While cycling the use of NO supplements might be beneficial for some, there are no studies that prove there is a need for it.
NO supplements are not drugs, but rather dietary supplements used to enhance muscle definition.
Before starting any new supplement or exercise regimen it’s important to do your research.
According to WebMD, there have been studies that suggest NO supplementation is not just for those who are young, but also for those who are young at heart.
For those who are over 50 years of age and enjoy cycling, NO supplementation has shown to optimize performance and stamina.
With the use of NO supplements, blood vessels around the heart are stimulated while other organs are dilated. This plays a role in an increase in your exercise capacity.
Supplementation of NO is pointless if you don’t have a well-designed workout plan to pair it with. Go PRO today for access to certified personal trainers, workout plans, and more.
Is NO Safe to Supplement With Without Cycling?
NO usually peaks naturally when a person exercises. Many of the studies done have been through double-blind placebo-controlled studies and prove NO supplements to be successful in increasing the body’s nitric oxide levels.
The difference between NO supplements and other drugs is the fact that NO is considered a dietary supplement. Steroids, for example, are foreign to one’s body.
Because of this, they are more powerful when they are used and tend to have side effects. Supplements, however, tend to not have side effects and have more moderate ranges of effectiveness.
The FDA does not regulate or approve NO supplements. Make sure you check out the manufacturer and buy a supplement that is made in the United States.
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How Does NO Work?
Nitric oxide relaxes the smooth muscle in the walls of your arterioles, which are the smaller arteries. Working out causes muscles to contract and the blood vessels dilate. Gas appears and disappears when the dilation occurs. NO settles into the cells of the smooth muscle making it easier for blood to pass through.
Basically, when working out your muscles one feels an expansion naturally and this is the NO releasing into the smooth muscle cells. This is extra blood going to your muscles and gives the look and feel of expansion or puffiness.
As you are finishing up a workout your muscles lose this puffiness. They will slowly drain of the extra accumulation of blood. This usually feels like you’re coming off an adrenaline high.
What NO does is to keep this feeling of puffiness around throughout the day. You will release nitric oxide throughout the day instead of immediately after a workout.
To sum this up, NO basically does the following:
- Increases muscle structure protein syntheses and keeps nitric oxide in the muscle for a longer period of time
- Keeps a sustained amount of hemodilution (continuous blood surge to skeletal muscles)
- Provides muscle recovery for the entire body
What Are the Side Effects of NO Without Cycling?
There are concerns about potential side effects when it comes to supplementing with NO. One of the things that happens with supplementing is vasodilation, the relaxing of blood vessels so more blood flows through. While this has many benefits there are some side effects of increased vasodilation.
Adverse effects of vasodilation can include lower blood pressure and excessive bleeding. Some of the positive side effects are increased oxygen and blood flow to the heart and also anti-aging benefits attributed to the increase of blood flow. While using NO supplements alone has shown to be fine, combining them with other drugs or supplements is not recommended.
For those who are prone to herpes outbreaks, there’s some important information you need to know. The main ingredient in NO supplements, L-arginine, has proven to aggravate the herpes virus.
What happens is that the amino acid L-lysine decreases the replication of the herpes virus. Since your levels of L-lysine tend to be low when L-arginine is high, you may experience more outbreaks of the virus.
Too much of L-arginine, the ingredient in many NO supplements, can also lead to other side effects if an overdose occurs. L-arginine can cause nausea, weakness, headaches, diarrhea, an increase in heart rate, dry mouth and water retention.
For those who do not suffer from the herpes virus and use the NO correctly, the supplement can be very beneficial.
Of course, no supplement routine is complete without being paired with a solid exercise routine. Go PRO today for access to certified personal trainers, workout plans, and more.