Top Pick
- Liver & joint support
- 9g Amino Acids
- Electrolytes
Are you struggling to get the most out of your workouts due to muscle soreness the day after? Do you want to encourage your muscles to keep building each time you exercise? Well, we might have just the answer.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the best muscle recovery supplements, showing you their benefits, so you can decide if they might help you. If you want to see those gains you’ve been looking for, here’s the information you need.
The 5 Best Muscle Recovery Supplements
Here are our best muscle recovery supplements — let’s take a look.
1. AllDayYouMay BCAA Powder by Rich Piana 5% Nutrition.
Our first product is All Day You May by Rich Piana 5% Nutrition.
If you’re serious about gains, you need to begin, live, and end your day in an anabolic state. And to do that, you need the support of ALL DAY YOU MAY® 10:1:1 Ratio BCAA recovery drink. Take control and maximize your muscle recovery and promote growth, and all with a drink that can be enjoyed throughout the day, between meals, and following a workout.
Unlike lesser quality BCAAs, ALL DAY YOU MAY® features several clinically-dosed ingredients to help you maximize your performance in the gym and throughout the day.
There are several high-powered ingredient blends to provide you with digestive enzymes, joint support, electrolytes, liver support, and an intracellular buffer led by beta-alanine to help you push past muscle fatigue. Did we mention that ADYM also tastes insanely good!
- Key Ingredients
- BCAAs: 6 grams.
- EAAs: 2.75 grams.
- Liver & Joint support: 650 mg.
- Pros
- No sugar, stimulus, carbs, or calories.
- 10:1:1 BCAA ratio, for optimum muscle recovery.
- Maximize endurance with Beta-Alanine and Electrolytes in the Intra-Cellular Buffer Blend.
- Mixes well with water.
- Tasty flavours.
- Cons
- None that we think of.
2. VINTAGE BUILD Post Workout by Old School Labs
Our second product is not just a pretty face. Indeed, with a 2:1:1 ratio of BCAAs, this one doesn’t budge from the scientifically proven formula. The 330-gram tub contains 30 servings; just mix 1 scoop with water or a protein shake, and drink after your workout.
The lack of sugar makes it ideal for you if you’re also looking to lose weight. Furthermore, the addition of L-glutamine and creatine monohydrate means your protein metabolism will improve, aiding recovery alongside your athletic performance. So, you’ll get stronger and better, reaching your gym goals.
That said, if you’re skeptical, the money-back guarantee means Vintage Build clearly believes this product is a winner.
- Key Ingredients
- BCAAs: 5 grams.
- Creatine monohydrate: 3 grams.
- L-Glutamine: 2 grams.
- Pros
- No sugar.
- 2:1:1 BCAA ratio, for optimum muscle recovery.
- Suitable for vegetarians.
- Non-GMO.
- Gluten-free.
- Mixes well with water.
- Money-back guarantee.
- Cons
- Flavors are quite weak.
3. Legion Recharge Post Workout by Legion Athletics
Our next option comes in a couple of flavors, plus an unflavored version if this is more your style. Simply take one scoop in a shake, after your workout to improve the growth of your muscles.
The main selling point for this product is the use of creatine monohydrate, which helps to boost your strength over time. This means your body will be able to take on those bigger weights with ease. Then you will be able to build muscle faster, as the harder you train, the easier your body will recover.
The addition of L-carnitine L-tartrate also boosts your muscle recovery, making it a great post-workout supplement. This way, your muscles will be less sore after your workout.
- Key Ingredients
- Creatine monohydrate: 5 grams.
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate: 2.1 grams.
- Corosolic acid: 10.5 mg
- Calcium: 26mg (3 percent of daily value).
- Pros
- Comes flavored or unflavored.
- Naturally sweetened.
- Reduces soreness.
- Builds your strength.
- 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.
- All-natural.
- 60 servings per tub.
- Cons
- Aftertaste from the sweetener is strong.
4. Power Build by Jacked Factory
Number three on our list is ideal for building lean muscle through boosting your strength, over time, in the gym. Simply take it post-workout to notice results. With muscle recovery ingredients, like L-carnitine L-tartrate and L-glutamine, you really can’t go wrong.
The clinically proven ingredients make this a winner in our eyes. These include Bioperine, which helps your body absorb the ingredients quicker than other products. With the addition of a money-back guarantee, it’s clear that Jacked Factory knows that their product works.
- Key Ingredients
- L-leucine: 4 grams.
- Creatine monohydrate: 3 grams.
- L-glutamine: 5 grams.
- Betaine anhydrous: 2.5 grams.
- Beta-alanine: 2 grams.
- Bioperine: 5 mg.
- L-carnitine L-tartrate: 2 grams.
- Pros
- No artificial flavors.
- Highly researched.
- Absorbs quickly into bloodstream.
- Muscle recovery ingredients included.
- Includes high and effective levels of ingredients.
- Cons
- 25 grams per serving means only 20 servings included.
5. Growth Surge Post Workout by Jacked Factory
The Growth Surge powder is next on our roundup of the best muscle recovery supplements, and includes a lot of similar ingredients to number three. These include L-carnitine L-tartrate and creatine monohydrate, for boosted muscle recovery and strength. This will help to build lean muscle, as well as reduce fatigue.
Also, the similar addition of Bioperine means the effects of the product will kick in quickly. Plus, the money-back guarantee clearly highlights that the product is a steal, and Jacked Factory has faith in it, once again. Mix one scoop with 10–16 ounces of water. 300 grams in the tub provides 30 servings.
- Key Ingredients
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate: 2 grams.
- Betaine Anhydrous: 2.5 grams.
- Creatine monohydrate: 3 grams.
- Bioperine: 5 mg.
- Pros
- Absorbs quickly into the bloodstream.
- Helps muscle recovery along.
- Made using scientifically proven ingredients.
- No fillers.
- Money-back guarantee.
- Cons
- Could cause stomach upsets in some users.
6. POST JYM Active Matrix by JYM Supplement Science
Finally, we have the Post Jym Active Matrix, which comes in a number of really fresh flavors, like Rainbow Sherbert and Lemonade. This will provide that zing to boost your energy after a tough gym session. Add one scoop to 16–32 ounces of water and consume after your workout.
Containing BCAAs, glutamine, and L-carnitine L-tartrate, it’s made for muscle recovery, although the 3:1:1 BCAA ratio is out of the ordinary. The inclusion of other ingredients to help build strength means your energy levels won’t completely slump once you leave the gym—this one is a great pick-me-up.
- Key Ingredients
- BCAAs: 6 grams.
- Glutamine: 3 grams.
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate: 2 grams.
- Betaine: 1.5 grams.
- Creatine HCL: 2 grams.
- Beta-Alanine: 2 grams.
- Taurine: 1000 mg.
- Bioperine: 5 mg.
- Pros
- A number of active ingredients included to boost recovery.
- Fresh flavor choices, which taste great.
- Includes BCAAs, which are known for muscle recovery.
- Includes numerous other ingredients for muscle recovery too.
- One-month free access to Jim Stoppani’s workouts.
- Cons
- The 3:1:1 BCAA ratio is unusual.
- Contains artificial flavors.
Informational guide to Muscle Recovery Supplements
What Is a Muscle Recovery Supplement?
After exercise, it’s common for your muscles to ache and feel sore, and I’m sure you’ve felt this before. But why is that?
When you challenge your muscles through tough workout sessions, they actually end up ripping (hence, the word “ripped”). So, afterward, it’s important to provide them with the correct supplements to repair and grow.
This is why muscle recovery supplements, which usually include amino acids to repair your muscles, are super important. These amino acid chains, pieced together, fit specific purposes, like building your muscles.
When to Take a Muscle Recovery Supplement?
Some of the best muscle recovery supplements are also the best post workout supplements. These should be taken after working out, helping to build and repair your muscles after a tough session.
The Benefits of a Muscle Recovery Supplement
Apart from the obvious, what else do the best muscle recovery supplements help us to achieve? Let’s see:
- Reduce soreness.
- Build muscle.
- Repair ripped muscle.
- Prevent the loss of muscle over time.
- Increase strength and endurance.
- Help you lose weight.
- Improve energy and focus.
It seems the best muscle recovery supplements do a lot more than they say on the tin!
What to Look for in the Best Muscle Recovery Supplement
But how will you know which muscle recovery supplements do the trick? Well, here’s a list of our top few factors to watch out for.
BCAAs
Some of the best muscle recovery supplements you’ll see below contain BCAAs, or branched-chain amino acids. These include leucine, isoleucine, and valine, and are most effective in a 2:1:1 ratio. But why are they useful?
These BCAAs help to boost protein synthesis. This is because these amino acid chains, once consumed, break up inside the body to form new amino acid chains, which help build and repair your muscles. This is ideal after a tough workout, which is why they’re so important.
Want to know more? This video may provide more information on the amazing body function that is protein synthesis.
Sugar Content
If you’re taking the time out of your day to head to the gym, you’re most likely doing so to build muscle or lose weight. Either way, adding extra sugar into your diet is not ideal, as sugar converts to energy, which is stored as fat. This is why avoiding anything with added sugars is so important.
Additional Ingredients
As you will see in our list of the best muscle recovery supplements below, a number of them include some interesting ingredients.
For example, L-glutamine, which is known for muscle recovery, and creatine, known for boosting your athletic performance, are often included in the mix. L-carnitine L-tartrate (LCLT) is also another ingredient which helps boost your muscle recovery.
What’s more, Bioperine helps to speed up the absorption of the supplement as it takes less time to enter your bloodstream.
We’ve broken down most of these ingredients below, doing all the hard work for you. All you need to do is decide which one suits you best before purchasing.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen in our list of the best muscle recovery supplements, many include similar ingredients. This certainly makes it difficult to choose a favorite. That said, the one that really stands out as being focused on muscle recovery post-workout is All Day You May by 5% Nutrition.
Firstly, the inclusion of BCAAs in a 10:1:1 ratio is a proven effective way to get those muscles to recover quickly. This, coupled with the L-glutamine is the ideal way to reduce soreness after every gym session.
However, if you’re looking for value for money, our #3 product, Legion Recharge Post Workout takes some beating, containing twice as many servings as the other products on our list.
