In bodybuilding circles, the term "Amino acids" is often thrown around casually. Most bodybuilders know it has to do with protein. And some know if from that green syrup you can sip after workouts. But what are they, and how are they the building blocks for everything muscle?

Amino acids are literally the building blocks of protein. They are the 20 chemicals in the body that bond together to form muscle tissue. Five of these twenty are essential, or required, for muscle building, with the other fifteen being useful but not required. The Branched-Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs, are those three that are the main source of fuel of skeletal muscle tissue, or the muscles we like to flex in the mirror. Their names are leucine, valine, and isoleucine.

Complete proteins - or those foods high in the essential amino acids - should be consumed every three hours or so by those looking to make muscle gains. Whey, beef, chicken, pork, egg, milk, cheese, and fish all provide good sources of complete proteins. Protein shakes are often the best source - even better than whole foods - because they are designed to contain the perfect balance of essential amino acids.

In addition to regular food consumption, bodybuilders can benefit from supplementing with amino acids - creating a continuous anabolic environment, filling in all nutritional gaps, and giving the body every possible chance to build muscle. The body does cannibalize muscle tissue during tough workouts or when protein isn't available in the bloodstream, and supplementing with amino acids can nullify this to a degree.

Pre-workout and post-workout timing is most important for amino consumption. Giving your body a reserve of these essential building blocks provides a safety net for muscle building, and prevents muscle wasting. Sipping DURING a workout is a good idea as well, if you can avoid any nausea that comes from mixing aminos and strenuous exercise. If one-steps back and think about it, one is simply keeping complete proteins in the bloodstream so that they are readily available when muscles need them. It's that simple, yet commonly overlooked.

Aside from pre- and post-workout amino supplementation, there is hourly sipping. A simple "sipping" supplementation plan would involve one sip of the BCAA liquid, several times per day. If you eat lunch at noon, sip BCAAs at 1 pm and 2 pm. Eat another meal at 3, and then sip at 4 pm and 5 pm. Follow this pattern throughout the day, and see if you find success. Try it, and see if amino supplementation helps you to solve a protein deficit you might be facing, and which you may not even be aware.