Arginine

[MJR]

Anyone here tried taking several grams of Arginine daily?

If so, with any success? What did you notice?

I take a little right now from the Amino shooter, but I was thinking about buying some L-Arginine powder.

[MJR]

Has no one here tried L-arginine?

[discocop78]

I took l-arginine capsules with some good results in vascularity. Eat about an hour and a half before the workout and take the arginine (around 3-5g) about 20-30 minutes before(because arginine is effective when taken on an empty stomach) you lift.

[shodan]

I know folks who have tried it and liked the "pump" effect. I would steer clear though, it is not good for your blood pressure among other things. If you look at the journal from March '05 I believe, there was a meta analysis done on it.

There are numerous reasons to stay away from Arginine and NO2 products. I'll give you one. It reduces oxidative phosphorylation (reduces oxygen consumption).(J. F. Turrens: Biomedical Sciences UCOM 6000, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688-0002)

This is bad, don't our muscles need as much oxygen as possible? I read this in an abstract on a study done on Mitochondrial formation. Granted, there were lots of things that went over my head within this study(I do not claim to be an expert) but I did understand most of it and was able to follow and came away with some new knowledge. Here is a link in case you want to read some of it yourself: http://jp.physoc.org/cgi/content/full/552/2/335

[shodan]

Just want to note I'm not judging anyone for taking any NO2 products but try to do as much homework as you can on the stuff, a pump may be all you're getting w/o any real increases in strength or size, just looks /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[MJR]

Yeah, but this is not NO2.

L-arginine is just a free-form amino acid.

[FlexMaster]

There arn't many benefits for pure form l-arginine. It also doesn't include the cons of Arginine AKG but it does raise your sperm count about 200%

/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[shodan]

Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid.

Arginine is a precurser to NO, ALL NO2 products contain Arginine. You'll hear terms like vasodialator, hemodilation and the "perpetual pump". If you look in the old JHR journals, there is an analysis on Arginine. Read for yourselves folks, knowledge is power.

[MJR]

Just so you know, glutamine is also a conditionally essential amino acid, but L-Glutamine is still called a free-form amino acid.

I'm sorry, but I just don't agree with your argument Shodan. I understand that all NO2 products contain arginine, but that's like saying stay away from green tea extract just because most thermogenics contain it.

[shodan]

Thats cool bro, I will agree to disagree /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif I'm not going to provide you w/ more backup, if you really want to see for yourself, just use the search feature on the top of the forum, the topic has been discussed numerous times.

[FlexMaster]

You two are talking about two different products

[MJR]

Exactly, that's what I'm trying to explain. Thank you!

[shodan]

/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif sorry bro, you also had posted something about NO Xplode and I got caught up replying between the two, I see "Arginine" and the brain automatically thinks "another NO2 product". I get what your saying now, you're talking plain old Arginine w/ nothing else. As for the NO Xplode stuff, research it as much as you can before you decide to take it. You know that if it was worth taking the guys around here would say so, don't just go for the "pump".

[MJR]

Oh ok, it's cool. /forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif Yeah, I know I'm a little skeptical about the NO Explode stuff, so i thought plain arginine would be a more natural alternative. I'm going to try it out. Thanks!

[MJR]

Hey, I'm just updating you guys here: Today I took L-Arginine (just the free-form amino acid, not any hyped product). I bought it from Whole Foods. Anyway, in the morning I took 5 grams. I had a pretty good workout. Then i took another 5 grams. Good vascularity throughout the day. Then another 5 grams. Now it's nighttime and I'm looking at my arms and they are really veiny. So I have definitely noticed increased bloodflow from this amino acid. It's good because i'm cutting and my workouts have been surffering recently (i feel weaker in the gym, etc) So I feel like this could really help in the "cutting process"

[shodan]

Does anyone know the difference between L-Arginine and the Arginine used in NO2 products? What is it in NO2 products that produces the vasolidation effects? Is it some altered form of Arginine or some other common ingredient?

[JTiger]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, but this is not NO2.

L-arginine is just a free-form amino acid.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is a journal article about it in JHR I think. Many of your questions can be answered with articles like that, use the search and specify JHR.

[shodan]

So basically this is the same then and NOT something different? I am still confused, I thought they were both one in the same, then now I am not sure? <font color="red"> IF </font> they are one in the same, then it would not be good to use this supplement.

[FlexMaster]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey, I'm just updating you guys here: Today I took L-Arginine (just the free-form amino acid, not any hyped product). I bought it from Whole Foods. Anyway, in the morning I took 5 grams. I had a pretty good workout. Then i took another 5 grams. Good vascularity throughout the day. Then another 5 grams. Now it's nighttime and I'm looking at my arms and they are really veiny. So I have definitely noticed increased bloodflow from this amino acid. It's good because i'm cutting and my workouts have been surffering recently (i feel weaker in the gym, etc) So I feel like this could really help in the "cutting process"

[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry to ruin the fun here but what your experiencing is more than likely placebo. NO2, NO-xplode, and the rest of the nitric oxide supplements all contain arginine alpha-ketoglutarate for a reason. Pure L-arginine isn't going to get the same effects.

If you will be using one of these products for some sort of contest, I suggest avoiding NO-xplode due to the addition of creatine. To avoid this, take a product such as NO2 and also caffiene. Also, you'll have to begin taking it weeks before you compete, it doesn't just start working over-night.

[MJR]

Well, sometimes a little placebo can do wonders for the psychological mindset in the gym. For me, the entire gym experience is mostly mental anyway.
But let me ask, wht does pure arginine do then?