If you’ve been paying much attention to the supplement world lately, you have probably heard a lot of the buzz about branched chain amino acids, or BCAA. You might also be wary of their effectiveness and value. It’s true that most supplements out there are total crap, and that most supplement companies are out to make a quick buck marketing to people who fall for crazy claims and pro-bodybuilder endorsements. However, BCAA supplements are the real deal! They help you recover quickly, they alleviate soreness, and they are even cost-effective. Here are a few tips on how they can help you and what you should look for in a BCAA product.

Recover Like Never Before!

In simple terms, getting bigger and stronger requires breaking the muscle down with hard training, feeding it with nutrients afterwards, and letting it rest and recover to grow bigger than before. The faster and more frequently you can go through this process, the faster you will grow! Therefore, maximizing your recovery abilities is one of the keys, if not THE key to your success, provided you are training hard enough to force your body to adapt and grow stronger.

Obviously the most important aspect of your recovery is your diet. You need plenty of protein, fats, and carbs to build new muscle tissue, and consistently eating large amounts of food is the only way to get these. However, BCAA help your recovery by a different process. Without getting too complicated, these molecules act like little “growth signals” in your body, instructing it to rebuild your muscles after you tear them down in the weight room. Assuming you’re getting all the food you need, taking BCAA can therefore speed up the recovery process and allow you train harder and more frequently!

How Do They Taste?

To really make a difference, you’ll probably need around 40-50 grams of BCAA per day. You could get them all in pill form, but doing so is prohibitively expensive for most people’s budgets. Your best bet is to drink them – but do they taste decent enough to do so?

If you’re taking plain BCAA, then the answer is a definite no. They have a bitter taste that comes through even when dissolved completely in water. Try to drink them straight up, and they’re liable to end up on the floor with your lunch! Don’t fear, though, because there are a couple of options for making them taste decent.

One option is to buy one of several pre-mixed BCAA products on the market. Most companies that make these BCAA supplements add tasty, low-calorie flavorings and formulate the powders to mix well without clumping. They sometimes also add other amino acids such as glutamine, which has been shown to have a slightly positive effect on muscle building, as well. If you can afford to pay a few dollars per day to drink your BCAA, then this is your best option.

If, on the other hand, your budget prohibits these kinds of products, you can always rig up your own concoction. Start by buying BCAA powder in bulk. Prices around 9-10 dollars per pound are good. Mix 40-50 grams into a gallon container along with a low-calorie drink powder such as Crystal Lite. Shake vigorously, wait until the mixture dissolves, and you’ve got a decent-tasting alternative that is far cheaper than most pre-mixed formulas.

Are They a Priority?

Since most of us are on a budget when we choose what supplements to buy, you’ve got to consider whether or not BCAA supplements are a priority in your muscle-building arsenal. If you’re in a gaining phase, eating a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass, the answer is more of a no. They can surely help you, but you might also be better off just eating more food. However, if you are unable to eat as much, or if you are purposefully under-eating to lose body fat, BCAA are near-essential in helping you maintain strength and muscle mass. Let your current goals and budget decide what’s best for you.