Nitric Oxide: Pumping Blood Around Your Body for Larger Muscles

There have been mixed reviews about nitric oxide or NO2 and its great effects on muscles after intense workouts. Unlike other muscle-building fads you’ve probably heard of, nitric oxide’s proven results attest it isn’t just another trend.

The use of supplements based on nitric oxide isn’t entirely new, as it has been around for a number of years. If you’re frequently buffing in the gym and still have not heard of it, your gym buddies might be effectively keeping their secret. Nitric oxide is a factor that helps muscles swell to greater proportions during workouts. It serves as a crucial factor in completing a shirt-ripping exercise, so to speak.



 

When nitric oxide is released, it relaxes the smooth muscles lining the arterioles. During exercise, gas is released for a brief period of time and settles into the smooth muscle cells. The gas causes the muscles to relax, and allows the surrounding blood vessels to dilate and channel more blood into the stream. The gas involved in the process is called nitric oxide. Its physiologic function is to regulate processes, including dilation of the blood vessels, inflammation, brain neuron function, erection, and immune function. The nitric oxide molecule allows increased blood flow into the muscles, giving you that pumped look.

Each time you do sets of exercises, and feel your muscles expand, imagine a surge of nitric oxide released into your smooth muscle. However, this natural process activates only during exercise. After a while, your muscles cool down and regulate the accumulated blood into other parts of the bloodstream. It takes at least 40 minutes before muscles relax and assume normal shape. That pumped feeling withers as blood is further pooled. The pumped effect is also limited by the enzymes and amino acids present in the body. However, nitric oxide’s wondrous effects can be prolonged, given that you try the right supplements.

Nitric Oxide Products

Products fused with nitric oxide are focused on improving your body’s natural muscle pump. Weight trainers love the feeling of stretched and swollen muscles because these are clear indications of intense workouts. As such, many believe that the greater the pump, the better the exercise. Nitric oxide products are designed to increase the overall impact of the exercise, which then causes the muscles not only look but also feel larger.  These supplements are combinations of enzymes and amino acids that help produce nitric oxide as need throughout the day. Most products have been found to significantly increase vasodilation during exercise.



One of these is BSN No-Xplode, which has been a favorite among muscle builders. It is supposedly able to help release nitric oxide and deliver it to different muscles throughout the day. It’s not as steep as other nitric oxide supplements available, with just $35.99 per 50 servings. BSN No-Xplode works as a pre-workout booster, and helps sustain your endurance during exercise. The nitric oxide supplement’s effects work like wearing a pump in even the simplest activities, say just walking down the street. The effects however, do wear off after 3 weeks of continuous use. Like other nitric oxide products, you will need to cycle it on and off, but this product does not have side effects like diarrhea.

The label classifies BSN No XPlode as a pre-training energy, intensity, and muscle ignitor nitric oxide product. Does it live up to its claims? Well, that basically depends on your body type and the amount of amino acids and enzymes the product can work on. There have been studies on one of its key ingredients, Citrulline Malate. According to one study, the component lessened fatigue and in turn increase phosphocreatine levels, which are essential for that prolonged pumped feeling. If you’re not sure about its effects, BSN’s research has proven that No-Xplode can enhance and increase metabolism, thereby burning more calories.

The nitric oxide product further claims that it can enhance mental focus and alertness, energy, exercise intensity, and dramatic muscle fullness. I wouldn’t say it increased alertness, but the product does deliver bigger and longer lasting pumps. It is, after all, the world’s first nitric oxide pre-training drink mix. Its patented nutrient delivery system contains no hormones, which does not cause nasty side effects.

When it comes to strength, its difficult to say that it increased over time as exercise patterns are still the same. Same goes with endurance, but the pumps noticeably stayed longer than usual. Other weight builders have reported better results. However, BSN No-XPlode works better with their post-workout protein supplement.



Before testing other products, you’ll need to be familiar with common nitric oxide boosting ingredients. Three to give grams of L-Arginine in the supplement per day directly releases more nitric oxide, and stimulates vasodilation. If you don’t want to waste your hard-earned money for some products that won’t work, try some reviewed nitric oxide supplements that contain L-arginine, apart from the previously mentioned BSN No-Xplode of course. L-Arginine has been proven to increase nitric oxide levels in the blood. After a bit of research, Shock Therapy by Universal Nutrition tops the list. Pre-workout shakes are supposed to get you fit, and not get more sugar than what your workout needs. Unlike other workout boosters, Shock Therapy does not have sugar content and effectively increases energy.

If you want speedy results, Black Powder could be right for you. It’s relatively cheap, too, at $38.95 for 1.76 lbs of product. The newest instant release pre-training formula has been found to release a whopping 950% surge in nitric oxide, according to the Medical Research Institute. There’s no limiting period though on how fast ‘instant’ results can be, but skin-ripping pumps as claimed are possible with the right amount of Black Powder and ample rollout period. Do remember that nitric oxide products are not as effective as other muscle building supplements, especially next to creatine-based shakes. Unlike the latter nitric oxide products result to acceptable pumps only if you follow their recommended eating plan and conduct regular exercise. Results may also be not as long lasting after a lengthy resting time. But if you want to give these a try, stick to the plan for at least eight weeks to get some results.
 

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