Amino acids are the building block of protein. Whenever you eat a protein, it gets broken down into amino acids. Branched-chain amino acids or BCAA's are a group of three amino acids, with the names of leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
This group is considered essential because unlike most other amino acids, your body does not naturally make these ones naturally and can only be obtained through diet.
They are most commonly found in foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and milk. BCAA's also make up over 1/3rd of the body's proteins, so getting these amino acids are incredibly important. These amino acids break down in the muscles rather than the liver, so they play a much bigger role in gaining muscle.
BCAA's are crucial for building muscle and getting fit. They add multiple benefits that can make a huge difference in results, such as:
As said above, you can get BCAA's from a multitude of food sources. Some of the best food sources to get BCAA's from are beef, chicken breast, whey protein powder, soy protein powder, canned tuna, and a multitude of other sources. While these sources are great and mostly natural, there are more direct ways of getting your BCAA's. Powders you put in water are one of the most common ways to get your BCAA's. These powders can be used before or after working out for maximum effectiveness. There are also pills you can get that can be used in the same ways. These ways could cut down on the amount of food needed to eat to get a recommended amount of BCAA's while not skimping out on them all together. While it is perfectly fine to get your BCAA's naturally, it is way more efficient to get them through a powder or a pill.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-bcaa#section5
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324605#lean-muscle-mass
https://guenergy.com/blogs/blog/6-reasons-why-you-should-take-bcaas-today