Beast BCAA Ripped: A BCAA Supplement Unlike Anything Else

Day to day, followers of the fitness game are consuming a huge number of different powders and capsules. It feels like there’s a new must-try product coming out every week! Beast Sports Nutrition has entered the ring with a unique combo: a BCAA powder combined with healthy fats with a very unique taste and texture profile!

Yet another BCAA? Not quite… this one’s different!

Yet another BCAA? Not even close. This one adds fats and is thicker and real-deal delicious!

BCAA Ripped, like its sibling products, is not out to reinvent the wheel, at least not when it comes to the ingredients. Instead, it relies on a handful of trusted ingredients that can help certain types of dieters fill in some gaps.

But rather than take the stimulant angle like so many “energy aminos” do, BCAA Ripped goes with the healthy fats… but even crazier is that this product has thickness to it! So you can make yourself a sweet, low-calorie treat that doesn’t spike your blood sugar like crazy, or train using energy from fats instead of that from carbs or caffeine.

BCAA Ripped provides ingredients that will help you a bit and taste like nothing you’ve ever had before… and can do it without keeping you awake at night. This article will be short and sweet. Let’s hit those ingredients with the excruciatingly precise details you come to PricePlow for in the first place!

BCAA Ripped Ingredients

The profile is pretty quick: BCAAs combined with healthy fats!

• 2:1:1 Branched Chain Amino Acid Mix as Instaminos (5g)

  

  BCAA Ripped goes the route of adding fats and thickeners, not fruity flavors or caffeine!

  The money shot of BCAA formulations. The 2:1:1 ratio is the gold standard of BCAA supplementation. You should always look for a formula to have at least twice the amount of leucine to valine or isoleucine.

  Why does this matter? It matters because every single research article we have on BCAA supplementation has typically relied on this ratio for its results. This means there’s 2.5g leucine, 1.25g isoleucine, and 1.25g valine in each scoop.

  Leucine is the most anabolic of the essential amino acids, so it makes sense to include it in a higher dose. If anything else in a weight loss product, we’d actually prefer more leucine, such as in a 4:1:1 ratio, since it’s a completely ketogenic amino acid and cannot be directly converted to glucose like the others.

  On to the benefits, the BCAAs present in BCAA Ripped may increase the amount of volume you can tolerate per workout and your ability to recover from that session. ^[1,2] You may even notice fat loss benefits from BCAA supplementation that should make your summer shred much easier,^[3] but realize that there are calories in BCAAs, and Beast Sports Nutrition thankfully decided to count them. It’s typically about 4 calories per gram, which is in line with protein in general.

  

  If you think BCAA Ripped is interesting, wait until you try this Super Sauna – one of the most unique thermogenics ever!

  So with that said, noting the slight bump of calories here and from the next ingredients, there are potential fringe weight-loss effects you may notice, like improved fat oxidation.^[4]

  What are Instaminos?

  The “Instaminos” moniker just means that the powder will instantly dissolve in your beverage of choice as the amino acids are spray-dried against a non-GMO lecithin.

• mctSMART – Medium Chain Triglycerides (3g)

  Medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs / MCT oil, are the main driving force behind coconut oil’s fame as a “healthy fat”. mctSMART is a patented vegan powdered take on MCTs. The company behind mctSMART (Anderson Global Group) promises a superior binder that makes it perfect for drink mixes like BCAA Ripped.

  MCTs cause an increase metabolic rates in humans, a decrease in fat mass, and even heightened fat oxidation.^[5-8]

  For our keto diet fans, MCTs have also been associated with an increase in ketone production over other fatty acids.^[7] mctSMART should also help improve your insulin sensitivity and lipid profile. ^[9] This is an underrated ingredient that’d we love to see used more.

  Mike shows that MCT Oil works for Keto Dieters

  To see what all the fuss was about, PricePlow’s founder Mike tested MCT Oil (albeit at a much higher dose) to show that blood sugar impact was negligible, but MCTs do increase ketones! He then explains how it happens on a chemical basis:

  

  Even low-fat dieters may get some benefits, since the shorter chains of this fat bypass the liver and are nearly absorbed like a carbohydrate!

  Moving on, this mctSMART will also add some interesting characteristics to the flavor profile, especially paired with the inactive ingredients (which are just important to the overall product) we will go over shortly.

• CLA – Conjugated Linoleic Acid (250mg)

  

  From Beast’s website

  More of a fizzle than a bang, honestly, CLA started off as a darling of the research world. The original research found that CLA might induce fat loss by acting on the PPAR system, which are a set of transcription factors that modulate gene expression.^[14] Sadly, CLA’s research spotlight didn’t pan out and in the real world.^[10-12]

  While a weaker ingredient, CLA will still give benefits to those on a rigorous cut – especially for those who are CLA deficient, such as those avoiding dairy or meats. There’s science showing that CLA has anti-catabolic actions, meaning it’ll help you keep lean mass in a caloric deficit.^[11] It also seems to have positive effects on fat oxidation.^[12]

  But all is not lost – keto dieters who need some energy will almost always take some extra fats as long as it’s not a carb or insulin-spiking amino acid, and low-fat dieters will often appreciate it because they may not be getting enough in, especially if dairy-free. But in all honesty, this dose is merely label dressing.

• The Inactives that Change the Product (250mg)

  

  That’s right – this is not your ordinary BCAA drink! Click for a close-up!

  For those outside the know, the active ingredients (up above) are what we focus on… usually. The actives provide the noticeable benefits that make supplementation worth considering.

  However, BCAA Ripped has some interesting things going on in the background with its inactives!

  Why? Because BCAA Ripped is a thicker BCAA than we’ve ever used!

  The xanthum gum present, for instance, in the formula makes this much thicker than other BCAA products. The xanthum gum and MCT oil powder together really makes a swig of BCAA Ripped a unique experience. There’s nothing like it on the market, especially with the flavors available:

The BCAA Ripped Flavors

Beast Sports Nutrition has two flavor offerings for BCAA Ripped: coconut cream and iced coffee. You might do a double take, here. Yes… a coffee flavored BCAA that’s caffeine free. And it’s good. Really good.

If you’re anything like us, you’re craving coffee at all hours of the day. Maybe this’ll help us sleep better by circumventing our later-night brewing habit.

We’ll get you a real picture of this stuff, since there’s none out there!

But if nothing else, it provides some incredible taste that’s not an active carbohydrate. Rumor has it that BCAA Ripped tastes great with almond milk too!

Our biggest critique here? Only 20 servings in a tub. Why not 25 or 30?

There are calories here though

It’s worth noting that per the label, there are 50 true calories per serving, mostly from the 3.5g fats, but also 1g fiber that’s likely from the InstAminos or the flavor system.

It seems that Beast is being 100% authentic in calculating the BCAA calories as well, which isn’t legally required but is much appreciated, since it is the truth. Those BCAAs have caloric energy, so it’s helpful to count them in.

Conclusion: Some you will love this!

The strongest name in sports nutrition brings an ‘exotic’ BCAA to the game!

This is the most unique BCAA supplement we’ve ever tried, and certain types of dieters – especially low-carb ones – may need to dig in if they have some “bonus budget”.

The team over at Beast Sports Nutrition has been putting out some very interesting products lately, and this one takes the cake, if only for the way they’ve used their inactive ingredients to give you a BCAA experience unlike anything you’ve ever had.

If you’re a low-carb / keto-dieter and want a bit of extra energy or a tasty drink that won’t spike your blood sugar like mad, this is a go-to. As for everyone else, you may just want to try it for the epic coffee and coconut cream taste.

The full BCAA Ripped Label

References

1. Negro M, Giardina S, Marzani B, Marzatico F. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation does not enhance athletic performance but affects muscle recovery and the immune system. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2008;48(3):347-351; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18974721
2. Matsumoto K, Koba T, Hamada K, Sakurai M, Higuchi T, Miyata H. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation attenuates muscle soreness, muscle damage and inflammation during an intensive training program. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009;49(4):424-431. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20087302
3. Bigard, A. X., Lavier, P., Ullmann, L., Legrand, H., Douce, P., & Guezennec, C. Y. (1996). Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation during Repeated Prolonged Skiing Exercises at Altitude. International Journal of Sport Nutrition, 6(3), 295-306. doi:10.1123/ijsn.6.3.295 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8876349
4. Wiśnik, P., Chmura, J., Ziemba, A. W., Mikulski, T., & Nazar, K. (2011). The effect of branched chain amino acids on psychomotor performance during treadmill exercise of changing intensity simulating a soccer game. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 36(6), 856-862. doi:10.1139/h11-110 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22050133
5. White, M. D., Papamandjaris, A. A., & Jones, P. J. (1999). Enhanced postprandial energy expenditure with medium-chain fatty acid feeding is attenuated after 14 d in premenopausal women. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 69(5), 883-889. doi:10.1093/ajcn/69.5.883 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10232626
6. Papamandjaris, A. A., White, M. D., & Jones, P. J. (1999). Components of Total Energy Expenditure in Healthy Young Women Are Not Affected after 14 Days of Feeding with Medium-Versus Long-Chain Triglycerides. Obesity Research, 7(3), 273-280. doi:10.1002/j.1550-8528.1999.tb00406.x https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10348498
7. Krotkiewski, M. (2001). Value of VLCD supplementation with medium chain triglycerides. International Journal of Obesity, 25(9), 1393-1400. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0801682 https://www.nature.com/articles/0801682
8. Papamandjaris, A., White, M., Raeini-Sarjaz, M., & Jones, P. (2000). Endogenous fat oxidation during medium chain versus long chain triglyceride feeding in healthy women. International Journal of Obesity, 24(9), 1158-1166. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0801350 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11033985
9. Han, J. R., Deng, B., Sun, J., Chen, C. G., Corkey, B. E., Kirkland, J. L., . . . Guo, W. (2007). Effects of dietary medium-chain triglyceride on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in a group of moderately overweight free-living type 2 diabetic Chinese subjects. Metabolism, 56(7), 985-991. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2007.03.005 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17570262
10. Diaz, M. L., Watkins, B. A., Li, Y., Anderson, R. A., & Campbell, W. W. (2008). Chromium picolinate and conjugated linoleic acid do not synergistically influence diet- and exercise-induced changes in body composition and health indexes in overweight women. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 19(1), 61-68. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2007.01.006 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955286307000599
11. Chen, S., Lin, Y., Huang, H., Hsu, W., Houng, J., & Huang, C. (2012). Effect of conjugated linoleic acid supplementation on weight loss and body fat composition in a Chinese population. Nutrition,28(5), 559-565. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2011.09.008 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22261578
12. Kreider RB, et al. Effects of conjugated linoleic acid supplementation during resistance training on body composition, bone density, strength, and selected hematological markers. J Strength Cond Res. (2002) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12173945
13. Close, R. N., Schoeller, D. A., Watras, A. C., & Nora, E. H. (2007). Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation alters the 6-mo change in fat oxidation during sleep. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86(3), 797-804. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/86/3/797/4649213
14. Brown JM, et al. Isomer-specific regulation of metabolism and PPARgamma signaling by CLA in human preadipocytes. J Lipid Res. (2003) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12730300