Athletes often take EAAs - also known as essential amino acids - in the form of dietary supplements. These supplements are extremely useful since they provide the amino acids that your body needs but doesn’t produce on its own.
The main benefits of EAA supplements that make them so attractive include better muscle recovery and lean muscle gains. We recommend that athletes - both new and seasoned - try out an EAA supplement when trying to bulk up and reduce the risk of muscle fatigue in the process.
In this article, we’re reviewing our favorite EAA supplements and what makes them worthwhile. Keep reading to learn about how EAA supplements work and their relative safety and effectiveness for athletes of all skill levels.
What Is an EAA Supplement?
EAA supplements, as previously mentioned, provide the amino acids to your body that it doesn’t naturally produce on its own. Normally, we get EAA intake from the foods we eat, but sometimes, athletes need an extra boost in the form of supplements.
There are nine essential amino acids out of the 20 different amino acids our bodies use. A decent EAA supplement generally includes the complete EAA spectrum. These EAAs include isoleucine, histidine, leucine, methionine, lysine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine, and tryptophan.
EAA supplements help your body to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, repair muscle tissue (which tears following high-intensity workouts), and ultimately grow new muscle mass.
The Top 6 Best EAA Supplements Available On Today’s Market
There are literally hundreds of EAA supplement options on the market today, making it difficult to find a product if you don’t know what to look for. Lucky for you, we’ve done a lot of research in order to find the six best products. That means that with these products, you can’t go wrong.
We wholeheartedly believe that they’ll live up to your expectations, whether you’re a cyclist, bodybuilder, or someone who’s new to lifting. Let’s dive right into the top six, starting with our top rated product.
- Huge BCAA & EAA
We believe that the Huge Supplements’ BCAA & EAA product is the best option, as it contains all the amino acids you should be looking for. It includes a total of nearly 15 grams of amino acids so it has EAA’s in ideal doses.
But it also packs in 8 grams of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) and 5 grams of L-glutamine per serving. That makes it the most stacked EAA+BCAA product we could find on the market.
Additionally, it uses only high-quality ingredients, from L-Threonine to L-Methionine, L-Tryptophan, L-Lysine, and other essentials. And the added calcium content supports healthy bones so that you can take care of your body while bulking up.
It’s an ideal supplement to support improved muscle recovery, muscle growth, hydration, and exercise performance. What’s more is that it has more than hundreds of positive reviews, averaging a 4.8 out of 5.0 stars on the Huge Supplements website. According to many user reviews, it also tastes great without compromising effectiveness.
Huge BCAA & EAA comes in three different fruit-themed flavors - bomb popsicle, kiwi blueberry, and watermelon lemonade. This delicious powder formula is easy to mix into water for a refreshing support to your workout regimen.
We wholeheartedly recommend it for its value, quality, and ideal dosage of the essential amino acids your muscles need to bulk up.
Where to Buy Huge BCAA & EAA
It’s available to purchase on the official Huge Supplements website, which can be found by clicking here. You can also get it on Amazon. The listing price is $39.99, which is a powder tub that includes 25 complete servings (scoops), so it will last you nearly a month.
2. EAA Surge
EAA Surge is another ideal choice when it comes to essential amino acid supplements for athletes. Surge has nearly 1,000 positive reviews on Amazon, with an average 4.6/5.0 star rating.
It’s designed as a fermented amino acid, intra-workout powder supplement that gets mixed into water. It features Taurine, L-Citrulline, and other essentials to support muscle recovery, growth, energy, and endurance.
This formula comes in five fruity flavors, including strawberry limeade, pineapple, cucumber lime, peach mango, and blue raspberry. Each one-scoop serving contains 6.7g of the Amino9 blend, 2g L-Citrulline, 2g Taurine, and 500mg coconut water blend.
The added coconut water blend has beneficial blood flow and hydration properties, on top of the EAA benefits.
One advantage of this supplement when compared to BCAA supplements is that it has a clinically proven ratio of EAAs that’s been known to increase muscle protein synthesis 50% more.
Where to Buy EAA Surge
You can purchase EAA Surge on Amazon for a list price of $29.99 (20 servings included) or on the Jacked Factory official website ($32.99 for 20 servings).
3. Juiced Aminos
The Animal Supplements Juiced Aminos formula is a powerful powder mix of essential amino acids and branded-chain amino acids. It’s optimized for muscle recovery and enhanced workout performance, with the added benefit of skin hydration.
You can get Juiced Aminos in four different fruity flavors, including grape, peach mango, orange, and strawberry limeade. It mixes easily into water to take as an anytime formula (pre-workout, post-workout, or in between). For optimal results, you can use it as a post-workout recovery formula.
The highlighted ingredients include L-Glutamine, L-Taurine, and Citrulline Malate. But in each one-scoop serving, you get 6g of the anabolic BCAA ; EAA matrix and 4g of the Juiced AA performance blend.
The instantized formula is ideal if you want to see results in terms of enhanced muscle recovery, muscle gains, and increased endurance.
Where to Buy Juiced Aminos
You can purchase Animal’s Juiced Aminos formula on Amazon for a list price of $29.94, which gets you 30 servings (a month supply). You can also purchase it via the official Animal Supplements website ($33.95).
4. Nutrex EAA
Nutrex Research’s Nutrex EAA Hydration supplement is designed to target muscle recovery, strength, growth and endurance for athletes.
The powder formula includes a full spectrum amino acid profile (all 9), as well as ingredients like coconut water and Taurine to support hydration while consuming the EAAs. It also includes electrolytes to support hydration while you’re building muscle mass.
Each one-scoop serving of this formula includes 60mg calcium, 30mg phosphorus, 20mg magnesium, 90mg sodium, 50mg potassium, 8g EAA complex, and 1.5g hydration complex (taurine, calci-K, raw coconut concentrate, and AstraGin).
Further, the included clinically researched AstraGin ingredient helps your body to better uptake the amino acids and minerals. And if you want to boost muscle endurance and lean muscle growth, this intra- or post-workout supplement could be effective for you.
What’s nice about this product is that there is a variety of flavor options including apple pear, blood orange, blueberry lemonade, fruit punch, maui twist, pink lemonade, and strawberry watermelon. It’s also a great value deal for an EAA supplement, with a tub of 30 servings (one month supply) costing just $34.99 (list price).
Where to Buy Nutrex EAA
You can purchase Nutrex EAA supplement from Amazon for $34.99 or discounted with a Prime membership. You can also buy it directly from the Nutrex Supplements website.
5. Dymatize All9
Next up, we’re highlighting Dymatize’s All9 essential amino acid formula, which includes a large dose of aminos and packs in the complete profile. This formula is slightly more expensive than the others on this list for the amount you get in a tub (30 servings).
But with more than 1,500 reviews averaging a rating of 4.5/5.0 stars, customer satisfaction speaks for itself.
This formula comes in three unique flavors - cola lime twist, orange cranberry, and jolly green apple. In each one-scoop serving of the powder, you get 50 calories, 90mg Vitamin C, 1.5mg Thiamin, 20mg Niacin, 10mg Vitamin B6, 3.5mcg Vitamin B12, 9mg pantothenic acid, 25mg sodium, 7.2g instantly soluble BCAAs, 2.8g EAAs, and 200mg coconut water fruit powder.
The included vitamin blend in this supplement is beneficial to immune health, energy, mood regulation, and other health factors. Aside from that, the included coconut water powder benefits better hydration while you’re loading up on amino acids and working out harder.
Overall, it’s a decent formula for optimizing muscle protein synthesis, supporting muscle recovery, and building lean mass.
Where to Buy Dymatize All9
You can purchase Dymatize All9 from Amazon for a list price of $49.99, or you can get it directly from GNC online or the Vitamin Shoppe online.
6. Alpha Amino
Last but not least, we want to highlight the benefits of Alpha Amino. This final powder supplement is a sugar-free formula with a large dose of amino acids for ultimate muscle support. It’s also a great budget deal for what you get (30 servings per tub). Made by Cellucor, this product is not only a muscle gains supplement, but also a skin hydrating supplement.
It comes in three flavors - icy blue razz, watermelon, and fruit punch. In each one-scoop serving, you’re getting 3.75g EAAs, 5g BCAAs, electrolytes (dipotassium phosphate, disodium phosphate, and dimagnesium phosphate), as well as betapower betaine anhydrous.
Together this blend of ingredients works to boost muscle recovery speed, endurance, muscle growth, and hydration while supplementing.
The product has garnered over 1,200 ratings/reviews on Amazon already, with an average rating of 4.7/5.0 stars. We recommend it partly due to the high customer satisfaction level, and partly due to our satisfaction with the quality ingredients and benefits.
Where to Buy Alpha Amino
You can purchase the Alpha Amino supplement on Amazon for a budget-friendly list price of $27.99 for 30 servings (month supply). You can also purchase it directly from Cellucor’s supplement website.
EAA Supplement Benefits Breakdown
Below, explore some of the athletic benefits of taking an EAA supplement in detail, and see why you really need to get your hands on a solid product ASAP.
Increase Protein Synthesis
Number one is the ability of these amino acids to stimulate and boost muscle protein synthesis. It’s a well-known fact that amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Because of this property, taking them in supplement form creates better and faster muscle protein synthesis - the creation of new muscle fibers.
You see, when you lift weights, cycle, and perform other resistance-based workouts, your muscle fibers undergo micro-tears. This is a natural response and the reason your muscles get sore following exercise. In order to turn that exercise into new muscle growth, your body repairs the tears and grows new fibers.
Furthermore, essential amino acids support muscle tissue maintenance when they increase protein synthesis. This way, you are at less risk of losing muscle mass during your strength training journey.
But EAAs are the kind of AA that don’t show up naturally in the body. So you need an optimal dosage - and that’s where EAA supplements work wonders.
Accelerate Muscle Recovery
Another key benefit of EAA supplements is enhanced muscle recovery. When you start putting increased stress on your body by lifting more or working out harder, your muscles will struggle to keep up.
Each time you add new tears to your muscle fibers, they need ample time to recover so you can keep working out as you build muscle mass.
Typically, it would take your body about 2-3 days to recover from sore muscles and high-intensity workout. But by supplementing essential amino acids, you speed up the rate of recovery so you can take fewer days off from working out and avoid losing muscle mass.
It’s also a good idea to add a protein powder to your routine if you want to speed up recovery.
Improve Exercise Performance
And third, we recommend these supplements because they can also help you to up your game when it comes to working out. If you’re looking to increase endurance, take on more lifting reps, or workout longer/harder, the right dose of EAAs can help.
Some of the most prominent benefits in this department include modifying fuel usage while working out, protecting your body from the effects of overtraining, and reducing mental fatigue symptoms.
This means that you can train harder without meeting exhaustion or injury so soon.
They can also help you to secrete more anabolic hormones. Particularly in men who take EAAs, there may be some decrease in cortisol (stress hormone) levels and increase in testosterone.
How Many Essential Amino Acids Are There?
Like we previously stated, there are nine essential amino acids that make up the “complete AA profile”. They are some of the building blocks for protein in your body. These nine include:
- Lysine
- Leucine
- Histidine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Isoleucine
- Valine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
Lysine has some benefit in repairing muscle tissue following high-intensity exercise. It also produces carnitine, which converts fatty acids into energy. Leucine helps to stimulate myofibrillar muscle protein synthesis and slow the process of degrading muscle tissues.
Histidine works to protect nerve cells, repair damaged tissues (such as muscle tissue torn from exercise), and grow new muscle.
Threonine makes glycine, which reduces muscle spasms and unwanted contractions. Tryptophan makes serotonin and melatonin in your body, which help to reduce pain and regulate sleep, respectively.
Because of its sleep-benefiting properties, tryptophan is helpful in enhancing rest and recovery. Isoleucine supports healthy immunity, growth, and protein metabolism within the body.
Valine supports muscle tissue repair and recovery, as well as new muscle growth. Methionine initiates muscle protein synthesis and has helpful antioxidant properties. And finally, phenylalanine also supports muscle protein synthesis, and it facilitates the use of other essential amino acids.
Together, this complete profile of amino acids is important in repairing the micro-tears your muscles get following strength training and high-intensity exercise. With better recovery, you can grow stronger muscles.
How to Use Your EAA Supplement
When it comes to dietary supplements, you want to use products in the right way to make sure you reap the optimal benefits. With EAAs, that means you need to be taking them every day, on both your training days and your rest days.
On training days, it’s recommended that you take them before, during, or after a workout. Conversely, on rest days, you can take it whenever you want as long as you make sure you get the same recommended dose.
You should also ideally choose an EAA supplement that contains the complete amino acid profile - all 9 acids - as this matrix works the best. We recommend going with Huge supplements’ amino product.
You should always carefully read the product label before taking any of the supplements on this list. Don’t stray from the instructed daily dose (i.e. one scoop per day) and try to avoid missing a day if possible.
It’s also important to note that these supplements shouldn’t replace your meals, and you should be eating a healthy diet while taking them to see maximum benefits.
And we also recommend drinking more water, electrolytes, or choosing an EAA supplement that includes hydration properties. This is because EAA supplementation can put athletes at a greater risk of dehydration since you need more water to dispose of protein metabolism byproducts.
EAAs vs BCAAs
Many people want to know the differences between essential amino acids and branded-chain amino acids. Further, people want to know which ones they should be using to support their workout journeys. The answer is that you should get both types of amino acids into your diet on a regular basis.
In reality, EAAs and BCAAs aren’t all that different, and they even have some overlap. There are nine EAAs, and BCAAs make up three of those nine essential amino acids. Of the nine EAAs, the three BCAAs include valine, leucine, and isoleucine.
Both essential amino acids (EAAs) and branded-chain amino acids (BCAAs) aren’t produced by the body. That’s why we need to supplement them, especially when trying to bulk up. The reason it’s important to take both BCAAs and EAAs is that they serve slightly different purposes.
EAAs are generally better than BCAAs at promoting muscle protein synthesis. On the other hand, BCAAs are generally better than EAAs at reducing muscle fatigue and boosting muscle endurance during high-intensity training.
The nice thing about the Huge BCAA + EAA supplement that we’ve highlighted is that it combines both types of amino acids, so you’re getting a win-win product.
Several of our recommendations use both types of amino acids mentioned, so be sure to browse through them.
Are EAA Amino Acids Safe?
Yes, essential amino acids are safe to take and don’t cause side effects. In fact, it’s recommended that most people take EAAs in supplement form if they don’t get enough of them in their diet - regardless of their athletic status. For example, some individuals on vegan or vegetarian diets need to supplement EAAs.
Furthermore, your body won’t produce essential amino acids on its own, so you need to get them from an outside source. These supplements will be far more effective than trying to pack EAAs into the foods you eat.
We’ve also worked hard to compile a guide with only the best EAA supplements that are made in the USA and use high-quality ingredients.
We don’t compromise when it comes to choosing recommendations; our suggestions do not use harmful chemicals, fillers, or additives. They stick to the basics and give you what you need in an easy to digest dose.
If you have any reservations, though, you can consult a doctor about how EAA supplements might interact with any medications you currently take or health conditions you have.
Are EAAs Worth Taking?
Yes, EAAs are definitely worth taking if you want to get serious about your muscle mass and strength. They are a great natural and effective dietary supplement with no side effects and a basic ingredient profile.
Whether you are an aspiring bodybuilder, resistance trainer, or someone who wants to burn fat and gain lean mass, these amino acids can help.
On top of the already mentioned benefits of improving lean muscle growth, boosting endurance, and repairing muscle tissue, they may also reduce post-exercise soreness. This means less fatigue when it comes to jumping back into the gym, and possibly fewer days off.
As a result, you’ll notice that you can tackle harder workouts and bulk up much faster than you’d be able to otherwise.
Additionally, you can get a far more efficient dose of amino acids in supplement form than you would merely from your diet.
This way, you get clinically recommended doses without having to change your caloric intake too much.
The Bottom Line
EAA supplements provide the full spectrum of nine essential amino acids that our bodies need to recover faster from high-intensity workouts. They also stimulate muscle protein synthesis, enhance our endurance and strength, and help us to achieve more lean muscle gains.
There are many benefits to taking EAA supplements, such as the top six that we’ve reviewed today. Aside from offering muscle support, these supplements also feature certain vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that support skin and body hydration.
Be sure to check out our list of the best six product options to find the best deals that don’t compromise quality in the process.
EAAs are completely safe to take, and it’s actually better to supplement them since our bodies can’t create them on their own.
Make sure to always follow the labels carefully when using these products, and consult a doctor beforehand if you have concerns. Good luck with your gains! starts here.