NO Stimulators (Nitric Oxide Stimulators) - Excellent pre-workout products that can take your training to the next level. However, poor quality ones can only waste our time and money. We will tell you the difference and give you tips on how to choose the right one.
Pre-workout supplements are one of the best-selling and fastest-growing categories in the supplement market today. It's amazing how nutrients consumed within the critical one-hour window before a workout can influence the body and workout effectiveness.
Good pre-workout NO stimulators can increase strength, endurance, focus, and muscle pump. There are countless of them, but how do you choose one?
To help you find the right NO stimulator, we will provide information that will save you money on supplements that are not worth it.
STRENGTH AND POWER ENHANCERS
Too many pre-workout supplements are based on stimulants, and as a result, they do not deliver real nutrients to muscle fibers.
Make sure that your pre-workout supplement contains at least a few of these ingredients, all of which are clinically suggested to increase muscle strength.
BETAINE
Also known as Trimethylglycine, this modified amino acid usually comes from beets. Scientific studies have shown that betaine helps increase strength and power by up to 25%.
BETA-ALANINE
This amino acid forms the dipeptide (double amino acid protein) carnosine, which helps muscles contract more strongly. Studies show that taking beta-alanine before a workout promotes muscle strength and power. This substance can also improve muscle endurance. One way to tell if your supplement has enough beta-alanine is if your skin, especially around the lips, starts to tingle or itch. Only products containing time-tested beta-alanine will not cause this sensation. This tingling is a sign of non-standard beta-alanine.
CREATINE
You're probably surprised that we didn't put creatine at the top of the strength and power enhancers list.
While you definitely want to make sure you're taking some form of creatine before your workout, the reason we put creatine after beta-alanine is that many guys tend to take creatine as a separate supplement. If that's not you, then make sure your chosen pre-workout product contains at least one creatine form. As already proven, it is one of the most effective strength-boosting products on the market.
ENERGY BOOSTERS
This category does not include stimulants. Although caffeine can increase muscle endurance, the body needs real nutrients to truly increase endurance without additional central nervous system stimulation.
Make sure your pre-workout supplement contains at least two of the substances listed below.
TYROSINE
This amino acid has supporting evidence that it helps increase energy without any nervous side effects. Scientific studies also show that this substance can increase endurance and help concentration.
The body uses it as a precursor to produce several important hormones and neurotransmitters, such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and dopamine.
TAURINE
Studies show that taurine can help increase muscle endurance by up to 50%. One way taurine can enhance endurance is by helping the heart pump more blood to the muscles, according to a study conducted in Germany. And we're not just talking about endurance that you associate with cardio.
A separate study found that subjects who consumed drinks containing taurine before a workout could perform more repetitions with a barbell than when they consumed a placebo. If your pre-workout supplement does not contain taurine, make sure it includes other energy boosters.
RHODIOLA ROSEA
This plant helps stimulate adaptogens as it increases the body's resistance to various stressors.
It can help support the activity of crucial hormones such as testosterone, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), dopamine, and thyroid hormones. Additionally, this plant extract can help control healthy levels of the catabolic hormone cortisol.
SCHISANDRA CHINENSIS
The native Chinese vine berry has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. It can support muscle endurance, as well as aid brain function and even help keep cortisol levels low.
B GROUP VITAMINS
Vitamins B6 and B12 are very important for energy production. If you take a separate B vitamin complex, it is not very important that your pre-workout product contains these vitamins.
STIMULANTS
Most guys want a pre-workout product full of stimulants that will make their heads go crazy... Don't be like that.
First, make sure that the supplement you choose has at least some real strength and energy-boosting nutrients, and then you can look for stimulants in the composition.
CAFFEINE
Not only is it the most popular supplement in the world that provides a boost during a workout after a long day at work, but caffeine also promotes muscle strength and endurance. It has also been found that caffeine reduces muscle pain during training, meaning you can train pain-free. For a better effect, look for caffeine in tablets or capsules (anhydrous). Caffeine from guarana, coffee, or green tea is good, but many believe that this form is less effective than anhydrous caffeine, which has been shown in clinical trials to increase effectiveness.
MATE
The leaves of this powerful plant contain unique xanthine alkaloids such as theobromine, theophylline, and caffeine, which work together to help boost you before a workout, increase strength and endurance, and help clear your mind. Many claim that the effect they get from mate is longer-lasting without additional nervous side effects.
MUSCLE BUILDING INGREDIENTS
Certain ingredients consumed before a workout can help you support muscle mass growth. Of course, creatine will highlight your muscles due to water retention, but it will also increase strength. Its benefits will come indirectly from increased strength, and directly from faster recovery, which is why you would want to take creatine after a workout as well.
This section covers substances that can actually promote muscle hypertrophy during a workout.
BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS (BCAA)
BCAA (leucine, isoleucine, valine) are the most important amino acids responsible for muscle growth. They also reduce fatigue and are used in muscles as a fuel source. Some pre-workout products may be limited to leucine, which is sufficient, as it is the most essential amino acid from BCAAs due to its greatest influence on muscle protein synthesis.
GLUTAMINE
During intense training, muscles can deplete glutamine, which in turn can harm muscle growth, as well as immune system function, making you more prone to colds and illnesses.
Glutamine can also increase growth hormone levels and even alleviate acidity, reduce fatigue, and maintain intensity. One of the main reasons is that glutamine promotes muscle growth during training by maintaining high leucine levels in muscle fibers, however, if you are getting enough leucine, then glutamine in a pre-workout product is not essential, although it can be beneficial.
CARNITINE
We also mentioned this diverse amino acid as a compound that is also a muscle builder, as many of carnitine's benefits lead to muscle growth. For example, it has been found that carnitine increases blood flow to working muscles and helps with recovery. It has also been shown to support androgen receptors in muscle cells, to which testosterone binds and initiates growth.
NITRIC OXIDE BOOSTERS (FOR MUSCLE PUMP)
Aside from stimulants, most guys also look for a pre-workout product that promotes nitric oxide (NO) enhancement.
These are the two categories, NO boosters and stimulants, that keep the pre-workout supplement market alive today. A good muscle pump not only helps you look impressive in the gym but also promotes long-term muscle growth.
CITRULLINE
The body converts citrulline into arginine, which is then converted into NO. So why should we look for citrulline in a product instead of arginine? Because when we consume arginine, some of it is used up by intestinal cells. This can reduce the amount that reaches your bloodstream. When we digest citrulline, it actually increases arginine concentration in the blood and nitric oxide better than arginine alone.
ARGININE
As mentioned above, this is an amino acid that is easily converted in the body into nitric oxide. But since L-arginine can be poorly absorbed, you need to look for a product with other forms of arginine, such as arginine AKG, arginine hydrochloride, or arginine ketoisocaproate, to help increase NO levels.
GPLC
A special form of carnitine known as Glycine Propionyl-L-Carnitine (GPLC) is a patented compound that combines the amino acid glycine with a modified form of carnitine called propionyl-L-carnitine. This formula helps increase carnitine absorption in muscle tissues.
One study showed that trained male weightlifters who took GPLC for four weeks had 30% higher NO levels than when they took a placebo.
PYCNOGENOL
This flavonoid from French maritime pine is a powerful antioxidant. One way they can increase NO levels is by eliminating free radicals that break down NO. Studies show that pycnogenol also promotes NO levels by increasing nitric oxide synthase activity, thereby allowing more arginine to be converted to NO.
NITRATES
Nitrates are converted into nitrites by bacteria living on the tongue. When digested, nitrite can easily be converted into nitric oxide in the body. Nitrates are commonly found in vegetables, with beets having the most. Some companies also add nitrates to supplements, such as amino acids or creatine. Regardless of how they are presented, nitrates are powerful NO boosters.
GLYCEROL
Glycerol is typically composed of triglycerides, which are the main fats in our diet. Although it is not an NO booster, it can also increase muscle pump because it has strong osmotic properties, meaning it accumulates a lot of fluid in blood vessels, which increases muscle pump. Glycerol can also help prevent dehydration and maintain proper body temperature. Although glycerol is far from being such an important ingredient in your pre-workout product, indirect studies show that a product with a good dose of glycerol can maintain muscle pump for longer.
BRAIN FUNCTION ENHANCERS
When you train, it is essentially an athlete's fight against himself and against weights. Like any athlete, you need to focus very strongly. Not only can this improve your training effectiveness in the gym, but it also affects the connection between your thoughts and muscles. Studies show that it actually even affects muscle mass growth.
Below is a list of several very effective brain function enhancers that are commonly used in pre-workout products.
CHOLINE
This is an important nutrient that can help increase muscle strength and brain function due to choline being very important in the formation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. By providing your nervous system with more acetylcholine, you can improve stronger muscle contractions for longer.
DMAE
Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) began to be marketed in the 1950s to improve learning and memory in individuals with attention disorders. DMAE increases choline levels in the brain better than taking choline itself, as DMAE inhibits the breakdown of choline, which should lead to higher acetylcholine levels, and thus improves mental functions, mood, and even increases muscle strength.
HUPERZINE
This extract, derived from moss, protects acetylcholine from breakdown in the brain, maintains a sharper mind, and improves mood and attention.
FAT BURNERS
Even if your goal is not to get rid of fat, fat-burning ingredients in your pre-workout product can help maintain lean muscle mass growth, and also encourage the body to use your accumulated fat layer for fuel, thus giving you more energy during your workout.
GREEN TEA EXTRACT
Some pre-workout products include green tea extract because it provides many beneficial properties for our body and can also contribute to a more effective workout.
The active ingredient in green tea is a catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which increases fat burning by inhibiting an enzyme that normally breaks down norepinephrine. This leads to higher epinephrine levels, which promote faster fat burning and provide a mild stimulating effect.
SYNEPHRINE
Structurally similar to epinephrine. Synephrine works by increasing the fat-burning process and is one of the active components found in the bitter orange plant (Citrus aurantium).
