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8 Best BCAAs for Men (2023 Review Upd.) Maximize Your Gains

Supplements Considered 17
Supplements
Considered
Hours of Research 115
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of Research
Reviews Examined 84
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Experts Interviewed 8
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Isaac Robertson
Published by Isaac Robertson | Co-Founder & Chief Editor
Last updated: September 12, 2023
We personally test every product featured in our reviews and guides. By ordering products anonymously and getting a group of independent testers, we are able to get first-hand experience and provide data-driven recommendations. Learn more.

Although they once existed on the fringe of the nutritional world, branched-chain amino acids have come to the fore in recent years as science has uncovered their significant role in physiological processes like muscle development and recovery.

As more and more information has become available, nutrition-conscious people from all walks of life have begun clamoring for effective, dependable BCAA supplements.

The problem is that with awareness comes a rush of opportunists trying to cash in with products that are little more than flour and flavoring.

To help clear away some of the doubt and confusion, we've done the legwork and assembled the best BCAA supplements for men currently available on the market.

Editor's Choice
Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine CTA
Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine
Taste
4.9
Ingredients
5.0
Price
4.9
Overall Score 4.9
4.9
Click For Best Price
#2nd Best Choice
Double Wood Supplements Essential Amino Acids CTA
Double Wood
Taste
4.8
Ingredients
4.8
Price
4.9
Overall Score 4.8
4.8
Click For Best Price
#3rd Best Choice
Scivation Xtend Original BCAA Powder CTA
Scivation Xtend
Taste
4.8
Ingredients
4.7
Price
4.8
Overall Score 4.8
4.8
Check Current Price

There are many BCAA supplements on the market these days and if you want to be sure you’re getting a quality product, you would do well if you select one of the following in this review.

Our Top BCAA Supplements for Men (September 2023)

1 - Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine (Editor's Choice)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine CTA
Taste
4.9
Ingredients
5.0
Price
4.9
Overall Score 4.9
4.9

For a BCAA that promotes muscle repair while helping to enhance your workout, CoreSeries BCAA Glutamine by Transparent Labs should be considered on the list.

This BCAA helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis, reduces muscle fatigue, and increases post-workout muscle growth.

With active ingredients such as amino acids leucine, isoleucine, valine, glutamine, and coconut water extract, this BCAA supplement is a good selection for muscle repair and recovery [1].

Pros
  • Packed with 8g of effective & powerful BCAAs
  • Supports muscle mass growth & recovery
  • Better endurance during workouts
  • Great-tasting
Cons
  • The flavor can be strong

The fact that the CoreSeries BCAA Glutamine is gluten-free and non-GMO will make you feel even better post-workout.

Combine it with the lack of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives, you've got yourself a reliable BCAA supplement.

2 - Double Wood Supplements Essential Amino Acids

Double Wood Supplements Essential Amino Acids CTA
Taste
4.8
Ingredients
4.8
Price
4.9
Overall Score 4.8
4.8

Our clients that joined our test group for this supplement are all male gym-goers who spend hours a week resistance training and know the importance of essential amino acids for muscle growth, repair, and recovery.

The nine essential amino acids in Double Wood’s supplement not only help you at the gym but may help improve your skin, immunity digestion, increase energy, and aid food breakdown [1].

We like the daily dosage range of 3-10 capsules because the dose can be increased or decreased depending on how protein-rich a user’s diet is.

Our test group used the supplement for a couple of months and adjusted the dose to their needs; all reported feeling the benefits within a couple of weeks.

Pros
  • It contains all nine essential amino acids
  • Third-party tested and moneyback guarantee.
  • Dosing flexibility dependent on how protein-rich the diet is
Cons
  • Upwards of ten capsules per day could be a bit much for some

Double Wood Supplements manufacture this supplement in a GMP-certified facility in the U.S.A. and stands behind its products with third-party testing and a moneyback guarantee. These are the golden standards when determining the product's genuineness and quality.

3 - Scivation Xtend Original BCAA Powder

Scivation Xtend Original BCAA Powder CTA
Taste
4.8
Ingredients
4.7
Price
4.8
Overall Score 4.8
4.8

Scivation Xtend Original BCAA Powder contains an extra-large dose of essential amino acids to help ensure that you're getting what you need to optimize your workouts.

The company goes a step further as well by including electrolytes in their formula. Electrolytes are crucial compounds that help maintain muscular integrity both during and after extreme exertion.

Every delicious serving of this BCAA powders contains zero sugar, zero carbs, and zero calories, making it a perfect post-workout drink.

Pros
  • Packed with 7g of effective & powerful BCAAs
  • Supports muscle protein synthesis
  • Facilitates fat loss
  • Better endurance during workouts
  • Keeps you well-hydrated
Cons
  • It would be nice if there were more flavors

And - just as importantly - it provides the electrolytes you need to fend off cramps, dizziness, and fatigue.

4 - Optimum Nutrition Instantized BCAA Powder

Optimum Nutrition Instantized BCAA Powder CTA
Taste
N/A (unflavored)
Ingredients
4.7
Price
4.7
Overall Score 4.7
4.7

Optimum Nutrition is a highly regarded supplement producer, renowned for their exacting standards and rigorous quality control.

Their Instantized BCAA Powder provides 5 grams of branched-chain amino acids in every serving.

They use the three most essential amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) to provide your body with the help it needs to recover from strenuous activity, and build the larger, leaner, and more durable muscles.

Pros
  • Promotes muscle build-up & recovery
  • Can be stacked with other supplements
  • Easily mixed with any liquid
Cons
  • Not the cheapest BCAA supplement out there

5 - Evlution Nutrition BCAA Energy Powder

Evlution Nutrition BCAA Energy Powder CTA
Taste
4.8
Ingredients
4.4
Price
4.6
Overall Score 4.6
4.6

Whether your workout consists of 2 hours in the weight room or 10 miles on the track, you’re going to need to provide your muscles with the nutrients they need to deliver and recover.

The best BCAAs are the way to do so, and Evlution Nutrition's Energy powder is one of those BCAA powders that you can rely on.

To help put some wind in your workout sails, Evlution includes the greatest all-natural stimulant every discovered: caffeine.

It also includes the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, valine, and green tea for cleaner energy and antioxidants.

Pros
  • Helps suppress appetite
  • Enhances cognitive functions
  • Increases muscle endurance
  • Includes caffeine
Cons
  • Contains sucralose

Evlution also helps increase blood circulation, which in turn helps increase mental acuity.

6 - BulkSupplements BCAA 2:1:1

BulkSupplements BCAA CTA
Taste
4.6
Ingredients
4.5
Price
4.4
Overall Score 4.5
4.5

BulkSupplements has to be in contention for top BCAA supplement on the market.

It’s considered one of the purest and dependable BCAA powders available.

The powder is very fine and mixes well with whatever liquid you have in mind. It comes in a couple of different flavors or with no flavor.

While none of the flavors make for the best tasting BCAA, you're not buying this powder for the taste.

You're buying it to help increase the size, strength, and durability of your muscles and perhaps to enjoy some secondary benefits like shorter recovery and clearer mind.

Pros
  • Helps ramp up your workout performance
  • Easily mixes with the liquid of your choice
  • More affordable than some others
Cons
  • Simple and durable packaging
  • Some will want a better flavor

When it comes to those things, BulkSupplements is considered one of the top BCAA for men around.

7 - Dymatize BCAA Complex 2200

Dymatize BCAA Complex 2200 CTA
Taste
4.5
Ingredients
4.4
Price
4.5
Overall Score 4.5
4.5

Dymatize's BCAA Complex 2200 leverages the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, valine, and tosses vitamin C and vitamin B6 into the mix to bolster not just your pecs but your immune system as well.

Vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant that targets the free radicals that undermine cell integrity while B6 helps bolster the effectiveness of even the best BCAAs.

Taken together these alpha amino acids and nutrients provide a well-balanced package that jacks up your energy levels, increases endurance, strengthens immune response, and ensures you achieve better overall health as well.

Pros
  • Addresses a wide range of nutritional needs
  • Enhances stamina and shortens recovery times
  • Allows your body to make the most of the BCAAs
  • Aids in the fight against free radicals
Cons
  • May cause upset stomach in people with sensitive systems

8 - Performance Lab BCAA

Performance Lab BCAA CTA
Taste
N/A (Capsule)
Ingredients
4.2
Price
4.5
Overall Score 4.4
4.4

The one thing that stood out most for me with this dietary supplement is that Performance Lab has put in a lot of effort to ensure all ingredients are natural and plant-based. That makes it suitable for vegans, but it also means that it’s not filled with completely unnecessary chemicals.

Performance Labs makes the claim that the “branched-chain amino acids are also naturally fermented from sunflower lecithin for easy digestion and high bioavailability.”

One study has shown that sunflower lecithin does indeed have positive digestive impacts, and plant-based proteins are generally more bioavailable.

Pros
  • 3000 mg dose of BCAA is ideal for muscle protein synthesis
  • Contains only natural ingredients with no additives
  • Claims to be one of the easiest to digest supplements
  • Suitable for vegan athletes
Cons
  • To get the full dose, you’ll need to swallow 4 pills

While you need to take four pills to get the full benefits of these essential alpha-amino acids, I have experienced good results with my recovery time.

What are BCAAs?

A scoop of BCAA supplement and a shaker

Branched-chain amino acids or BCAAs are leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which are crucial to muscle development, particularly muscular protein synthesis. They are three of nine essential amino acid compounds, which means the body can't produce them on its own.

As such, we must obtain BCAAs from outside sources. You might ask how; no worries. We got you covered! Here are two ways to do this:

Either through the foods we eat - such as meat, legumes and dairy products - or via supplements and powders like the ones profiled above.

If you engage in strenuous exercise, you are likely not getting enough amino acid nutrients from food sources and should seriously consider BCAA supplementation.

BCAAs are considered essential amino acids because, unlike non-essential ones, your body cannot make them. Therefore, it is essential to get them from your diet.
- Alina Petre MS, RD

Related Articles:

What are the Benefits of BCAAs?

Fit men who uses BCAA supplements

The benefits of BCAA supplements are improved muscle mass, enhanced physical performance, quicker recovery, and reduced muscle breakdown from exercise. We explain each in more detail below:

  • Enhanced muscle growth - This is probably the most well-known benefit of BCAA supplements and the number 1 reason people use the kinds of supplements profiled above. These stimulate protein nutrient synthesis to support muscle mass growth and facilitate muscle repair after workouts [2].
  • Faster recovery - Anyone who works out needs to allow stressed muscles to repair themselves before they hit the gym again. BCAA supplements help speed up the recovery and prevent muscle soreness. It allows you to get back into your workout routine faster, ensuring your body goals are met within your desired schedule [3].
  • Reduced fatigue - Sometimes, fatigue can hit you like a ton of bricks after a workout session. This is because as BCAA levels decrease, tryptophan levels increase. With the best BCAA supplements, you help stabilize these and ward off fatigue and muscle soreness [4].
  • Prevents wasting - If you work out, you need to maintain healthy muscle tissues. As people get older, however, they naturally become more sedentary. Trips to the gym become less frequent, and the basement exercise machines start gathering dust. This trend toward inactivity means your muscles don't have much to do anymore and begin to waste away. BCAA supplements can help to counteract the natural drift toward muscle wasting.

What to Look For in a BCAA Supplement?

flexing bicep

When choosing a BCAA supplement, always look at its ingredients, amino acid ratio, and serving size and check if it has been third-party tested. You should also pay attention to the following features:

  • Leucine, isoleucine, valine - These are the only three BCAAs in existence, and so the first thing to look for is whether the BCAA supplement you're thinking of taking contains them.
  • The correct balance of leucine, isoleucine, and valine - Most people look for a ratio of 2:1:1 (leucine, isoleucine, valine) in their amino acid supplement. While some recommend a much higher concentration of leucine, there is little science to back up the idea that it's necessary or even desirable.
  • Energy boosters - Since most people who take BCAA supplements are doing so to ramp up their performance in the gym they also want to see some form of energy boosters mixed into the supplement. The most common and natural remains caffeine. But not all the best BCAAs for men contain caffeine. So if it’s important to you make sure you check the label before buying, especially if you're sensitive to the ingredient. Otherwise, you might end up losing some sleep during the night, especially if you take the BCAA supplement during the afternoon.
  • Absorption rate - The best BCAA supplement is typically absorbed by the body in a couple of hours. This absorption process can be hastened, however, with the addition of vitamin B6 which helps facilitate the absorption of all the amino acids.

Side Effects and Risks

A man holding a shaker filled with BCAA

The best BCAA supplement is not some synthetic chemical compound created in a laboratory that you would be introducing into your system.

It is an absolutely essential nutrient your body craves in order to repair and replace muscle tissues.

Therefore, taking a BCAA supplement is unlikely to cause any kind of significant or even noticeable side effects in the vast majority of men.

The only likely exceptions are:

  • Men with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) who have been known to suffer lung failure after supplementing with BCAAs (the exact causal mechanism is not entirely understood).
  • Chronic alcoholics who often have damaged livers and whose condition may be exacerbated by consuming a BCAA supplement.

In addition, it may affect blood sugar levels in some individuals, which could - theoretically at least - pose some potential risks to people both during and after surgery.

Again, however, hard scientific data is wanting in this regard.

The bottom line is that, unless you fall into one of the above categories, it’s highly unlikely that BCAA powder supplements will pose any type of threat to you.

FAQ

Are BCAAs Worth It?

Yes, BCAAs are worth it because they play an important role in repairing and building new muscle tissues. The harder you work out, the more of these amino acids you need to consume.

Which Is Better, Creatine or BCAA?

Creatine is better than BCAA if you’re looking to improve your strength, endurance, and growth from training. However, some studies suggest that BCAA is better for muscle recovery and allows you to train again a lot sooner.

Should I Take Creatine With BCAA?

Yes, it's beneficial to take creatine with BCAA to support muscle growth, strength, and recovery. These supplements complement each other and will give your body everything it needs to speed up muscle fiber recovery.

Do BCAAs Make You Gain Weight?

No, BCAAs won’t make you gain weight. Their benefit centers around muscle repair, especially after a high-intensity training session.

They're not necessarily considered a fat burner supplement, but you shouldn’t expect to gain any weight from taking them.

Should I Drink BCAA Every Day?

No, you shouldn't drink BCAA every day unless you engage in very intense workouts daily. If you only do low-intensity training or cardio sessions, you don't need BCAAs as your body won't require a boost with these exercises.

How much BCAA should I take daily?

You should take about 5 to 10 grams of BCAA on high-intensity workout days. To be precise, aim to consume around 80 mg of BCAAs per pound of body weight.

Most supplements will be in that range, but if you need more than the average, it may make sense to find a more concentrated one.

Other related posts:

Branched-chain amino acids are essential in muscle repair and recovery. They can also aid the body in building lean muscle mass.

When it comes to BCAA supplements, you should consider choosing Performance Lab BCAA. This branched-chain amino acid product delivers what your muscles need to help you recover from a workout and build up larger and stronger fibers.

I’ve been testing it myself for several months now, and I can always tell when I happen to forget to take it after a trip to the gym. The next morning, I just feel that little bit stiffer, which can also impact my next training sessions.

It’s definitely worth giving a try.

Our #1 BCAA Supplement for Men

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine CTA
Taste
4.9
Ingredients
5.0
Price
4.9
Overall Score 4.9
4.9
Pros
  • Packed with 8g of effective & powerful BCAAs
  • Supports muscle mass growth & recovery
  • Better endurance during workouts
  • Great-tasting
  • Get the BEST PRICE until the end of September
Cons
  • The flavor can be strong
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One thought on “What’s the Best BCAA for Men to Boost Muscle Development & Recovery?

  1. I’ve been trying out your top BCAA powder in a while. All I can say is that Transparent Labs is truly one of the best BCAA supplements in the market. Thanks for the recommendation.

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