So is taking PA pre-workout with BCAA's a bad idea?
According to the study, yes...
The study indicates that PA and Leucine together rapidly gives a huge boost in mTOR but it does not translate into greater MPS (muscle protein synthesis) but can acually inhibit and blunt the MPS compared to only leucine or only PA.
MPS is what we want and an increase in mTOR usually gives just that but the process is complicated and it could be so that PA and Leucine raise it to much that the body reacts in an negative feedback and blunts MPS.
This still is a very new study and no conclusions should be drawn just yet.
This happens when we hope on the bandwagon on new interesting supplements, it's could help us, not do a thing for us or maybe hold us back.
Like fenugreek: Sure it raise free testosterone, but it does it at the cost of lowering DHT = not the best for gains...
I have just ran PA for about 8 weeks now (with good gains, but then i am coming from at cut) and it's time for me to take a break and evaluate how the training is progressing without it.
With resent study at hand tough i think i will let leucine do my mTOR stimulation and await to see if PA is as good as they say it is.
More is not always better