MikeMartial said:
Not to hijack your thread Skittles, but I want to pop a question in here:
Will drinking liquid-form BCAA's while training (I'm not even sure where to get these) conserve LBM? I have had an issue with keeping mass since I began spending more time on martial arts than weight training.
and Kudos to you for training in BOTH MT and BJJ. I have all the respect in the world for any athlete that decides to take up some of the toughest martial arts around!
No problem
& Thanks!
Written by: Boyd Myers
I wrote this a couple of years ago, but still good info.
My 9-18-2005 paraphrase - your body has to have every amino acid present to be in a positive nitrogen balance. The BCAAs (leucine, Iso-leucine, and Valine) are the most readily metabolized for energy, thus are the most limited. Not having them present, no matter how many total grams of protein you consume, will NOT allow you to build muscle. SO, SUPP WITH BCAAs!!!
For optimum muscle growth, cellular growth, metabolism, and recovery to occur, the proper proportions of amino acids need to be eaten. However, eating amino acid sources, such as meat and eggs, does not ensure that the amino acids they supply will be available for muscle growth and formation of other proteins. For example, suppose you have a gross intake of 100 grams of protein with all the essential amino acids present in equal amounts. Now consider how these amino acids are used in the body. To start, a considerable amount of leucine will be used for energy in exercising muscle. This means that there may be only a small amount of leucine available for growth and repair. When leucine finally runs out, this will affect protein formation because leucine is an essential amino acid. That means your body cannot make it. In actuality, perhaps only 15 grams of the original 100 grams of protein will be available for growth and repair. This is one reason why athletes need more protein, not just to compensate for growth and recovery demands from exercise, but to compensate for the loss of essential amino acids like leucine when they are used for energy.
However, there has been a trend in some circles of athletes, bodybuilders in particular, where they are ingesting pure protein meals or supplements. This is counterproductive, because some of the protein will be broken down and converted to glucose and fatty acids in the liver. You should always have some amount of carbohydrates, or fat, to prevent the undesirable destruction of ingested protein.
Like fats and carbohydrates, amino acids can also be used for energy. When dietary circumstances cause amino acids to be used as a source of energy, they cannot be used for building muscle tissue and performing their other metabolic functions. Actually, under conditions of outright starvation or training induced starvation, the body releases amino acids from muscle tissue to be used as energy or in energy cycles. This catabolism of proteins also can and does occur during exercise and when the body runs out of carbohydrate fuel from the diet or from glycogen stored in the muscles and liver. Even though the body can depend on fat stored for fuel, muscle proteins will still be used as fuel, unless proteins are taken in as food. During intensive exercise, the body will use amino acids for energy, especially power exercises and prolonged endurance sports. That is why it is essential to maintain a proper daily protein intake each hour of the day.
Even if you are maintaining a proper diet, amino acids are going to be used as the body’s fuel during those grueling exercise bouts. The branched chain amino acids, isoleucine, valine, and leucine are used by muscles to supply a limited amount of energy during strenuous exercise. Research has shown that although all three branched chain amino acids can be utilized for energy during exercise, leucine is the amino acid that gets used up the most. Studies have shown that a trained person’s muscles use up some amounts of leucine even while at rest. This disproportionate use of leucine and the other BCAA’s will effect the overall use of amino acids in the body for growth.
I'm going to research it a bit more. You can get them at any supp shop (probably even GNC) BCAA's = Branched Chained Amino Acids
Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
Holy just checked your profile, Skittles.....what the heck, just take up BJJ and next thing you know, she's hanging with Hughes and Loiseau!! 
(they hurt alot at first).
