05/19/2012

What is Nitric Oxide and What Does it Do For Your Workouts?

What Is Nitric OxideIf you’re looking for another edge in your workouts, there is one thing you may not have considered — or even heard of. Nitric oxide(NO) can add tremendous benefits in terms of strength and muscle building, increased endurance and decreased recovery time.But what is this mystery substance, and how will it help you achieve the results you’re seeking? Let’s take an in-depth look.

The Ins and Outs of Nitric Oxide

What is nitric oxide? The simple answer is that it’s a compound made up of one nitrogen atom and one oxygen atom.In the body, however, it’s important to understand that this is a compound created with the help of the amino acid arginine and a family of enzymes called Nitric Oxide synthase (NOS). Arginine meets an NOS enzyme, and they produce this important compound.When it comes to building muscle and increasing workout endurance, this compound plays a vital role. It regulates one of the our bodies’ most important functions: blood flow.That’s the technical explanation for the question what is nitric oxide. The most important question, though, is what does nitric oxide do for your workouts?

Workout Benefits of Nitric Oxide

NO, as previously mentioned, helps regulate blood flow. This means that it gives more blood to your organs and tissues when they need it. Blood flow is, in turn, related to the delivery of oxygen and vital nutrients to the organs and muscles.We have figured out the answer to the question, “What is nitric oxide?”, so the next step is discovering, what does nitric oxide do and how does it do it? For bodybuilders, NO can have the following impacts:

  • Increase gains of lean muscle mass
  • Increase strength
  • Improve muscle recovery
  • Increase endurance

Supplementing NO encourages the smooth muscles of your body to relax, allowing oxygen delivery to the working muscles. That increased blood flow also carries valuable nutrients, a key factor in a rapid recovery after workouts. Faster recovery means more frequent training, which also means improved workout results.

During weight lifting, the body will quickly go through supplies of oxygen to the muscles, and lactic acid starts building up, which causes fatigue. Increasing blood flow, and therefore oxygen, to the muscles will allow you to workout longer with less fatigue, hence increased endurance.

Other Benefits Of Nitric Oxide

Of course, NO increases endurance training abilities. However, there is a special class of endurance trainers for whom this compound can be particularly helpful. Are you training for high altitude performances? A race in the mountains, or climbing, perhaps?For those people, nitric oxide will provide the extra oxygen needed to counteract the oxygen reducing effects that high altitude brings. You will be able to offset the reduced ability to take in oxygen and feel more comfortable, like in your usual, low altitude training conditions.There is another benefit, too — one that is somewhat taboo to discuss but still an important part of overall health benefits. The increased blood flow that comes with supplementing L-arginine to promote NO production has also been found to help treat impotence, a common disorder in men.Now that you’ve answered the question “What is nitric oxide?”, the next question should be, “Where can I get it?” For a full range of bodybuilding and dietary supplements, including NO, visit Slacor Supplements and start giving your workouts the boost they need.

Speak Your Mind

*