Forget about lackluster summer movies that give the word "squad" a bad name; you need the Amino Acid Bro-Squad (otherwise known as Branch Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs) to have your back in the gym if you really want to make those ultimate gains. Overall, it's good to have a well-balanced amino acid profile, but it's especially important to make sure that one in particular, Valine, is a part of your supplement regimen.
Why Valine? Because, as we mentioned above, Valine enhances many of the other essential amino acids your body needs to pack on lean muscle. As a matter of fact, some of them can't even do their job without the assistance of L-Valine. And because Valine is also an essential amino acid, you need to work extra hard to make sure you get enough of it on a daily basis (because your body can't produce it on its own).
Valine is great for helping "the twins" - Leucine and Isoleucine - do their jobs more quickly and efficiently. It especially likes to team up with Leucine to promote glycogen synthesis in your muscles. This gives you the energy to power through the really tough workouts. Valine also helps the other amino acids in your body with muscle tissue repair and growth, keeping your blood sugar regulated, and can even help your brain work more efficiently.
As a matter of fact, you could call Valine the gatekeeper of amino acid absorption, since Valine helps your body digest protein and break it down into amino acids in the first place. And when your body breaks down these proteins, it creates a nitrogen imbalance which could be fatal to your gains unless it gets cleaned up - which, consequently, is another job that Valine is responsible for.
Lastly, Valine does a lot of work with your liver to help keep it and your gallbladder at the top of their respective games. But unlike other amino acids, Valine takes it a step further for people who enjoy the occasional adult beverage on their cheat days. Scientific studies have proven that alcohol-related organ damage, especially to the liver, the brain, and the gallbladder were all noticeably improved when people were getting enough Valine in their diet. On the other side of that story, there is data which shows Valine deficiencies (in rare cases) leading to nerve damage, muscle shrinkage, insomnia, and decreased mental performance.
Remember, Valine can't do its job without other amino acids like Leucine and Isoleucine (and, likewise, they don't perform as well without Valine either), so it's important to get the right mix. Many bodybuilding supplements claim they have this mix - but only Ultra Edge XL combines it with AstraGin. AstraGin, in case you didn't know, helps your body absorb muscle-building nutrients and delivers more of them into your bloodstream for that epic pump. Get your own supply of Ultra Edge XL before your next workout!