NO supplements = the biggest scam in sports nutrition since GH boosters, and irony of all irony, the same main ingredient (arg) used in both scams! I love this business!
Take home: from this review:
“In this regard, training status of the subjects seems to be an important factor linked to the ergogenic effect of NO supplementation. Studies involving untrained or moderately trained healthy subjects showed that NO donors could improve tolerance to aerobic and anaerobic exercise. However, when highly trained subjects were supplemented, no positive effect on performa…nce was indicated.”
The Effect of Nitric-Oxide-Related Supplements on Human Performance
I have a co-worker, manager actually, who takes a ton of supplements. She wants to lose ‘those last 15 pounds,’ but can’t seem to. I asked her about diet and exercise, her diet is OK, but she gets very little exercise. I told her that maybe she should spend some of the money she spends on supplements on a gym membership instead (realizing, of course, I was pushing the manager-subordinate envelope! :))
Edited to add: Although I have tried different supplements and saw no difference either way, I am not anti-supplement, and know of people who supplement for a variety of exercise-related reasons, some of whom attributing certain success factors and metrics on said supplements. If you want 'em, take 'em; if they seem to work for you, good.
I take supplements and i’m a workout-a-holic. I just started taking preworkout NO supplements a couple of years ago.
Heres what i’ve found…
All it does is get me amped up and increase the “pump” i feel. Thats it. It makes me “look” bigger while i have a pump…it goes away. Does it increase blood flow, i doubt it. Its probably more mental than anything.
I’ve tried all the MRI products (NO2, NO2 blackpowder, ect) USPlabs “Jack3d”, Gaspari “superpump” and a few others.
I now take ON’s “amino energy” mainly because its got aminos, caffeine, ect.
But honestly i’m trying to get off of them because i’m tired of wasting my money. I only buy them every once in a while. Most of the time i just get an 8oz RedBull…chug…go workout.
That’s because they are generally loaded with stimulants, some of which are borderline safe when taken alone, and of unknown safety when mixed as they are in those massive “kitchen sink” formulas. Make your own pre workout type drink that’s going to be more effective (because the ingredients all have some data behind them and will be in doses used in the data…) and save $$$. See:
I’m very pro supplement and take a ton of supplements, far more than most people, so it’s not about being anti supplement but pro science. What I hate is Bro-Science BS that’s a negative for both the user/buyer and the industry as a whole.
Supplements supported by solid data/science = good
Supplements sold on bro science, marketing hoopla, and BS = I take personal offense to and will do my level best to beat down.
Drop the Red Bull, get the caffeine product in the vid above (which has approx same caffeine content as red bull at a fraction of the costs and that’s essentially what you are paying for in the Red Bull…) and drive on.
