Amino acids for tricking
You can supplement with any individual amino acid available and various amino acid based compounds. An example of an amino acid based compound is Creatine, which is not an essential nutrient, and is manufactured in the human body from L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine. Some are manufactured in the human body, some are found in foods, and some have to be manufactured in labs. To increase the complexity even more, some amino acid based supplements have many forms and carriers. Creatine, again, can be found in forms like creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester, di- and tri-creatine malates.
So, with that, let me simplify it now and tell you what I use and what I would use specifically for increasing tricking performance
For tricksters, and for myself, here is the order of importance:
- Creatine monohydrate
- L-Tyrosine
- L-Leucine
Creatine is the best. Everybody already knows what it does, but how well does it really work? I don’t even know anymore because I’ve been taking tons of it since I was 15, I don’t remember what it’s like not to be on Creatine. It will make you stronger and last longer. It’s also a nootropic, it’s not just for the muscles. You should take Creatine, and so should your entire family. You should even feed your pets Creatine. I’m serious, studies have been shown that it is healthy for children, elderly, physically inactive people, and animals. Creatine is healthy. Period. Everybody should take it, especially athletes and tricksters.
L-Tyrosine holds a special place in my heart. Essential for the production of thyroid hormones, dopamine, and more; a nootropic, slayer of brain fog, friend of the nervous system. L-Tyrosine is a trickster’s best friend. It’s probably the most “tricking-centric” amino acid available. It was practically tailor made and sold just for tricking. I love this stuff. Ever since I started using it I have liked it. You won’t be disappointed. This is the quintessential amino acid supplement for tricksters. All tricksters should take it.
L-Leucine is one of the three Branched Chain Amino Acids and the most anabolic of the three. Take it with Creatine and L-Tyrosine in a protein:carb solution. The amount of research L-Leucine has behind it is staggering. Take it. It will help you recover from tricking stresses.
Here is my mimimum and recommended dosing.
Creatine monohydrate: Take a minimum of 3 grams once per day with the highest carb / highest calorie meal of your day. Ideally during training with a sugary sports drink. There are a lot of studies about this so you can do your own research, but that’s the purported ideal minimal dose and the lowest I would personally go. I take about 10g a day all in one go, I take this much because I like peeing it out. For first time users, I recommend going ahead and doing the "creatine loading" thing. A lot of studies show this is useless in practice, but I recommend doing it anyway so you can get a good, strong signal from ingesting it. For loading do 5 grams of creatine, 4 times a day with moderate-high carb meals for a week. Don't miss a day. After loading go to a maintenance dose of at least 3 grams once per day. You should notice stronger thirst and a slight body weight increase during loading.
L-Tyrosine: Take a minimum of 3 grams during or after tricking. For first time users, I recommend taking 20 grams total each day split into multiple doses, with 10g taken during training. 5 grams before breakfast on an empty stomach, 10 grams during training, and 5 grams some other time of day. Do this for two weeks so you can get a feel for what it’s doing, then scale back as you see fit.
L-Leucine: Take a minimum of 3 grams per day, ideally with a sugary sports drink during training. Go ahead and take it with your Creatine and L-Tyrosine. I take more, of course. More is better. Ideally I would take about 3 grams at every meal of the day, including aforementioned sugary sports drink. L-Leucine should be taken with food or a high protein meal.
What else?
What other amino acids can you take for tricking? I’d suggest spending more of your money on these three amino acids and taking the upper limit of each, instead of looking for “what else”. Or you can buy some BCAAs powder and take tons of that between meals, that's not a bad idea. There’s a lot of amino acid supplements out there that will not do jack for your performance or health though, with no susceptible effects, but these three amino acid supplements work. You will feel a difference within a couple weeks of supplementation. Take them, liberally, your tricking will thank you.
Juji, how can i increase the solubility of tyrosine in water? I always end up with a half-dissolved solution, any tips for getting it down?
Protein = extremely long chain of amino acids, i.e. undigested, takes a long time to break down into it’s components, while amino acids = singular units, i.e. already digested so very quickly absorbed
Doesn’t protein powder like whey already contain a good amount of Leucine/Lysine. Is there a difference in taking those seperately? Or is it just, that you want to add some more of those specific amino acids. Maybe I’m mixing things up here. I like your new website, keep up the good work!
I buy all of my supplements from amazon (I like liftmode for example) and truenutrition.com. I don’t think you will notice “significant” strength enhancing effects of L-leucine. It’s one of those supplements I take because it has an insane amount of research backing it, it’s cheap enough, I’ve used it and have gotten results though I would never be able to say IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE LEUCINE LOLOLOL… I just take it and that’s it, don’t want to miss out, and would never be able to say it was the specific thing that has contributed to my results.
Do you have a favorite supplier for L-leucine and the other supplements? Also, does L-leucine have significant strength enhancing effects and over what period of time will it become noticeable. Thank you.