When it comes to packing on muscle, we know that calories are KING but there are a few supplements that can help you get to where you’re going a little faster. Think of them as a catalyst, or a turbocharger for your car. Alright let's dig in on Nitric Oxide.
N.O. Boosters (Nitric Oxide)
Nitric Oxide products are what we consider “impact products.” Impact products are products that you feel during your workout. Most N.O. ingredients are based around the amino acid L-Arginine, or it’s metabolites which when ingested convert to nitric oxide.
Some of the newer ingredients are GlyoCarn, Agmatine Sulfate, VASO-6 and Nitrates. Clinical studies have shown these newer ingredients allow for much greater nitric oxide production, but are much more expensive which is why they are not as common in your traditional N.O. or preworkout supplements.
How do they work?
Nitric Oxide allows the blood vessels to relax and dilate, causing increased blood flow. This process is called vasodilation. Vasodilation engorges the muscles with blood and creates a sustained muscle pump that allows you to lift harder, longer, and more explosively.
Nitric Oxide is also one of the key delivery systems your body uses to transport oxygen and other nutrients to the skeletal muscle tissue. The more nutrients the body can assimilate the better repair and recovery you can achieve, and the more muscle you can pack on!
Nitric Oxide may also lower blood pressure, decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease and serves as a neurotransmitter that plays a role in neurological health.
King of the Pump
NO Boosters are known as the king of the “pump.” What’s a pump? Have you ever been working out and noticed a fullness to your muscles, or seen more vascularity while working out? During strenuous activity the body signals for an increase in blood to be sent to the working muscle. That’s a pump!
Why does the body do this? Increased blood flow maximizes oxygen utilization and enhances the delivery of vital nutrients to the muscle. This process helps with muscular endurance, strength, and recovery.
Benefits from N.O. Boosters
- Increased oxygen to the muscle
- Increased vital nutrients to the muscle
- More explosive lifts
- Faster recovery time
- More vascularity
*All the above benefits are due to vasodilation.
Now let’s check out some of the newer ingredients.
Agmatine Sulfate
Agmatine Sulfate is naturally produced in the body by the breakdown of arginine. Supplementing with agmatine sulfate does many of the same things that arginine should do, but it seems to be much more effective. Agmatine sulfate has many benefits to the bodybuilder or athlete. The benefits of agmatine sulfate include:
- Enhanced muscle pumps.
- Better nutrient partitioning (more calories are shuttled towards muscle tissue and less are stored as fat).
- Increased production of luteinizing hormone and growth hormone.
As a result of these effects, supplementation with agmatine sulfate may improve:
- Athletic performance.
- Increase muscle size, fullness, and vascularity
- May increase fat loss.
Nitrates
Nitrates are organic and naturally occurring in the human diet, with close to 80% of dietary nitrates found in vegetables. Fruits and processed meats represent additional sources of nitrates in the human diet.
Nitrates are so efficient at generating nitric oxide and forcing rapid vascular expansion that the medical community has been using them for close to 130 years, and their safety has been well established for human use.
Nitrate (NO3) converts into nitrite (NO2) and then to nitric oxide. Once oxidized, nitric oxide is recycled back into nitrate, which then has the potential to once again convert into nitric oxide. And the cycle continues to repeat itself.
One problem with most nitric oxide precursors is that they have a very short lifespan in the body. In a matter of a few seconds, the nitric oxide molecule can be broken down and become useless. A pump however must be sustained for several minutes, if not hours in order to result in the biochemical conditions required to stimulate muscle hypertrophy (muscle building). Therefore Nitrates are one the best ways to elevate nitric oxide levels.
VASO-6
VASO-6 is a revolutionary new Nitric Oxide ingredient, made from green tea leaves and grape seeds and has been shown in clinical trials to increase N.O. by up to 50%! That’s huge!!
How Does Vaso-6 Work?
Vaso-6 works by stimulating blood flow while maintaining lower lactic acid levels to help power you throughout your training session. This is what causes your veins to relax and expand which results in bigger fuller muscles and more vascularity.
Vaso-6 Benefits
- Increased Strength
- More ATP Production
- Enhanced Nutrient Delivery
- >Better Glucose Uptake
- Reduced Fatigue
- More Strength & Better Recovery
