dietary amino acids—our bodies
synthesize them, so we don’t
need to consume protein and
other foods to get our fill.
NEAAs: Alanine, asparagine,
aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic
acid, glycine, proline, serin.
Semiessential Amino Acids:
Think of these guys as the
A-Team of amino acids. They
come into play only when your
body is stressed or sick and
you can’t produce sufficient
qualities in this state.
SEAAs: Arginine, glutamine,
tyrosine.
ONLY THE ESSENTIALS
AMINO ACIDS 101
Before we discuss how EAAs
can make your muscle game
stronger, let’s take a look at the
nitty-gritty. That is, why and
how amino acids are so crucial
to supporting muscle growth,
health, and strength.
Though there are more than
300 organic compounds called
amino acids, only 20 of these
occur in proteins in the body.
These are called dietary amino
acids. They provide the building
blocks for protein and also play
several important cellular and
molecular signaling roles
throughout the body, many of
which also support muscle
building. Aminos are also needed
to assist many other essential
processes. They help create the
antibodies that make up our
immune system and the enzymes
that perform thousands of
chemical reactions. They also
provide the necessary ingredients
for constructing hormones and the
structures that build cell walls. In
short: They’re really, really
important. And they can be broken
down into three types:
methionine, phenylalanine, trypto-
phan, threonine, lysine, histidine.
Nonessential Amino Acids:
We call these nonessential
because, while we still need them
to function—along with all 20
Anytime you hit the gym and curl
your ass off, you’re breaking down
muscle tissue by making micro
tears in muscle fibers. This is Part
1 of hypertrophy. The second,
and more important, part is the
recovery phase. And this is where
essential amino acids figure in.
According to Marie Spano, R.D.,
C.S.C.S., co-editor of the National
Strength and Conditioning
Association’s Guide to Sport and
Exercise Nutrition, “Essential
amino acids are necessary for
laying down new tissue in muscle.”
One thing to keep in mind: Your
Essential Amino Acids:
There are nine EAAs, and the
body can’t make these, so we
must constantly eat them to
replenish our bodies’ supply.
EAAs: Leucine, isoleucine, valine,
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