The 7 Best BCAA Powders (+ 4 Proven Benefits)

Next to protein powder, BCAA powder is one of the most popular workout supplements. And where there’s a lot of demand, there are a lot of options.

Just doing a search for “BCAA” on Amazon brings up thousands of results. So how can you be sure you’re getting the best BCAA powder for your goals?

Rest easy—we’ve scoured the market and examined hundreds of products to bring you the 12 best BCAA supplements.

In this guide:

• The top 12 best BCAA powders
• Benefits of BCAA powder
• BCAA dosage and timing
• And more

The 7 Best BCAA Powders

---

BCAA Powder: What Is It?

BCAA stands for branched-chain amino acid. The name comes from the compound’s branching structure.

To understand why BCAAs are important, we need to understand a few basic details about how the body builds it’s structural tissues.

Amino acids are compounds used by the body to build most of its structures. Without them, the body couldn’t build muscle, tendons, and other tissues.

These amino acids are broken down into two categories: nonessential and essential. In short, essential amino acids are those that the body can’t create, and therefore must come from dietary sources.

That dietary source is proteins, which are made entirely of amino acids. Any complete protein source (such as egg white protein) delivers all essential amino acids.

Sometimes it can be advantageous to supplement amino acids directly. This is where BCAA powder comes in handy.

Thee Three BCAAs

There are three BCAAs used by the body. These are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Most BCAA powders will list the ratio of these three in that order, like 2:1:1 or 4:1:1.

Research indicates that leucine is the most important BCAA. As such, the best BCAA powders have a higher ratio of leucine to the other two.

To clarify, studies have shown that taking leucine alone compared to a complete mixture of BCAAs leads to similar results.

There are a few factors that can explain this.

First off, leucine is the primary BCAA that triggers muscle protein synthesis. Put simply, leucine acts as a signal that tells the body to start building more muscle.⁶Chapter 17 – Branched-Chain Amino Acids (Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine) and Skeletal Muscle

As discussed below, studies have demonstrated that BCAA powder can help reduce exhaustion during exercise. Research seems to show that leucine is also primarily responsible for this effect.

For example, one study examined the effects of leucine alone compared to a BCAA mixture in rats. The rats were given leucine, BCAAs, or placebo before engaging in swimming exercise.⁷Distinct effects of leucine or a mixture of the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) supplementation on resistance to fatigue, and muscle and liver-glycogen degradation, in trained rats.

The study found that leucine alone may be even more effective at reducing exercise fatigue compared to a complete mixture of BCAAs.

However, that doesn’t mean that other two BCAAs (isoleucine and valine) are worthless.

For example, one human study examined the effects of BCAAs compared to leucine alone following resistance exercise. Subjects took BCAAs, leucine, or a placebo, then engaged in resistance training.⁸The effects of oral BCAAs and leucine supplementation combined with an acute lower-body resistance exercise on mTOR and 4E-BP1 activation in humans: preliminary findings

Two hours after exercise, the BCAA and leucine groups showed similar levels of activation of a protein associated with muscle growth (4E-BP1). However, six hours after exercise, the BCAA group demonstrated much higher levels of activation.

Taking all of this into account, leucine appears to be the most important BCAA for exercise performance and short-term muscle growth. However, taking all three BCAAs together leads to the most long-term muscle growth.

Benefits of BCAA Powder

We’ve mentioned a few benefits of BCAA powder. Let’s dive into more detail.

• Boosted Workout Performance

Research has shown that BCAAs can help boost endurance by reducing fatigue while exercising.

A 2011 study showed that taking BCAAs before endurance exercise can can improve fatigue resistance. Those who took BCAAs were able to exercise longer before exhaustion.⁹Branched-chain amino acids supplementation enhances exercise capacity and lipid oxidation during endurance exercise after muscle glycogen depletion.

Another notable study examined the effects of BCAA supplementation on long-distance runners. Subjects were given BCAAs while running a marathon or a 30-kilometer race and were compared to the other runners.¹⁰Administration of branched-chain amino acids during sustained exercise–effects on performance and on plasma concentration of some amino acids.

The study found that those who took BCAAs perceived less physical effort. In addition, lower-performance athletes actually improved their marathon times.

These findings suggest that short-term BCAA supplementation can help increase mental and physical endurance performance.

However, endurance isn’t the only performance factor that BCAAs can improve.

One notable study examined the effects of BCAAs on sprint training performed two days in a row. One group of athletes was given BCAAs before exercise and the other was given a placebo.¹¹Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Arginine Improve Performance in Two Consecutive Days of Simulated Handball Games in Male and Female Athletes: A Randomized Trial

The study found that the BCAA group performed significantly better on the second straight day of training. (The groups performed similarly on the first day, as expected.)

These findings suggest that BCAA supplementation may improve performance of workouts completed without rest days in between.

• Increased Muscle Growth

Beyond workout performance, BCAAs have been shown to increase muscle mass in the long term.

Most notably, research has shown that taking BCAAs after resistance exercises significantly increases muscle production (that is, muscle protein synthesis).

One study examined the effects of post-workout BCAAs compared to a placebo. Researchers found that muscle protein synthesis was 22% higher 30 minutes after the workout for the BCAA group.¹²Branched-Chain Amino Acid Ingestion Stimulates Muscle Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis following Resistance Exercise in Humans

And that boosted muscle growth really adds up over time.

We refer again to one of the studies cited above. After 8 weeks of resistance training while supplementing 14 grams of BCAAs daily, subjects experienced significantly more muscle mass gain compared to a group taking 28 grams of whey daily.¹³Consuming a supplement containing branched-chain amino acids during a resistance-training program increases lean mass, muscle strength and fat loss

All factors considered, while dietary protein sources do contain some level of BCAAs, supplementing BCAA powder directly can significantly increase lean mass gains.

• Increased Strength

Since regular BCAA supplementation can increase muscle growth, it would make sense that it could increase strength. And that’s exactly what the science shows.

Fort example, one study compared the effects of taking 14 grams of BCAAs daily against 28 grams of whey protein in trained men. After 8 weeks of resistance training, the BCAA group demonstrated significantly greater squat and bench 10-rep maximums.¹⁴Consuming a supplement containing branched-chain amino acids during a resistance-training program increases lean mass, muscle strength and fat loss

While these strength gains are significant, it should be noted that BCAAs have not been shown to boost short-term strength.

To clarify, if a well-rested person were to take BCAAs before a workout, research has not shown that their maximum strength would be any greater than it would have been otherwise.*

Rather, the strength-boosting effects of BCAAs appear to be the result of increased muscle growth in the long run.

*As mentioned above, daily BCAA supplementation can help with increasing workout performance on consecutive days.

• Decreased Muscle Breakdown and Soreness

Research has shown that BCAAs can help with reducing muscle breakdown associated with exercise.

One notable study examined the effects of BCAAs on muscle damage markers following intense endurance exercise.¹⁵Effect of BCAA intake during endurance exercises on fatigue substances, muscle damage substances, and energy metabolism substances

The study found that taking BCAAs before endurance exercise can indeed reduce levels of these muscle-eating enzymes. This suggests that BCAAs may reduce muscle damage caused by endurance exercise.

And the same is true for resistance exercise.

One analysis of 11 studies found that taking BCAAs can help reduce muscle damage from resistance exercise. The researchers noted that this effect is greatest when BCAAs are taken before exercising.¹⁶Is Branched-Chain Amino Acids Supplementation an Efficient Nutritional Strategy to Alleviate Skeletal Muscle Damage? A Systematic Review

And it’s not just muscle breakdown that BCAAs can mitigate. Studies also show that they can help with soreness.

One notable study examined BCAAs effects on recovery following exercise. The researchers found that compared to a placebo group, those who took BCAAs reported feeling less sore 2 and 3 days after working out.¹⁷Effect of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Recovery Following Acute Eccentric Exercise

All things considered, BCAA supplementation may help reduce soreness and promote recovery.

BCAA Dosage

There is currently no officially recommended BCAA dosage.

Most BCAA research has used dosages of 100 to 200 milligrams of BCAAs per kilogram of bodyweight. That’s roughly 45 to 90 milligrams per pound.

Here’s a breakdown:

Bodyweight	100 mg/kg	150 mg/kg	200 mg/kg
50 kg / 110 lb	5 g BCAA	7.5 g BCAA	10 g BCAA
60 kg / 132 lb	6 g BCAA	9 g BCAA	12 g BCAA
70 kg / 154 lb	7 g BCAA	10.5 g BCAA	14 g BCAA
80 kg / 176 lb	8 g BCAA	12 g BCAA	16 g BCAA

If you’re measuring by volume, such as with a teaspoon, your preferred dosage will depend on your specific BCAA supplement.

For supplements that are pure BCAA powder, 1 US tablespoon will usually equal roughly 5 grams of BCAAs. Make sure to read the label, as this can vary by a lot.

When to Take BCAA

For most goals, it’s ideal to take BCAA powder before or during exercise.

As discussed above, taking BCAAs before or during an endurance workout can improve performance and reduce fatigue.

Similarly, research has shown that taking BCAAs before or during a workout can reduce muscle breakdown. In addition to promoting long-term muscle growth, this can also reduce soreness.

There are a few benefits that seem to rely less on dosage timing, such as long-term strength and muscle mass gains. However, there isn’t much research examining these effects with different dosage timings.

Taking into account all research on BCAA supplements, they seem to be most beneficial when regularly taken before or during exercise.

Protein Shakes vs. BCAAs

Since the three BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) are essential amino acids, they can be found in any complete protein source. Most protein powders, such as whey, casein, egg white, and more, are complete proteins.

This means that most post-workout protein shakes contain some amount of all three BCAAs. Because of this, it’s common to hear claims that supplementing BCAAs is redundant or ineffective.

So, is it pointless to take BCAAs if you drink protein shakes?

In short, no. BCAAs have some science-backed advantages over protein shakes, such as whey.

For example, take one of the studies referenced above. For 8 weeks, 36 trained men took either 14 grams of BCAAs, 28 grams of protein, or 28 grams of carbohydrates daily while following a resistance training program.¹⁸Consuming a supplement containing branched-chain amino acids during a resistance-training program increases lean mass, muscle strength and fat loss

Compared to the whey group, the BCAA group gained significantly more lean mass, lost significantly more fat, and increased their squat and bench strength significantly more. And this was despite the fact that the BCAA group took only 14 grams daily compared to the whey group’s 28 grams.

Findings like these suggest that BCAA supplementation beyond normal dietary protein intake can be beneficial.

However, it is important to note that taking BCAAs without any other dietary protein source is not advantageous.

BCAAs stimulate muscle growth (primarily caused by leucine) and provide some of the building blocks to do so. However, the body needs sufficient amounts of all 8* essential amino acids to effectively build tissue.¹⁹Branched-Chain Amino Acid Ingestion Stimulates Muscle Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis following Resistance Exercise in Humans

If someone were to take BCAAs as their only protein source, their strength and lean gains would be significantly decreased compared to someone taking BCAAs as a supplement to a protein-rich diet. The body needs those building blocks.

*Adults need 8 amino acids, while infants need 9. It is unlikely that any reader is an infant.

---

Summary

Taking BCAAs can help with boosting workout performance, muscle mass, and strength. They can also help with reducing soreness and increasing performance while not fully rested.

Most athletes, whether focusing on endurance or strength, can benefit from BCAA supplements.

Now, equipped with the information from this guide, you should be able to choose the best BCAA powder, dosage, and timing strategies for your goals.