C STUDIO TRAINING PRESENTS:

AMINO ACIDS & INTERMITTENT FASTING

HOW TO OPTIMIZE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF PROTEIN & HOW TO CORRECTLY PRACTICE ONE OF THE BEST FAT LOSS TOOLS FOR BUSY BODIES

BCAA’SBRANCHED CHAIN AMINO ACIDS

THE SCOOP ON BCAA’S

WHAT DO AMINO ACIDS DO?

• They are the building blocks of protein- protein is broken down into various amino acids

• Maintains muscle mass during a caloric deficit (allows you

to eat less calories but still maintain your built up muscle mass)

• Lessens soreness and a quicker recovery time

• Curbs your appetite

• Aids in energy, Aids in fat loss, Boosts muscle growth

• Greater stimulation of protein synthesis

• Decreases serotonin & limitation of ammonia

• Stronger immune system

HOW ARE AMINO ACIDS MADE?

• Amino acids are made up of essential and nonessential aminos

• Essential- not made by the body, must get supplemented from food or drink

• Non Essential- made by the body but not enough for ideal results

• (Semi Essential)- May be needed by the body under certain circumstances; Histidine & Arginine

• BCAAs are able to bypass the liver and digestion and go straight into the bloodstream to the muscle

HOW DO AMINO ACIDS WORK?• When BCAA’s are taken post-workout the can lower cortisol levels & replaces them with BCAA levels in

the muscle- cortisol destroys muscles- it breaks down muscles when the body does not have enough

glucose (during stress &/or intense workouts) to create sugar

• Gives you enough consistent intensity to stimulate muscle growth

• Ideal ratio 2:1:1 (Leucine:Isoleucine:Valine); any higher works against you for energy

• Best results when taken around time of your workout

• During exercise tryptophan is converted in the brain to 5-hydroxytyptame

(5-HT) aKa serotonin. Serotonin tells the body that it is fatigued, leading to reduction of muscle strength

and endurance. Valine, one of the most important amino acids, competes with the serotonin and typically

wins

3 MOST IMPORTANT ESSENTIAL AMINOSLEUCINE, ISOLEUCINE, & VALINE MAKE UP 35% OF THE AAS IN

THE MUSCLES

• Valine- as mentioned previously with the tryptophan,

increases energy and lessens fatigue; Also important role

in muscle coordination & brain function.

• Isoleucine- aids in fat loss by increasing fat burning and

inhibiting fat storage, especially for high fat diets;

activates PPAR(- increases activity of genes that

encourage greater fat burning in the body while

decreasing activity of genes that normally increase fat

storage #moreburninglessstoring; increases body’s ability

to use glucose (carbs) more efficiently by using stored fat

3 MOST IMPORTANT AMINOSCONT.

• Leucine- the MVP of aminos; responsible for

muscle growth because of MPS (muscle

protein synthesis) the more MPS the more

muscle growth; Leucine prevents formation

of ammonia (-prevents protein synthesis);

aids in DOMS (delayed onset muscle

soreness)

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT NON/SEMI ESSENTIAL AMINOS

◦ Arginine- semi- essential AA; facilitates muscle mass gain while limiting fat storage

by utilizing your fat by encouraging lipid oxidation (>using fats for fuel); boosts

immune system (-supplemented for overtraining); precursor to Nitric Oxide which

helps your muscles receive nutrients & oxygen faster leading to faster recovery

◦ Carnitine- metabolite (Not AA) but naturally occurs in body and can be taken in

supplement form; decreases body fat and gives body more energy because of its

transportation of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria of cells to be used as

fuel; aids in body’s uptake of good cholesterol and promotes normal blood

circulation; ideal post-workout

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT NON/SEMI ESSENTIAL AMINOSCONT’D- GLUTAMINE!!!

• Glutamine- non-essential AA; can form 60% of your total AA’s because it can easily pass through the blood-brain barrier & aids in brain function and synthesis of muscle tissue (see below); helps get rid of bodies excess nitrogen; combats fat storage by getting converted into Glucose in the kidneys without effecting insulin levels, this bypasses fat deposition normally caused by insulin; sustains healthy growth hormone levels; great for improving diabetes & blood sugar.

- Intense activity depletes Glutamine= Glutamine is produced & secreted in the brain in the Pituitary gland, once released it stimulates the liver to make an insulin-like growth factor I(GF-1), this hormone triggers the growth & repairing of bones/body tissue (muscles, skin & organs); because this is a nonessential amino that slows with age (drastically decreases in 20s) this is why children heal faster, high school athletes recover quicker etc)

WHERE TO GET BCAA SUPPLEMENTS

• You can supplement amino acids through diet and eating a balanced variety of healthy foods, but

the easiest/time efficient way is getting a powder that you typically put 1-2 scoops into 16oz

water

• Vitamin Shoppe & GNC are local stores to go get a hands on look at powder’s to add to water.

Also Amazon & bodybuilding.com are other trusted sources for quick online shopping, many

IG/social media fitness influencers have codes you can use for certain brands that can give you up

to 30% when purchasing their sponsored product using their code (Local RI native

@amandabuccifit Amanda Bucci has code AMANDA for 30% off PE Science- bodybuilding.com)

• BCAAs that I have used and loved (&where I got them): Xtend BCAAs (GNC), Intraload (Alpha Pro

Nutrition @ amazon.com), and Gold Standard Optimum Nutrition (bodybuilding.com/ local

supplement stores)

THE SKINNY ON INTERMITTENT

FASTINGWHY DO IT

HOW TO DO IT

WHEN TO DO IT

WHY SHOULD YOU INTERMITTENT FASTING?

• Do you wake up in the morning and not feel hungry? Then don’t eat! This is the type of person that

is ideal for IF. If you are someone that needs to graze and snack all day, then this is not the tool

for you. However, it is good to test options out and see if you can push yourself to try something

new that may benefit to your goal, especially if you are looking for major fat loss.

• Every time you eat, you spike insulin (not just when you eat carbs/sugar). Insulin is needed to make

lean muscle protein, as it is the key to the cell that lets Amino Acids in to work their magic in protein

synthesis. However only 1 teaspoon of sugar per gallon of blood is needed to open this cell door

to let the aminos in to do their work. The average person takes in about 21 tsp of sugar per day,

this is apprx 20 tsp above recommended amount of sugar which can lead to insulin resistance. IR is

when the pancreas creates too much insulin because it is not getting a response that the cells

received it, causing more insulin to be made which in turn, causes fat storage.

INSULIN RESISTANCE CONTD

& HOW TO FIX IT

• Since insulin is such a powerful hormone

who’s main responsibility is to store fat,

this makes it impossible to loose fat

when you have too much of it built up.

• Growth Hormone is another

powerhouse hormone that counters

Insulin and instead is the most

authoritative fat burning hormone.

Growth Hormone is released when

exercise takes place, especially high

intensity training and heavy resistance

training.

HOW TO DO THE CELLULAR CLEANSE

• IF is not a diet! It is a pattern of eating & not eating. You do not

cut calories or eat certain foods, just instead consume them in a smaller time frame.

• The fast gives your cells time to cleanse themselves of effects from bad diet to the

mitochondria, the cells need to repair in order to function at maximum potential.

• Ideal fat burning zone is a 16:8 [also known as “lean gains”](16 hours fasting 8 hours

eating window). However, to start you may want to begin your fast with a smaller

window, such as 12:12 (12 hour fast and 12 hour eating window). Best part? This can

include your sleeping time! Example: stop eating at 8pm the night before, have

breakfast at 8am next morning.

WHERE TO START

• Once you have gradually built up fasting tolerance over weeks, your ultimate

fasting window could be as limited as a 20:4 (20 hours fasting 4 hours eating

window) up to a 24-72 hour full fast. The idea being that you spend more

time in the fat burning state without an insulin spike.

• While on the longer fasts it is recommended by most professionals to take

BCAAs, as they help to provide the cells with enough nutrients to keep working

and repairing without depleting the cells energy. BCAAs must especially be

taken post workout to prevent muscle breakdown.

WHEN CAN I EAT??????• For maximum fat loss, exercise is encouraged (- Remember

growth hormone? The best fat burner our body’s make, and is made when we exercise?). Therefore fasted cardio is an amazing tool for shedding the fat efficiently.

• This means plan your workouts! When you get there and when you leave becomes important because you want to end your fast right after your workout and get some great nutrients and protein in your body right away to optimize your protein synthesis.

• However, fasting encourages more blood flow to your abdominal region, this means this is a rare instance that you can actually spot reduction fat loss to your belly! The fasting window does continue for a few hours post workout if you choose to “ride the wave” of your abdominal blood flow to maximize belly fat reduction!

• Both instances work, you can try either and see what works best for your body

SAFETY FIRST

• Woman & men have different hormones and structures in their

cells, certain amino acids & IF can interfere with either side if

not taken correctly to suit all your needs

• Seeking professional help & coaching can help ensure that you

are getting the optimized amount of each tool you may need

customized prevents hormonal imbalances & helps your results,

as you know you are going about it the correct route.

• Do your research & find what works for you & do not be

afraid to ask for guidance

• Use reliable sources- not every diagram meme on Pinterest &

Instagram has scientifically backed research

SAFETY FIRST• Because of the hormone balancing issue in

woman, the Crescendo approach to IF works

better (female hormones are very sensitive to

starvation, when our body senses it is in extreme

hunger it “freaks out” and tries to protect our

baby making parts ((ovaries)) even if you are not

pregnant by haulting ovulation, shrinking ovaries).

The Crescendo fasting only requires you to fast

on 2-3 non consecutive days for 12-16 hours, on

fasting days for exercise do only light

cardio/yoga but on non fasting days do high

intensity heavy resistance training & always stay

hydrated. Additional fasting days can be added

every 2 weeks

QUESTION TIME!