Twenty different amino acids are present in the human body. They work together to create thousands of different proteins in the human body. Of these twenty amino acids, nine are absolutely essential. They cannot be made by the body and therefore must be ingested with nutritious meals. Eating a balanced diet is paramount to maintaining overall health. Of the nine essential amino acids, there are three that are referred to as branched-chain amino acids (BCAA). These three are leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
A BCAA is differentiated by a side branch in its chemical structure. They are found in very high-protein foods such as eggs, meat, and some dairy products. These proteins are especially essential for rebuilding damaged tissue and repairing muscle fibers. This makes them especially important to athletes, creating a vast market in BCAA supplements for bodybuilders, and more recently for other athletes who are realizing the benefits.
The Top 8 BCAA Supplements This Year
These are all moderately priced products that are affordable for anyone on any budget. You will definitely be able to find something here that will fit into your lifestyle as well as your budget. Some of these products are geared toward specific niches, such as veganism or those who cannot have caffeine. Visit the links provided for additional, in-depth information from the purchasing sources. You’ll be able to choose the products, read reviews, learn about the companies and order with a few clicks if you find that these speak to you.
Additionally, this information is meant to educate you. There are thousands of other brands on the market, some of which are quite good. You should find yourself able to discern what is best for you from the information presented here and to know exactly what you’re looking for from this point onward.
Transparent Labs BCAA Powder
This brand takes its name seriously. It means that they are very upfront and forward about the ingredients in their products. This particular supplement is fantastic for helping to repair muscle tissue and for fighting the muscle fatigue that can plague athletes after a tough game, hard workout, or a marathon run. Besides the three essential BCAAs, it also contains coconut water and glutamine, which gives you some terrific energy and coconut water is a great carrier. These ingredients will ensure that your body not only has a boost in protein use that leads to muscle growth, but you’ll also enjoy better metabolism and energy, which may help with fat loss as well.
If you are looking for a healthy snack, be sure to check out our selection of the best protein bars.
X-TEND BCAAs
This brand boasts 7 grams of BCAA protein per serving. That’s a big, powerful punch. Your serving is also packed with electrolytes which also keep your body hydrated before, during, and after a tough workout. Remember that no matter how good your nutrition is, if you are not hydrating properly the body can’t do much of anything well. This one is especially great for endurance athletes who are doing long workouts that dehydrate.
Redcon1 Breach Branch Chained Amino Acids
This brand comes in several delicious flavors, including watermelon. They boast that while other brands are chalky, theirs is not and you’ll never know you are even drinking a protein supplement. It’s a flavored drink that anyone will love. This is a great muscle recovery brand but can also serve to give additional support to those who are getting older and worried about losing muscle tone with age. Redcon1 comes in a fantastic looking can and the product is not a letdown.
Vivolife
This product fills a particular niche by addressing a very large, and ever-growing, group of athletes – vegans. Vivolife is a raw, plant-based product that provides you with the essential BCAAs that your body needs while adhering to the diet that is important to you and your lifestyle. This product is made possible with hemp and split pea powder. It’s a fantastic use of hemp, environmentally friendly to produce, and works fantastic as well. Whether you are lifting or an athlete working on performance and endurance, this is your product to fit into your vegan life.
Alani Nu
Here is a BCAA powder that satisfies another niche, which is so important in a market that is becoming more and more diverse. This is a caffeine-free product. There is no caffeine added to give you the pre-workout boost or the after-workout recovery of energy. All you get in this version of BCAA powder are the essential BCAAs and a great tasting drink. They’ve got some interesting flavors that include Rocket Pop and Sour Gummy. For an interesting flavor that won’t overstimulate your body with unnecessary caffeine, this is your game-winner.
You may also be interested in the top CBD gummies from our list. Take a moment to check them out.
Clean Machine Clean BCAA Powder
This brand’s name sums up their entire brand. It’s all about eating clean and knowing what goes into your body. Food should be fuel and no one knows this better than a bodybuilder who is attempting to gain muscle mass. This product works very well and is reviewed kindly. They also use coconut water and electrolytes to help bring balance back to the body after hard, sweaty workouts. Again, there are scrumptious flavors available but there is also an unflavored version so that you can add it to a post-workout smoothie of your own liking. Good stuff is here to be had, my friends.
Optimum Nutrition Pro BCAA Powder
This powder packs in 8 grams of protein per serving and it’s readily available in many markets. ON brand is one of the most well-known nutritional supplement brands on the market today and this product proves why. Fruit punch and raspberry lemonade flavors get high marks from reviewers as well. When you try ON products, you’ll never be left wondering what keeps them on top of the list as one of the leading nutritional supplement companies on the planet.
MusclePharm BCAA 3:1:2 Energy
It’s a low carb version of BCAA powder that has a special 3:1:2 formulation consisting of 3:1:2 ratio leucine, isoleucine, and valine, respectively. There are only five calories in a serving of the delicious drink and it gets its caffeine from green tea added to the mix. This company was founded by athletes and knows what they are doing, with athletes in the foremost of their minds.
Why BCAA Supplements?
For many years BCAA supplements have been coveted by bodybuilders because they can take the supplements before, during, and after workouts. They help the body to repair muscle damage done when they are pushed to their limits from lifting heavy. The muscles tear slightly with this type of exercise and the body goes into overdrive to repair the damage.
A day off from those muscles is taken, allowing the body a day to repair the muscle tissue. In typical human body fashion, the tears are repaired and made stronger and thicker than they were before, thus creating larger muscles in that process.
Other athletes have begun to realize that BCAA supplements can also help them to recover from other types of workouts as well. From climbing to running, or swimming to gymnastics, BCAA supplements can help the body to recover more quickly and repair any damage done from the hardest of workout routines. This makes them an invaluable addition to your diet if you are an athlete. They also may work to help those aging to keep muscle tissue.
They can:
- Increase muscle size
- Relieve sore muscle pain
- Reduce fatigue from workouts that are hard
- Prevent muscle from breaking down or wasting away (supplement for elders!)
- Help people with liver disease
There are plenty of products to choose from on the market. You simply want to make sure that you’re using a product that is sourced locally and discloses all of the ingredients on their label. Read labels well so that you know exactly what is in your BCAA brand. If there are things in the product that you don’t want, such as caffeine, you can find specific products that will cater to your needs. You also don’t need a lot of additives and chemicals in your powder if you are trying to be healthy and get the best nutrition in your body. Don’t fall for the marketing tactics of some companies that don’t have great reputations.
Luckily, in today’s world, we have a thousand ways to research companies and read reviews of their products. These aforementioned products were all chosen based on the reviews and comments from actual users. They rank high and have been deemed safe for use.
Choosing brands from off-shore sources may not yield the best results or safer products. Be choosy with what goes in your body and when you find products that you love, review them because it helps others in making their choices later as well.