Everybody loves an amino. The building blocks of protein. When these guys are in their element and ingested before, during or after a workout – they have endless benefits. From fueling muscle, to putting nutrients in place for muscle recovery, and growth. As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Specialist in Sports Nutrition, I was excited to sit down with Cody Kishur, our sports performance merchant and resident expert in chief, for his take on the top amino supplements to look out for in 2023. “Here at GNC we carry aminos for any active lifestyle AND any usage occasion. Whether you are in the office OR at the gym, we have the BEST options to fuel your daily needs.” Here are our category winners for the 9 Best Amino Acid Supplements… we stuck with 9 best amino supplements because there are 9 essential amino acids… get it?? Sports RD humor over here!!
The Top Amino Acid Picks
- Best Flavored Amino: Beyond Raw® Precision Amino | Skip to review
- Best Vegan Amino: GHOST® Amino | Skip to review
- Best Pill/Capsule Amino: GNC Pro Performance® Amino 3000 | Skip to review
- Most Innovative Amino: Beyond Raw® Precision Amino | Skip to review
- Best Stim Amino: GNC Pro Performance® Essential Amino Complete Plus Energy | Skip to review
- Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout BCAA: XTEND® Ripped | Skip to review
- Best Stim Pre-Workout BCAA: Essential AMIN.O. Energy™ Advanced Plus Metabolism and Focus Support | Skip to review
- Best BCAA for Hydration: Podium® Hydro + Salt | Skip to review
- Best Value Amino: GNC Pro Performance® Essential Amino Complete | Skip to review
Beyond Raw Precision Amino is the top dog in the flavor category. If there’s one thing Beyond Raw does right, it’s flavor domination. And Beyond Raw Precision Amino is no exception.
This new and improved formula is available in three mouth watering flavors, including Gummy Worm, Crisp Apple, and my personal favorite – Peach Mango tea.
GHOST has been killing the Vegan game for years now. This vegan-friendly amino features GHOST’s unique EAA, BCAA, Hydration, and Absorption blends. Cody notes, “It’s an optimal choice for our vegan and vegetarian customers. Plus, it’s available in variety of nostalgic candy inspired flavors”.
READ MORE:A Workout Powerhouse: BCAAs
The GNC Pro Performance® brand of products is perfect for the entry level sports performance customer. GNC Pro Performance Amino provides a full spectrum of all nine EAAs at 3000mg per dose. This anabolic amino formula has been optimized for protein synthesis and supports the maintenance and repair of lean muscle (recovery for the win!). Plus, it provides crucial building blocks for synthesizing hormones and other neurotransmitters. And, because it’s in soft gel form, you get some extra benefits from vitamin E.
As a dietitian, I love the fact that this fat-soluble vitamin provides immune support and post-exercise antioxidant protection.
Beyond Raw® Precision Amino makes its second appearance in our top nine thanks to the expertise of our nutrition science and product design team here at GNC. This next generation formula features ingredients like L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine, Velositol®, BetaPower® and Calci-K® to fuel muscles, enhance hydration, increase power output, and optimize recovery.
“We’re pumped about our new and improved Beyond Raw Precision BCAA product. Our formulators really knocked it out of the park with innovation. We think this new formula with killer flavors will keep folks thirsty for more.”
Amino acids PLUS Energy – the best of both worlds! Especially for folks looking for an extra boost pre-workout WITHOUT the pre-workout. Depending on the day, sometimes you just don’t want (or need) the extra ingredients. This enhanced intra-workout formula provides 10 grams of amino acids, including 5g of EAAs plus 5g of BCAAs in the optimal 2:1:1 ratio. PLUS 100g of caffeine and electrolytes.
Hydrate before, during and after training for recovery. On non-training days sip on Essential Amino Complete Plus Energy for added focus – at the gym or office. And as part of our GNC Pro Performance line, this AA supplement is Banned Substance Tested, making my sports dietitian heart happy.
What do you get when you combine amino acids and metabolism supporting ingredients, but WITHOUT the added caffeine? XTEND Ripped Stimulant Free BCAA! This one-of-a-kind formula was designed to provide 7g of BCAAs to help you hydrate, recover, and build lean muscle^ – without stimulants. CLA, L-Carnitine, and Capsimax® join forces to support your training and body composition goals.
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Essential AMIN.O. Energy™ Advanced from Optimum Nutrition® is the standout for this category. Its Amino Blend provides all the essentials, plus L-Citrulline and CarnoSyn® Beta-alanine for the pumps and tingles you look for in a preworkout. It combines 100mg of Organic Caffeine, Alpha GPC, and Cognizin® Citicoline to help performance, energy, focus, and active living.
This formula takes recovery up a notch providing 200mg Vitamin C and Turmeric Extract which boast powerful antioxidant benefits. Another Banned Substance Tested product – be still my dietitian heart.
Heavy sweater? Podium® Hydro + Salt BCAA Drink to the rescue! This gluten free, soy and dairy free formula provides a whopping 525mg of premium electrolytes to keep hydration top of mind. Replace the important minerals lost through sweat and recover right – with 6gm of vegan-fermented BCAAs to refuel muscles day or night. With four mouth watering flavors to choose from, our top pick for BCAA plus hydration will keep your sweat sessions on point.
GNC Pro Performance® makes it’s third appearance on our best aminos list, this time for value. At just $34.99, not only does GNC Pro Performance Essential Amino Complete have an affordable price point, but the brand itself is tried and true. Banned Substance Tested (insert heart emoji) and formulated for entry level athletes – to provide muscle fuel, support recovery, and help replenish electrolytes.
Want a deeper deal? Make GNC Pro Performance Essential Amino Complete part of your routine for a 10% discount plus free shipping – now THAT’S what we call a good value!
And there you have it! GNC’s expertly curated selection of the top 9 amino supplements for 2023. Many thanks to our sports performance merchandizing all-star, Cody Kishur for bringing GNC and YOU, the best BCAAs, EAAs and benefits to help fuel your fitness goals.