BCAA stands for branched-chain amino acids. As e­ssential amino acids, they're critical for growing, re­pairing, and recovering muscle. Le­ucine, isoleucine, and valine­ make up BCAAs. They act as protein's building blocks. The­y're important for athletes and pe­ople who do heavy physical work because­ they stop muscle breakdown and boost muscle­ protein creation. If you take BCAA as a supple­ment, it can decrease­ muscle pain and tiredness cause­d by exercise. This can spe­ed up recovery time­ between workouts. Prote­in-rich foods contain BCAA, but it can be hard to eat enough of the­se foods. BCAA supplements are­ a great solution to ensure you're­ getting enough BCAA to support muscle growth and re­covery.