Everyone loves the pump. Arnold even said he enjoyed it as much as...
Arnold really enjoyed getting his pump on. When there is such a high demand for the pump in training, it logically creates a market for a supplement that will facilitate that. So the birth of the pump product came.
Arginine, R-ALA, agmatine, norvaline, NO3 (nitrates) are products that have been evolving over the years to help get the user the skin-tearing pumps that made them fall in love with the sport. Now, if you know anything about economics, when demand is high, unless supply is higher, the potential price of the product soars. Most pump products on todays market can be priced between $25-$60.
A recent study posted by Suppversity on NO3 leads us to some pretty interesting conclusions.
First you must know that NO3 is an ester of nitric acid that contains a certain ion.
Let's point out a notable portion of the study. The study used participants that were not previously involved in an intense exercise program, meaning they will most likely be more receptive to the intervention. Secondly, note that they use 680mg of NO3 coming from beet juice. It is always important to note the drug dose and source used for intervention.
The data showed that only 50% of the users saw an increase in performance. The important conclusion of the study is the mechanism in which performance was enhanced.
Increased microvascular hemoglobin in the vastus lateralis which was assessed previously.
Essentially, this means there was more oxygen extracted in the working tissue during exercise. More available oxygen utilized means more time you can exercise without failure.
Ultimately, for 50% of a mildly untrained population to get a few extra reps, the value of investing in nitric oxide supplements is unclear. You would be better of to spend some extra time increasing work capacity (which elicits the same adaptation that drove the performance increase) and spend the money on food. Good work capacity and better peri-workout nutrition will give you more bang for your buck than most products.
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Looking for a great supplement combo for training? Start a pre workout then throw some betaine in the mix with your Intra MD
NO3 refers to a particular category of ingredients such as creatine nitrate, arginine nitrate, et cetera. They can be extracted from beet root, but it is unclear if most of these have the same strength as specifically listed nitrates. Most are patented by Thermolife International (refer to NO3-t.com). Potassium nitrate is not covered by the patent if not mixed with amino acids and is typically extremely effective, but proper electrolyte balances are brought into question.
NO refers to the whole category of other ingredients used for a pump - arginine (which has mostly been shown to be kind of useless), citrulline (excellent), agmatine sulfate (unclear), norvaline (also pretty useless).
Just wanted to clarify because as the study talks about the administration of a certain dose of a nitrate, it is important to clearly state what that ingredient is.