder and longer.

Supplemental BCAAs have been shown to trigger fat loss, more specifically visceral fat. Visceral fat is the fat located under subcantaneous fat and is the hardest to lose. It is most commonly found in the abdominal area, which gives some strength to the argument that BCAAs can actually help spot reduce the abs.

There is a synergistic realtionship between glutamine and BCAAs. The combination of glutamine and BCAA's has been shown to dramatically improve nitrogen balance and slow down muscle wasting in bone marrow patients, burn patients, and those undergoing major surgery. Athletes have been shown to gain more muscle mass and strength when supplementing these two compounds together over whey protein alone.

Improved mental alertness, reduced fatigue, quicker recovery times, improved uptake of key growth promoters, fat loss, increased anabolic hormones, and greater protein synthesis make BCAAs an essential addition to the innovative formulation of GP3™.

Scientific Research Supporting BCAAs:

1. Blomstrand E, Saltin B. BCAA intake affects protein metabolism in muscle after but not during exercise in humans. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Aug;281(2):E365-74.


2. E. Amino acids and central fatigue. Amino Acids. 2001;20(1):25-34.


3. DE. Observations of branched-chain amino acid administration in humans. J Nutr. 2005 Jun;135(6 Suppl):1580S-4S.


4. A. Leucine supplementation and intensive training. Sports Med. 1999 Jun;27(6):347-58.


5. A, Pitkanen H, Oja SS, Komi PV, Pontinen P, Takala T. Leucine supplementation and serum amino acids, testosterone, cortisol and growth hormone in male power athletes during training. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1997 Jun;37(2):137-45.


6. Nair KS, Short KR. Hormonal and signaling role of branched-chain amino acids. J Nutr. 2005 Jun;135(6 Suppl):1547S-52S.


7. C, Kong SE, McCauley R, Hall JC. Branched-chain amino acids. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2000 Jul;15(7):706-17.