BCAA Powder Versus BCAA Caps: Pick The Right Preparation For You

April 13, 2010

Picking the nutritional supplement that suits the needs of your body to help you attain your workout goals can be a Herculean task as the effects of many of these supplements vary from one person to another. Some may favorably respond to their effects, while others may not. Your pick will also depend on the goals you want to get from your workout. Should you pick branched chain amino acids or BCAAs as the right nutritional supplement for you, you have a choice on whether you should take BCAA powder or BCAA caps. Well, several bodybuilding fledglings have been voicing this irresolution in several bodybuilding forums. These are what some of the veterans have to say.

Buying BCAA powder in bulk will save you a lot of money as compared to buying BCAA caps. The prices of BCAA caps you have to pay also shoulder the extra costs in containing the supplement in capsules. Encapsulating them also makes the supplement preparation less pure as capsules may contain other substances, like fillers. But with BCAA powder, you get the pure form of the supplement from which better dosaging and faster results are expected than the impure form. It also takes a substantial number of capsules to satisfy the required amount of the said essential amino acids. On the favorable side, BCAA caps are less messy and are easy to bring along when traveling or when taking the supplement at work or at the gym, as you do not have to bring with you your weighing scale.

Notorious for its obnoxious smell and taste, BCAA powder are taken by many bodybuilders mixed with their protein shake, with Gatorade or other energy drinks and juices to mask its taste. This may equate to additional cost if you did not mean to take those extras, in the first place. But if you have also been meaning to take them, then you continue to keep the savings you got from buying BCAA powder. Additionally, BCAA powder is known to be insoluble in these liquids. Some who claim to be tough enough to tolerate its taste just drink it up with water. While others who cannot stomach it buy the brands that come with flavor that helps neutralize the bad taste. But they also have to stomach their price tags.
In the end, the decision of whether to buy BCAA powder or caps would be up to you. It should be a balance between the price, convenience and whether you can take it or not, depending on how you prioritize them. Efficacy-wise, there is not much difference.