Basically I can crystalize my question (really to PP) as thus:
How does Premax compare to BCAA for muscle recovery post workout?
Better? If so by how much?
The answer to your questions was mostly contained in the write-up all along my friend. I added a few things in here.
What are the ingredients in PreMax and how do they work?
Amino AcidsAmino Acids – Including a good source of amino acids was a no brainer because they are the building blocks of muscle.
But we didn’t just add some cheap form of whey protein as an amino acid source.
We included pure hydrolyzed casein known as PeptoPro® – in which the amino acids are bound together in peptide from.
PeptoPro is hydrolyzed casein protein. Hydrolyzed (hydrolysis) simply refers to a chemical process of breakdown. Most processes of digestion are hydrolysis reactions: you’re breaking down something large into progressively smaller parts so it can ultimately be absorbed (in the intestine). So you can think of hydrolyzed as “pre-digested.” Unfortunately, classic hydrolysis of whey resulted in bitter, turbid preparations with very poor solubility. Casein, on the other hand, offered a viable solution due to its unique amino acid structure: when it is hydrolyzed with with PeptoPro’s patented enzyme process, it produces an incredibly high yield of di- and tri-peptide form amino acids.
The peptide form is the key to the superiority of PeptoPro, simply because peptides are the best absorbing form of amino acids known to man. (1) Just check out the graph below.
The di and tri-peptides from PeptroPro absorb up to 3x better than free form amino acids or longer chain proteins
You see, amino acids can exist as single amino acids, long chain proteins or as short chain peptides of 2 or 3 amino acids. When amino acids exist in short peptide form, they are water soluble. In fact, mixing PeptoPro in water will result in a completely clear solution. On the other hand, if you mix whey or soy protein in water, you get a cloudy solution because these full protein chains are not 100% water soluble.
The water solubility of peptides allows them to pass through the aqueous barrier of the intestinal walls and penetrate the brush border in order to be absorbed into the blood stream.
As you can see, the full proteins must be broken down into smaller peptides before they can pass through the intestinal walls
Now that we’ve established that PeptoPro is the fastest and most fully absorbing protein on the market, let me explain why taking PeptoPro before exercise is so important.
Taking PeptoPro before exercise causes a rapid increase in amino acid levels in the blood.(2) A recent study showed that maintaining high levels of amino acids during exercise (by consuming PeptoPro immediately 30-60 minutes beforehand) reverses muscular protein breakdown and starts to stimulate muscle protein synthesis during exercise. (4)
Yes, I said it. You can actually start building muscle during your workouts.
Plus, when amino acid levels are elevated during exercise, it actually initiates the muscle building process and increases the muscle building potential after exercise. (3)
In addition to maximizing muscle growth after exercise, supplementation with peptide based protein has been shown to promote recovery of muscle force better than regular whey or casein protein does.
Check these out:
Summaries of PeptoPro studies
PeptoPro study on Recovery and Endurance
In summary:
-The PeptoPro is a pre-digested form of amino acids (di-/tri peptides) that allow for rapid absorption into the body for use. This is possible because these peptides do not need to undergo further hydrolysis in order to be absorbed and used by the body. PeptoPro® is a protein hydrolysate derived from the casein protein fraction of cow’s milk. It consists of ~85% protein. The protein is rich in small peptides; ~60% is smaller than 500 Dalton. Molecular mapping indicates that ~7.5% is free amino acids, ~8.5% is dipeptides, and ~39% is tripeptides.
-This superior absorption factor equates to a rapid rise in serum amino acid concentrations in the blood to assist and expedite recovery/growth. This is a very important factor in the intra/post workout phase of recovery.