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Should I take BCAAs or essential amino acids to build muscle?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Choose essential amino acids (EAAs), not BCAAs. On Ep. 389 of The WarriorBabe Show, Maggie explains that your body can't make the nine essential aminos, so EAAs cover what matters. They're optional, though. They help most when you can't hit your protein from food, and whole food protein plus progressive overload is what builds muscle.
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Why the hosts pick essential amino acids over BCAAs, and what makes them essential
Plays from 33:58 · Ep. 389: Does Pilates Build Muscle for Women Over 40?
When amino acid supplements make sense, and why whole food protein is still the goal
Plays from 33:01 · Ep. 389: Does Pilates Build Muscle for Women Over 40?
Why protein alone won't build muscle without progressive overload, and the collagen gap
Plays from 33:26 · Ep. 389: Does Pilates Build Muscle for Women Over 40?
The full answer
On Ep. 389, the question comes up directly: amino acids or essential amino acids? The answer is essential, not branched-chain. Maggie points out that there are nine essential amino acids your body will not make, so you have to eat them. Your body can make the other 11. The hosts go as far as wondering why BCAAs are even sold, and agree the money is better spent on EAAs.
That doesn't mean you need a supplement. The hosts say EAAs make sense when there's a reason for them:
Getting your protein from whole foods is still the ultimate goal. In the same episode, the hosts note that it's hard to overeat whole food protein and that it digests slowly, which is part of why food comes first.
- You're not hitting your protein target from food.
- You have a tough goal, like putting on a lot of muscle.
- You think you're eating plenty of protein but you're relying on sources like collagen, which doesn't give you a full spectrum of amino acids. EAAs can fill that gap.
The bigger point is that protein, from food or a scoop, won't build muscle on its own. The hosts say a lot of women are eating all their protein and still not building muscle because their workouts never ask for it. Without progressive overload, meaning steadily asking your muscles to do more, there's no signal to grow. If you've been doing everything right and not seeing change, it's likely the training plan, not you. Fix the workouts and the protein first, then decide whether EAAs add anything.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
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57 minDoes Pilates Build Muscle for Women Over 40?
Episode 389 · Aug 21, 2026