Nitrogen in sports nutrition – who needs it and why?

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When looking at sports nutrition for muscle growth, it's impossible not to mention one of the most important components that can really push you over the edge. Namely, nitrogen donors. Oxide substituents, as they are also called, are not only an excellent tool for muscle growth, but also an excellent stimulant. Does the latter factor somehow influence everyday life, and is it possible to get into unpleasant oddities because of this? Let’s consider separately.

General information

In order to find out what nitric oxide donors are and how they work, let’s dive into the biochemical processes taking place in our body in order to fully profile the activity of nitric oxides.

The thing is that our blood has oxygen cells, thanks to which the muscles feed the blood, creating anaerobic glycolysis during exercise. However, these cells have a limited size, which reduces the body's ability to carry oxygen for a long time. In addition, such cells are very often damaged under the influence of large amounts of sugar.

Nitrogen donors force the body to produce (or borrow) its own nitrogen oxide. First of all, it binds cells with oxygen, which, in turn, leads to the fact that a full-fledged cell with oxide takes the place of a cell with oxygen. The NO2 molecule is larger than the O2 molecule, therefore, it stretches the size of the fibrillar connection without destroying it.

Muscle tissue perceives the oxide as an analogue of pure oxygen, completely metabolizing it. As a result, nitrogenous fertilizers begin to accumulate in muscle tissue.

Taken together, all these actions lead to:

• Increased blood pressure;
• Expansion of the main transport channels, in the form of elastic stretching of them with blood;
• Improving the functioning of the heart muscle.

But how does all this relate to the world of sports achievements?

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Nitrogen donors in bodybuilding[edit | edit code]

Source - Hercules magazine No. 3

Constructive criticism

We've been using this thing called NO (nitric oxide) or "nitrogen donors" for several years now. Without pretending to be scientific, I will try to shed some light on the nitrogen oxide market in Russia and their advantages and disadvantages. I swear to use only publicly available definitions and simple Russian language.

For starters, theory (brevity, in this case, is not the sister of talent, but only an introduction to the conceptual apparatus of a potential consumer).

The amino acid ARGININE is a source for the body’s production of NO; ​​almost all nitrogen donors contain arginine. Nitric oxide itself is synthesized by a variety of cells in the human body and is a regulator of life activity and one of the elements of the immune system. The main purpose is to saturate all organs and tissues with blood. The main effect is relaxation and expansion of the walls of blood vessels. Arginine is found in many natural foods. I will list only those that are available to all of us: walnuts, peanuts, shrimp and chicken meat, liver, pork, cod, tuna, cottage cheese.

Expert Note

: the advisability of using arginine and other nitrogen donors in bodybuilding has recently been subject to much criticism, due to the appearance of a number of studies refuting its effectiveness.
Moreover, scientific work was carried out (K Del Punta, EH Charreau and OP Pignataro. Nitric oxide inhibits Leydig cell steroidogenesis. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.) which showed that nitric oxide suppresses the synthesis of its own steroid hormones (testosterone) in the testes
.

Nitrogen donors: application practice[edit | edit code]

I am a practitioner, and I am proud of it. What have I not tried over the years of my own training with weights and what has not been “prescribed” to my wards! And this despite the fact that my friend Alexey Kireev (aka Doctor Luber) insists. “Porridge, protein, gainer and creatine are what are called nutritional supplements. Everything else is from the evil one and a shameless money grab by hucksters from the fitness industry.” Romance must remain, but at the same time, truth must win over money.

I agreed to write about nitrogen donors only because today I believe that THIS THING WORKS AND HELPS. No one will ever convince me that L-carnitine is not a complete dummy, but I am convinced that nitrogen donors are a very worthless thing. I also let through my personal feelings, which do not always coincide with what is stated in the annotations of these miracle products. Here they are, these very feelings:

• Nitrogen donors increase strength, but no increase in mass is noticed.
• It certainly improves muscle metabolism and the participation of NO in the fat burning process can be considered fair.
• Helps improve mood, makes a person more active, proactive and resilient.
• Stimulates the immune system.
• It has a kind of nootropic effect - it stimulates the vital activity of the brain, eliminates negativity from nervous stress, changes in atmospheric pressure, helps to obtain a fighting spirit not only during training - you work with full dedication in any direction, but at the same time there is some negativity.
• If your workouts take place in the evening, you will face the problem of excessive excitability. Although, as you will understand later, this is not always a bad thing.
• Nitrogen donors help increase the strength and duration of blood flow to the genital organs in both men and women.
• We often simply cannot afford a balanced diet, either in terms of time or the availability of natural products, and sometimes beyond our means. Completely balanced is simply unrealistic for a normal person. And then nitric oxide from beautiful jars comes to the rescue.

But here’s what I definitely didn’t feel:

• There was no cleansing of the muscles from toxins, which all manufacturers claim. An item that is purely advertising in nature. It cannot be touched or felt. And in general, the word “slag” comes from the spells of charlatans, because... There is no such term in medicine.
• There was no increase in the rate of healing of damaged tissue, tendon sprains, bone fractures, or prevention of arthritis and connective tissue diseases. This is an even more dubious, declarative and empty slogan of the manufacturers, although beautiful.
• I would not use NO as a supplement for children and for their growth, even if this advice is written on the can.
• I strongly warn those susceptible to vegetative-vascular dystonia: be careful with this supplement! The effect of normalizing blood pressure is not an effect achieved with the help of nitrogen donors.

Below is a list of supplements based on the intake of which I drew my conclusions.

1. NOShotgun from VPX Here you will find creatine, arginine, caffeine, BCAA esters, glutamine, and branched chain amino acids. The result is a “universal soldier,” that is, a product. Almost the first “magic powder” that came into my possession. Suitable for EVERYONE, works for everyone too! Pushes you to work hard. Does not require connecting anything auxiliary to the “batch”. A kind of legal doping for circulation in training and recovery. The mechanism of work is as follows: intense training - damage (tears) in the trained muscles - increase in internal pressure (pumping) - even greater pumping - even greater damage in muscle tissue - muscle building.
2. “There has never been such a drug in the history of bodybuilding” - I personally do not react to such slogans. However, subjected to intense attack from all sides, I surrendered. In July 2007, I read on the Internet about a new product from Nano Vapor from MuscleTech. Having gained access, or more simply, bought a jar of the advertised product, I began using it. And what? I barely finished my first workout after taking a miracle substitute for illegal drugs! But not because he was tired, but, on the contrary, in the literal sense of the word, he forced himself to leave the hall! I felt a real surge of energy and activity for two hours. On the fifth or sixth day of use it ripened: NanoVapor is what WORKS, really works and will be used by me! The money you spend on it will be completely worth it. The general sensations when taking “nano-pair” are a surge of warmth in the body to all extremities and, at the same time, increased sensitivity and reactivity of brain activity. After 15-20 minutes of training, the feeling of a real “pump” comes. The muscle fullness is simply colossal! For those who are looking, to one degree or another, for things that can replace prohibited additives: replacement will not work, but you will get help.
3. “Achieving maximum results” from the SAN company You pay a sufficient amount of money and get RESTORATION (VI2 HP 844), ENERGY (Fierce), as well as STRENGTH and MASS (Vault). The big “disadvantage” is that in order to feel all these miraculous effects, you need to consume all three supplements. Such a “knead” is inconvenient in terms of time and burdensome in terms of transfer. How many cans will you take with you? Just the description of how to take it, how much to take and in what order is already somewhat repulsive. If you are not a top professional athlete with a sufficient amount of money and the “eat, train, eat, sleep, eat, train, and eat again” mode, then this combination will not suit you. Although she has more strengths than it seems. I won’t lie: I personally only had enough for two weeks. Dropping out of the regime was simply inevitable. Although if anything gave me mass besides pumping and strength, it was this particular ligament.
4. V-12 Turbo and V-12 Magnum from SAN are analogues of NOShotgun but with a more improved composition. Although at this point experts can correct me slightly: “It smells more like creatine than arginine.” Good correction. Who is against gaining muscle mass? I'm not sure.
5. SuperPump 250. Nitrogen donor from Gaspari. When taken in combination with captured nitric oxide, a drug containing creatine gluconate, and also a thing called Moueyex XT, we get something more than the combination from SAN (see point B). And in monetary terms too. Advice from a stranger to this topic: use SuperPump250 without any combinations, you will feel all the delights of nitrogen pumping.
6. So far, the best thing that has been passed through is Xstreme Napalm from a Polish manufacturer. It has been noticed that all manufacturers put more NO in their samples than stated. This applies 100% to this product. Not yet for sale, but expected soon. The American “uncle”, a manufacturer of ingredients indirectly associated with Gaspari Nutrition, perhaps this is just my speculation), delivered a product with excellent results. Perhaps there is ephedra in there? She's not there, I know for sure. EVERYONE is ordered to take it! But I will only really praise it when I eat it from a jar, and not from a bag.

Instead of concluding a recommendation for the use of all nitrogen donors:

• Take NO not 15-20 minutes before training, but 40-50.
• For those who weigh more than 100 kilograms, I recommend starting immediately with double the dosage.
• After 10-14 days, you can increase the dose by another one and a half times.
• It is best to take NO on an empty stomach.
• I think the total time of taking medications should be limited to 30 days.

That's probably all on the topic. I’ll end the story with a simple phrase from Anatoly Pchelkin: “Jock, think! It is necessary!"

What is it for?

What are nitrogen donors used for, and why do they go to the pharmacy?

1. Pumping.
2. Recovery.
3. Better susceptibility to oxygen.

First of all, drugs related to replenishing the level of nitrogen in the blood affect pumping. We talked about the mechanism of this a little earlier. How pumping affects an athlete’s performance, and whether it affects it at all, should be considered separately.

However, the second unexpected benefit from stimulating the production of nitrogen was accelerated recovery. It's all about the size of the blood cells. With microtraumas (micro tears that appear during training), the following happens:

1. Relief of microtrauma;
2. Complete blood saturation with all nutrients.

Accordingly, we come to the conclusion that blood flows faster into the injury, which speeds up the onset of the healing process, and the pump and oxygen saturation lead to the rapid delivery of nutrients to start the synthesis of new muscle fibers. It is clear that this is only possible with hypercaloric intake and appropriate protein intake.

Well, the last effect is better susceptibility to oxygen. The thing is that oxygen bound by nitrogen atoms breaks down unevenly, and forces the body to release it from the defective compound. As a result, the muscles learn to spend the reserves they receive more efficiently, and most importantly, they are able to release oxygen even from the compound enriched with carbon.

Regarding the sensitivity of muscles to oxygen, it is worth mentioning here that, despite the general increase in performance, local hypoxia forms in the body, due to the fact that the body cannot simultaneously release nitrogen from oxygen. This helps to achieve the effect of oxygen starvation, creating additional aerobic exercise. A similar effect, albeit to a lesser extent, occurs when training in a training mask.

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Nitric oxide and the immune system

Xtreme Napalm
Over the past two decades, nitric oxide has been recognized as one of the most important elements that influence the immune system. Back in 1985-1990, nitric oxide officially began to be used in immunology , understanding how it works on the immune system. For example, it was precisely determined that microphages (good cells in the body that get rid of toxic cells, bacteria, perform one of the most important protective functions) produce nitric oxide with the help of cytokines .

Recently, the popularity of nitric oxide as a dietary supplement has grown throughout the world. In a recent study, 35 men were given NO and one group received a placebo . After 8 weeks of testing, the following was found: in none of the groups were there significant differences in body weight or percentage of fat. But on the other hand, the group that took nitric oxide supplements noted an increase in strength as a result of bench press (per rep), feeling good and having more energy.

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What are they?

It is important to understand that not all pills are created equal. Even assistants in the synthesis of your own nitrogen are divided into different categories. Their total effect remains approximately at the same level, however, due to the different mechanism of action, slightly different results can be obtained, and most importantly, some side effects can be stopped.

1. Stimulants for the production of own nitrogen. This includes drugs such as Viagra. This is a classic way to increase blood pressure and get all the essential benefits from nitrogen donors.
2. Nitrogen. Have a shorter-term effect. They are usually not used to speed up oxygen susceptibility or increase the rate of recovery. Instead, they are used as a pump enhancer. It follows from this that they are used right before the start of training. And their validity expires within a few hours after the end of the workout.
3. Arginase inhibition. Inhibition of arginase is an unusual approach to the classic solution to the problem. Instead of adding new stimulants to the body, we simply block hydration and removal of old ones, in particular L-arginine. What does this lead to? On the one hand, the body stops removing excess nitrogen. On the other hand, after discontinuation of the drug it will lead to hyperfunction of the glands responsible for the metabolism of nitrogenous compounds.
4. Complex drugs.

What it is

The formation of nitrogen monoxide occurs as a result of oxidation by the oxygen atom of L-arginine. Nitric oxide sports supplements are based on one of several amino acids. Basically, it is arginine or citrulline. Nitric oxide is widely used in medicine. It has a positive effect on:

• Central and peripheral nervous system. Nitric oxide activates the process of releasing neurotransmitters from nerve endings. Regulates the growth of cells of the central nervous system. Able to protect neurons, reducing their loss.
• Participates in long-term memory processes.
• Cardiovascular system – controls blood pressure and normalizes blood flow. Also prevents the formation of blood clots. Reduces the rate of development of atherosclerosis.
• Produces energy metabolism enzymes.
• Plays an important role in regulating lung functions.
• High concentrations of nitric oxide can have cytotoxic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal effects.

The connection between strength and sexual performance

Since nitric oxide donors are powerful sexual stimulants, their capabilities in restoring motor tissues have not been paid attention to for a long time. Synelyphrine and Viagra, its two main competitors, are believed to be strong stimulants.

This is fundamentally wrong. All Viagra does is increase overall blood pressure and saturate the circulatory system with nitrogen oxides. From the point of view of sexual performance, this allows you to stop venous leakage, which is one of the most common causes of discomfort in bed, and, consequently, to expand the blood channel, thereby prolonging and improving a man’s erectile performance in bed.

At the same time, if the problem is on a mental level, or is associated with a lack of levels of sex hormones (or sex secretions), then Viagra and any other nitric oxide donor will not help in any way.

You don't have to worry about taking Via Gra substitutes for athletic achievements. At the end of the course of taking the drugs, you will not become impotent. In addition, you will not suffer from a constant erection in public transport, and, therefore, you will not find yourself in unpleasant and awkward situations.

The only side effect that can be a problem after stopping the use of nitric oxide donors for sports purposes is the psychological effect, which is sometimes enough to cause problems in spicy situations.

Effect of nitric oxide NO on the body

Nitric oxide is a colorless, odorless gas, easily soluble in water. The process of producing nitric oxide in the body occurs as follows: arginine transfers nitrogen to enzymes (enzymes), which in turn produce nitric oxide. Studies have been conducted in which it was found that relatively high concentrations of nitric oxide in a short period of time do not cause any side effects .

The main functions of nitric oxide in the body

• From the immune system : Macrophages (polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the blood) produce nitric oxide NO to destroy target cells (abnormal cells) because they are cytotoxic .
• Nervous system : Works as a neurotransmitter and controls apoptosis (cell death) in neurons.
• Circulatory system : the proliferation of bad cells that provoke inflammatory processes is not allowed.

Nitric oxide NO donor sports supplements help create and maintain high levels of nitric oxide in the body. Everyone knows that protein is important to take immediately after training. This is partly true because nitric oxide acts as a molecule that signals DNA to enlarge muscle cells and muscle fibers. By creating and maintaining high NO levels, you potentially increase the time of peak muscle growth from 1-2 hours to 10-12 hours per day.

Many bodybuilders feel a pump effect that occurs due to vasodilation. As a result, veins appear (increased vascularity), and this does not necessarily have to be associated with an increase in muscle mass and strength.

Manufacturers recommend reducing your glutamine intake when taking this supplement because glutamine reduces the effectiveness of nitric oxide NO.

Effects of NO on the body

Proper intake of nitric oxide can help you increase muscle mass and strength. Some athletes note that their recovery is faster, others say that nitric oxide affects strength indicators , for example, one guy increased his result in squats from 140 kg to 180 kg , literally in 5-6 months . Some athletes also talk about other benefits of taking nitric oxide, such as improved appetite , increased vascularity, improved intimate life, etc. However, most athletes did not notice any significant changes that would affect muscle growth, increased strength, and improved concentration.

Manufacturers claim that taking NO will provide a huge increase in muscle mass, an unforgettable muscle pump during training, complete recovery of the body, and an increase in strength. Nitric oxide was discovered only in the 1980s, according to its manufacturers, MRI , with its help, you can understand why muscle growth stops.

It took MRI four years to come up with a system for delivering and controlling NO activity. This delivery system is called “ pHyser3 ”, it causes the constant production of nitric oxide to provide a pump, pumping muscles.

Effect of NO on the blood vessel

You should not believe everything that is written about nitric oxide NO. It can act differently on different people; for some it will help increase strength and muscle mass, while for others it will not feel anything at all. In any case, do not expect it to turn you into an athlete with a minimum amount of fat and a lot of muscle mass. It will dilate your blood vessels and increase blood flow to your muscles, but it won't make you an incredible hulk .

Definitely worth buying, experiment for a month, and see, observe yourself, your results in the gym. Always buy from time-tested manufacturers who have proven themselves well in the sports nutrition market, beware of counterfeits . If high-quality nitric oxide does not work for your body, then you should not buy it next time.

How to use?

Once we have figured out the mechanism of nitrogen’s effect on our body and understand that nitrogen donors cannot cause significant harm to our body, then it’s worth figuring out how to take it correctly.

Note: very often NO2 donors are included in pre-workout complexes, which increases blood pumping with a general improvement in well-being. Thus, it is better not to use nitrogen donors and not to take them into account when taking them.

The course of treatment is designed for a 4-week cycle, after which you need to rest for at least 1 week.

Best Nitric Oxide Sports Supplements

NO-Xplode (BSN)
Typically, in bodybuilding, the best supplements that are used for the body's production of nitric oxide are: arginine , agmatine , beetroot extract and some pre-workout complexes and other sports supplements, for example:

• NO-Xplode (BSN)
• V-12 Magnum (SAN)
• naNO Vapor Performance Series (MuscleTech)
• SuperPump 250 (Gaspari Nutrition)
• Xtreme Napalm
• JetFuse NOX GAT
• NO Shotgun (VPX)
• NO2 Platinum (MRI)

For medical purposes , the drugs used are nitroglycerin (glyceryl trinitrate) and isosorbide dinitrate, molsidomine, sodium nitroprusside, which do an excellent job of relaxing the walls of blood vessels due to NO.

What to combine with?

Naturally, nitrogen donors are not used during cutting, due to the fact that they, like creatine phosphate, have a negative side effect associated with flooding the athlete with water. And yet, what are nitrogen donors combined with?

Manufacturers and prices

Let us draw some conclusions. Nitric oxide donors are one of the most popular products on the sports nutrition market. Regular intake of NO increases athletic performance during training and reduces energy expenditure. This strength and muscle growth stimulator is definitely something you should try. There really are results; many bodybuilders have already tried nitric oxide. And they were satisfied. Of course, like many drugs for increasing activity, there are also disadvantages in the form of side effects.

Side effects

Among officially approved sports nutrition that is not considered doping, nitrogen donors have their place in the athlete’s food chain. Primarily due to the very large number of side effects. If we consider in fact, nitrogen aides are rather sports pharmacology on a level with drugs that stimulate the production of one’s own testosterone.

If the recommended dosage of any drug that stimulates the body to produce additional nitrogen oxide compounds is exceeded, the following side effects are possible:

1. Headache;
2. Constant dizziness;
3. Increased need for sugar;
4. Slight hypoxia;
5. Increased pumping while performing normal routine tasks;
6. Decreased stamina;
7. Increased libido;
8. Dilatation of cerebral vessels;
9. Increased blood pressure;
10. Increased venous pressure;
11. Relaxation of the soft muscles of the cardiac tissues of the ventricle.

But perhaps the most important side effect, no matter how unfortunate it may sound, was worsened recovery. The thing is that nitrogen donors can only stimulate micro-recovery, and if you have a more serious injury (dislocation, fracture, cut), then due to the saturation of the blood with additional nitrogen, oxidative processes in the damaged areas cannot take place completely cycle, which somewhat slows down recovery. Therefore, if you are seriously injured during training, it is better to reduce the dosage of Viagra, or even cancel its course until complete recovery.

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Directions for use and dosage

There are some rules for taking nitric oxide, following which you can achieve results. The drug should be taken 30-40 minutes before the intended workout on an empty stomach. If you already have sufficient body weight, from hundreds of kilos, you can start with a double dose. After a couple of weeks of use, you need to increase the dosage again by one and a half or two times. The general course of treatment is up to 30 days.

Nitric oxide should not be used by children under sixteen years of age and people with diseases related to heart function and blood pressure.

Causes of decreased NO (nitric oxide) levels

I think it is now clear that for good muscle growth, a sufficient concentration of NO is needed for growth. What affects the decrease in nitric oxide levels in the body?

• Disease;
• Overtraining;
• Great age;
• Cortisol (stress hormone);

In fact, there are many more reasons! But I, in my opinion, have listed the main ones. That’s why I advise a “natural” person to train (training without pharmaceutical support) for no more than 45-60 minutes, I wrote about this here. In order to reduce the level of cortisol, which interferes with the production of NO.