Arginine

Muscle & Fitness, August, 2009 by Tabatha Elliott

We can almost guarantee you won't find an NO booster without arginine because it's the main substrate for NO in the body. That means it's directly converted to NO with the help of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS), so the more arginine you have, the more NO you can potentially produce. Arginine has the added benefit of boosting growth-hormone (GH) levels, which can stimulate muscle growth. (1), (2) Studies confirm that subjects taking arginine gain more strength and muscle, and lose more fat, than those taking a placebo. (3), (4)

CHOOSE: An NO-booster that supplies 2-5 grams of arginine (such as L-argi-nine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, arginine ketoisocaproate, arginine malate, arginine ethyl ester or other form of arginine). Take three doses per day: one before breakfast, one 30-60 minutes before workouts and one 30-60 minutes before bed (you'll want to make sure the product you use at this time doesn't contain caffeine).

BY TABATHA ELLIOTT, PHD