...how would creatine & bcaa's compliment the diet regiment
@scottienomad was looking to pursue?
Creatine
I am a non-responder to creatine. It doesn't work for me.
However, I've seen how well it works for others. So, the only information that I can provide is from research and anecdotal data, lifters that I train with. I have no practical experience.
With that said, the research that I have found indicates that (as Marc stated) 5 grams a day works.
David Barr (Strength Coach/Researcher) has an interesting mini cyclical method of taking creatine. Barr takes creatine on his training days (after his workouts). Barr doesn't take it on his non-training days.
BCAAs
My perspective is that BCAAs are a small tool in your tool box that you don't need or use that much. So, BCAA's are not needed most of the time.
It's like Marc stated, "I think if you get enough protein you really do not need BCAAs."
The key is to ensuring that you are getting enough Leucine per meal to turn on mTOR. That is the tricky part that requires some work.
With that in mind, let look at the Leucine content of various proteins...
General Leucine Protein Content
1) Whey Protein: 12% Leucine. That means 30 gram of whey will provide 2.76 gram to of Leucine.
2) Casein and Milk Protein: 9% Leucine. That means 30 gram will provide you with about 2.7 gram of Leucine.
3) Meats, Milk, Eggs: Approximately 8% Leucine, same as Casein.
However, the composition of milk/cheese is 20% whey and 80% casein. So, it provides minutely more Leucine.
4) Vegan Protein: The Leucine content is much lower compared with Whey, Casein, Meats, and Dairy. To find the percentage of Leucine, read the label. It provides a break down in the percentages of the individual amino acids.
Since vegetable protein contains less Leucine that means you need to consume more to elicit the same affect as Whey, Casein, Meats, and Dairy.
Secondly, the quality of Meats and Dairy is superior to Vegan Proteins.
Source:
Protein quality - Wikipedia
However, research shows that most of Vegan Protein's short coming can be overridden...
Added leucine makes wheat protein as anabolic as whey
This research demonstrates that spiking a vegan protein meal or drink with Leucine elicits essentially the same effect as Whey, Casein, Meats, and Dairy.
Older Individual Leucine Dosage
As an older individual, I need around 44 gram of protein. If I am consuming let say meat, that mean I need to consume right at 7.3 oz of meat.
I sometimes find 7.3 oz.; sometimes more than I want. So, I make up the difference with either Leucine or a BCCA powder that is high in Leucine.
The Synergistic Effect of Proteins
Briefly stated, ...
1) Protein Digestion Times vary from fast (20 minutes), to medium (around 180 minutes) to slow (around 360 minutes).
Thus, consuming different proteins during a meal provide a "Time Released Effect" ensuring greater Muscle Protein Synthesis.
2) Proteins contain different percentages of Amino Acids. Thus, combining different protein in a meal or drink enhances both, ensuring greater Muscle Protein Synthesis.
Milk and Egg Example
This combination provides a fast, medium and slow digested protein.
The strength of the amino acids in milk enhance the weakness of egg; the strength of egg overrides the weakness of milk amino acids.
Kenny Croxdale