Can You Take BCAAs Without Working Out? (Is It Safe?)

• You can take BCAAs without working out, although you won’t get the full benefits of BCAAs.
• To get the full benefits of BCAAs, you should take it alongside a resistance training program.
• BCAAs are a safe and effective supplement that provides many benefits.

What Happens If You Take BCAAs Without Working Out?

You Likely Won’t Gain Muscle

Unless you’re a genetic freak, you’re very unlikely to build muscle without working out.

Even if you take mass gainer.

Why?

Well, to build muscle, you need to give your muscles a reason to grow. And the only way to do this is to exercise your muscles to the point of fatigue.

So regardless of whether you take BCAAs, your muscles simply won’t grow if they’re not being exercised.

(Muscles are metabolically inefficient as they require a lot of calories. Since calories were scarce ‘back in the day’, your body will do everything it can to avoid gaining muscle.)

You May Lose Fat

Although BCAAs are a supplement that are mainly used by gym bros who are trying to gain muscle and strength, they actually offer other benefits which are unrelated to muscle gain.

For example, some studies suggest that BCAAs can help increase fat loss.

However, it’s worth noting that the subjects in the study combined BCAA use with resistance training, so it’s unclear whether you’ll lose fat by taking BCAAs without working out.

You’ll Lose Less Muscle

As stated earlier, muscles are metabolically inefficient since they require a lot of calories.

Unfortunately, this means that when you stop weight training, you’ll start losing your muscle mass over time.

(Although this sucks, it’s in your body’s best interests as your body prefers to conserve calories in case there’s a famine.)

The good news is some research suggests that BCAAs may help reduce muscle loss.

So, if you take BCAAs without working out, you’ll be able to hold on to your hard-earned muscle mass for longer!

Your Liver Health May Improve

Interestingly, some studies suggest that BCAAs can help improve liver health.

This is unrelated to working out, so you may be doing your liver a favour by taking BCAAs (regardless of whether you work out.)

Does BCAAs Work Without Working Out?

Well, this depends on what your goals are.

If you’re wanting to gain muscle and size and strength, BCAAs likely won’t help if you don’t work out as you need to exercise your muscles to get bigger and stronger.

Whereas if you take BCAAs for other benefits, for example, preserving muscle mass, then BCAAs will work regardless of whether you work out.

Should You Take BCAAs Without Working Out?

Again, the answer to this one depends on your goals.

If you only take BCAAs to put on muscle, they’re probably not worth taking as you likely won’t see any significant results.

Whereas if you take BCAAs for its other benefits, it’s a good idea to take them as these are independent of whether or not you go to gym.

When To Take BCAAs Without Working Out

Most people who take BCAAs do so after working out as this is the optimal time to take them for muscle gain.

But if you don’t work out, then it doesn’t really matter when you take them.

I’d probably take them in the morning myself alongside my other supplements purely for convenience.

Closing Thoughts

In summary:

• You won’t gain muscle or get stronger by taking BCAAs without working out.
• Regardless of whether you work out or not, BCAAs can help reduce muscle loss.
• BCAAs are a tried and tested supplement that are safe for most people, and are still safe to take whether you train or not.

Hope this has helped!

Robb

Sources

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2174312/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24721243/