Question: The Recover&Build Branched Chain Amino Acid product has helped me work out harder, longer and more often than before. Could it be masking my body’s natural recovery process, leading me to overtraining and eventually diminished results?
Answer: No – your body will let you know when you are over-training but you have to “listen” to it. In fact, if you were overtraining you would not be able to do what you have said you are doing, which is work out harder and longer. Overtraining basically means that you are not recovering properly. The two main factors impeding recovery are typically not enough rest between exercise bouts and incorrect workouts for your goal. One of the main reasons exercisers use BCAA supplements is their ability to stave off overtraining and help facilitate recovery. Sounds as though the product is doing exactly what you expected and what it was designed for.
Overtraining is difficult to measure, but some symptoms include:
- Mild leg soreness and general achiness
- Pain in muscles and joints
- Low energy and fatigue
- Sudden decrease in athletic performance
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Inability to relax, increased twitching or fidgeting
- Insatiable thirst and dehydration
- Lowered resistance to common illnesses (cold, sore throat, etc.)