• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
    • Training Guides
      • Beginner’s Guide to the Gym
      • How to Build Muscle
      • Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy
      • How to Train on a Cut
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
      • Bodybuilding Workouts
      • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Programs
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • German Volume Training
      • Build Your Own Program
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Supplement Reviews » Optimum Nutrition 1000 BCAA Capsules Review - What's the Upside of Pills?

Optimum Nutrition 1000 BCAA Capsules Review – What’s the Upside of Pills?

Written by Nick English
Last updated on June 17th, 2024

We receive free products and receive commissions through our links. See disclosures page.

Optimum Nutrition is one of the biggest names in the supplement industry and you may already know about their famous protein powder, Gold Standard Whey, which is probably the most popular whey on the market.

But “ON” sells a huge variety of other supplements and we’ve tried three of their amino acid concoctions: Amino Energy, Pro BCAA, and Gold Standard BCAA. Today we’re checking out their branch chain amino acid capsules, which are called Mega-Size BCAA 1000 Caps.

Shop BCAA Capsules from Optimum Nutrition HERE.

Optimum Nutrition Mega-Size BCAA 1000 Ingredients

This is a really stripped back product. Each two-capsule serving pretty much only contains one gram of branch chain amino acids: 500mg of leucine and 250mg each of isoleucine and valine. That’s a 2:1:1 ratio, which is pretty common in these kinds of supplements.

The other ingredients are microcrystalline cellulose, an anti-caking agent made from wood pulp, and magnesium stearate. That’s what’s called a “flow agent” that helps to stop ingredients from sticking to the machinery in the factory where the product’s made. The capsules themselves are made of gelatin. We called ON and confirmed that the gelatin is made from “beef and/or pork,” so note that these capsules aren’t vegetarian, kosher, or halal.

Optimum Nutrition BCAA 1000 Caps Ingredients

Optimum Nutrition Mega-Size BCAA 1000 Benefits and Effectiveness

Again, it’s a very basic product. There’s practically nothing but the BCAA supplements themselves, which have been linked to endurance, muscle retention, and focus during and between workouts.

It’s unusual in that the product comes in pills instead of in a scoopable powder. This is a double-edged sword: while it makes it very portable — I’ve taken a few fistfuls on long plane trips and other situations where it’s easier to fast than track calories — it makes it pretty inefficient. A good serving of BCAAs is 7 to 10 grams, and a lot of people like to have one serving before, one during, and one after a workout. That’s a lot of pills to swallow, and more than anything it’s just awkward in practice.

That said, there are no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors, there’s no soy, there are no gums — there are very few controversial ingredients. (So long as you’re comfortable with gelatin.)

Optimum Nutrition BCAA 1000 Caps Nutrition

Optimum Nutrition Mega-Size BCAA 1000 Price

One tub provides 400 capsules for about $15.60. That’s 200 one-gram servings of BCAAs, so you’re paying 7.8 cents per gram of BCAA. That’s very, very cheap, cheaper than any powdered BCAA I’ve seen before. This is probably the biggest advantage of the product.

The Takeaway

BCAA capsules are an interesting way to take the supplement. You cut out all the flavorings and colors that bother some consumers, but the flipside is that it’s an inefficient and awkward way to get a proper dose. But it’s portable, extremely cheap, and about as inoffensive as supplements get, so if that’s what’s most important to you then this is worth the cost.

Optimum Nutrition 1000 BCAA Capsules

Per Serving: ~$0.08
Optimum Nutrition 1000 BCAA Capsules
7.1

Ingredients

8.0/10

Effectiveness

10.0/10

Price

10.0/10

Extra Ingredients

0.5/10

Pros

  • Extremely inexpensive
  • 2:1:1 ratio of BCAAs
  • No artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors

Cons

  • No extra ingredients
  • One serving requires a very large amount of pills
  • Capsules may not be vegan/kosher/halal
Check out the best price on Amazon

About Nick English

Nick is a content producer and journalist with over seven years’ experience reporting on four continents. Since moving to New York City in 2013 he's been writing on health and fitness full time for outlets like BarBend, Men's Health, VICE, and Popular Science.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Optimum Nutrition 1000 BCAA Capsules

Per Serving: ~$0.08
Optimum Nutrition 1000 BCAA Capsules
7.1

Ingredients

8.0/10

Effectiveness

10.0/10

Price

10.0/10

Extra Ingredients

0.5/10

Pros

  • Extremely inexpensive
  • 2:1:1 ratio of BCAAs
  • No artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors

Cons

  • No extra ingredients
  • One serving requires a very large amount of pills
  • Capsules may not be vegan/kosher/halal
Check out the best price on Amazon

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap