Nitric Oxide and Caffeine, the Powerhouse Energy Duo

Imagine for a second a feeling of endless endurance.  A pure state where you feel like you are completely alert, excited, and ready to perform strenuous physical tasks for hours on end without ceasing to catch your breath.  Wouldn't it be great to go to the gym and for once not be staring at the clock, desperate for your workout to be over?  Wouldn't it be fantastic to lift more, run faster, and pump out a few more reps time after time, always ready to come back for another set?

Well such a feeling definitely is NOT fictitious, and there are many supplements on the shelves today available to gym-goers which will do exactly that: pump you up and keep you going.  They're called nitric oxide supplements, and in the most basic terms they rev up your body to be the most efficient blood pumping, oxygen moving, lifting, running, and overall active system it can possibly be.  Let's examine these supplements, what they're composed of, and whether or not they would be a good idea for you to try.

First, what is nitric oxide?  Sounds kind of like a strange chemical to be ingesting, in my opinion.  nitric oxide (or nitrogren monoxide) is simple in chemical composition, composed of nothing more than one nitrogen molecule bonded to one oxygen molecule.  Just to make my chemistry professors happy, nitric oxide has a molecular mass of 30.01 g/mol, and an enthalpy of formation of 90.29 KJ/mol (endothermic).  In our body, nitric oxide is released through the biosynthesis of the amino acid L-Arginine with Oxygen.  It is present in our bodies at some level constantly, and therefore can't be considered an unnaturally consumed substance.

What does nitric oxide do?  Well THAT'S going to be quite the list, but I'll break it down into it's most related/important functions.  In our bodies, nitric oxide has the tendency to cause blood vessels to dilate, or become larger in diameter.  This allows for increased bloodflow, which in terms of physical exertion/ working out has a whole HOST of benefits.  

Oxygen flow:  Dilated veins will increase the amount of oxygen your blood can carry to your muscles, allowing them to operate in an aerobic state for longer periods of time during strenuous exercise.  This will translate into vastly increased endurance, and hence why almost any athlete (including distance runners) can benefit from a dose of a nitric oxide supplement pre-workout.

Nutrient flow:  Again, dilated veins means better blood flow, which will also allow your body carry more essential nutrients to your muscles both pre and post-workout, catalyzing a more efficient recovery as well as an increase in eventual muscle size.

Alertness:  It all comes back to the veins.  More blood flow means more oxygen to your noggin.  You'll feel extremely alert after a dose of nitric oxide, and this feeling can last for up to six hours after the supplement is taken.  N-O is quite the grogginess removal tool.  

Besides these three very noticeable effects, nitric oxide also stimulates the immune system, helping to kill bacteria and infectious substances in the body.  It also stimualates the anti-inflammatory response in your body, which may relieve workout associated creaks and pains.  

Nitric oxide may even help one to have a better memory, because it enhances the quality of communication between cells.  There's no end to the benefits of this stuff!  

Nitric oxide alone is a fantastic workout tool.  Alone it can increase your strength, endurance, pumps, energy level, pretty much whatever you need most to get an awesome workout.  But nitric oxide alone isn't usually the whole story, at least not with many pre-workout supplements these days.  Often there's another chemical added to really take full advantage of your now dilated veins, bringing that optimally efficient bodily state that nitric oxide creates into full usage.  What's this other magic chemical, that'll really push you over the edge of power and performance?  Well, it's nothing you haven't taken before.  

Caffeine!  Yes, that's right, the same stuff that's in your morning coffee, or soda, or monster energy drink (Don't drink those, they're horrendous!).  Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it puts both your Central Nervous System and metabolism into high gear.  Your heart rate will increase, and your body will respond more quickly and readily to "exciting" or strenuous scenarios.  After consuming caffeine, you might notice that even something little, a thought perhaps of an exciting day coming up two weeks from now, will get your heart racing much faster than it ever would have normally.  When coupled with nitric oxide though, this effect is amplified to an even higher degree.

It doesn't take too much thought to understand why.  Nitric oxide=dilated veins=more bloodflow.  Caffeine=stimulated metabolism=faster heart rate=even MORE bloodflow.  Up the caffeine dosage to about 200-400mg per scoop and you've got yourself an extremely potent supplement.  I remember the first time I ever tried such a supplement, I was in the gym for two and a half hours, and awake all night.  It's powerful stuff!  And I suggest if you're going to try it, take only half a scoop your first time, especially if you have almost no caffeine tolerance like me (I don't drink coffee or soda).  Also, read the nutrition label, know how much caffeine you're ingesting.  Don't accidentally take 7 cups of coffee in one scoop by accident if you only wanted a little boost.

So that brings us to the final segment.  Are pre-workout N-O supplements right for you?  Well, it really depends.  If you're a gym rat, and you/re entering a phase where you really need a kick in the butt to get yourself into the gym, then yes, I suggest you try a LIGHTER Nitric oxide supplement.  It can really benefit your workout, and you'll feel great after having pushed yourself so hard.  And the thing is, many of these pre-workout supplements don't just have nitric oxide and caffeine, they also contain a whole host of other great muscle building tools, like a string of essential amino acids, and usually a creatine dosage as well which will help to volumize your muscles to a higher degree.  These pre-workout supplements are designed well, and most definitely are just what your body needs to create an optimal muscle building state.

Would I suggest pre-workout supplements to the more casual gymgoer?  Listen, if you just go to the gym to keep your joints moving, then this stuff probably isn't for you.  But if you're looking to build any sort of muscle, I wouldn't be against trying a small dosage to see if you like the results you get.  You can always give the stuff up immediately, and many companies sell small trial sizes just to see if you like it.  The stuff WON'T KILL YOU, so don't be afraid.

And the absolute last subject to address.  Are pre-workout NO/caffeine supplements addicting?  I won't lie here, sure they're somewhat addicting.  It's hard not to get hooked on something that helps your body perform so well in the gym (and caffeine is an addictive substance, no matter what people say about it).  I personally do NOT believe this addiction is a bad thing, but to those around you it may appear somewhat strange.  You won't get any more hooked on caffeine than they guy who drinks three or four cups of coffee a day, but you still want to manage your usage of pre-workout supplements.  The general rule of thumb for such supplements is to CYCLE THEM.  One month on, one month off.  That way, every other month you get the same effect as the first time you took the stuff.  The off months will start out SUCKING, because you seemingly have zero energy, but a good diet and good sleep habits can help to minimize the withdrawal. You can taper the dosages at both ends of the month too in order to more easily phase in and out of taking and cleansing.  

So there you have it, a basic explanation of one of the most powerful workout tools on the market today- Nitric oxide caffeine supplements.  They can do a world of good for your workout, and I'm 100% serious about that.  They can help you smash through those plateaus you've always been so frustrated by.  Go ahead and try one, but be smart about it, because they are definitely potent substances.

Lift hard, run fast, and stay healthy.  Good luck!

I've tried three nitric oxide supplements, all of them caffeinated:

Amplified N.O. Loaded (Advanced Muscle Performance)- .EXTREMELY POWERFUL STUFF  High caffeine dosage, over 400mg.  Definitely would only suggest half a scoop at first, if not every time you take it.  Too much will cause jitters and a heart rate that's not even useful for lifting.  This stuff has definitely given me some insanely long workouts though, and will easily give you the jitters if you're not careful.  Make sure you take this at least eight hours before you plan to sleep at all.

N.O. xplode (BSN)- This stuff isn't quite as powerful as N.O. Loaded, but still can give quite the kick.  I didn't find the recommended serving size quite as potent (probably because there's only a quarter of the caffeine, 100mg), and I also didn't find the flavor's to be quite as good.  It's still a great endurance tool though, and probably one of the most popular pre-workout supplements on the market today.

Assault (MusclePharms)- Definitely my favorite thus far.  It has a relatively low caffeine dosage (150mg) and gives sustained, powerful energy.  It's also loaded with other great things like creatine and a host of amino acids.  It never gives that incredible "hit" right off the bat, but instead surges on over time.  The orange-mango flavor is delicious, I swear I'm drinking an orange creamsicle.  *would recommend*.

This is a Knol I wrote a while ago, and was quite proud of it.  I suggest learning the overhead squat if you are able, as it will do you a World of good.

The Ultimate Movement

Exploring the Benefits of the Overhead Squat

In truth, there is no one "greatest" exercise to perform. Not for strength, endurance, flexibility, nor any other subset of the fitness world. However, there are a few that can produce great results in most of these fields. This article will discuss one of my personal favorites: The Overhead Squat, and why exactly it can transform someone into a very strong, flexible, powerful individual.

Contents

• Ben Smith demonstrating the overhead squat

The overhead squat, by nature, is a scary sounding exercise.  It can be even more daunting to watch, as someone who's never seen/tried one before will find it very hard to understand how one can hold such huge amounts of weight over their head, then descend beneath it into the deepest, most straining of squats, and rise back from the depths to full standing height, miraculously unharmed, shoulders and legs fully intact.

Ben Smith demonstrating the overhead squat

Without doubt, this exercise is difficult.  It is strenuous, and requires vast amounts of strength, stability, and flexibility.  And with higher weights, the term "vast" becomes more and more of an understatement.  But even at very low weights, this movement remains one of the greatest full body exercises one could ever do in their routine.  It engages muscles everywhere, and therefore will build complete, full body strength.  To figure out one movement can do so much, let's examine the overhead squat piece by piece.

It should be mentioned first that any type of weighted squat will do wonders for building remarkable strength.  Why is this?  Well, squats require the activation of a huge amount of muscle fiber in order to complete even one with good form.  You may think of squats being synonymous with leg workouts, and while this is initially a correct instinct (a good squat will activate the hamstrings, glutes, and quadricep muscles), they activate many more muscles as well.  In fact, to be stable in a deep ATG (ass to grass...pardon my french...) squat requires an extremely strong core.  Core in general means muscles in, you guessed it, the MIDDLE of the body.  This includes abdominal muscles, upper legs, lower back, and obliques.  More formally, it is defined as the entire spine, pelvic girdle, and hip joints.  This is a remarkable 29 muscles at least!  That's a LOT of muscle fiber.  And the best part of all this?  All that huge amount of muscle fiber is actually USEFUL.  The muscles you're activating while squatting are some of the most used in the majority of other strength related exercises.  So when you squat, you build real, usable strength, everywhere.  

A second, equally important reason as to why squats are so important may be of interest to those guys looking to get bigger and more muscular quickly.  Because squats activate the largest muscles your body possesses, as you squat you release a large amount of testosterone, which will cause your body to go into, put simply, "muscle building mode." You'll pack on lean mass relatively quickly (obviously not that quickly, building lean muscle take a LOT of time), and the strength gains will be as close to immediate as you can get.  Ladies, don't be scared by the word testosterone, squats will only help you, as will all weightlifting.  In fact, adding any muscle mass will increase your metabolism and help you shed unwanted pounds.  And you will NOT bulk up.  I don't care who says you will, they are wrong.  Go look at any female Olympic weightlifter in the lighter classes.  They're throwing 300lbs above their head, and they're still lean, mean, sexy machines.  

On an aside, SQUAT DEEP.  Parallel squats are what hurt your knees, as they take the brunt of the force as you go from descending to ascending.  As you go below parallel, that same force is transferred to your hips and hamstrings, which are bigger muscles that can definitely take the strain.

Well there's the squatting portion of the exercise.  And talk to anyone who know's squatting, it's not easy.  People spend years developing good squat form (not to deter anyone from trying, I suggest it to anyone and everyone looking to put on a little muscle).  But with the overhead squat, squatting is really only half the battle.  The other portion is obviously making sure that the huge weight above your head, doesn't come crashing down from it's precarious perch above your head.  This requires even MORE strength.  A lot more.  

To hold the weight overhead, there's generally a specific grip used.  It's called the "snatch" grip, and is named after the Olympic lift (the snatch) where athletes bring the weight from the ground to overhead in one fluid motion, catching it in...you guessed it...a full overhead squat.  There's a reason those athletes are considered the strongest in the world.  The snatch grip itself means to hold the bar with one's hands very spread apart, nearly at the collars of the bar.  

  This requires less shoulder flexibility to remain upright and "tight" in the bottom of the squat.  The narrower the grip, the more shoulder flexibility is required to go ATG.  This is because as you descend, your shoulders must rotate backwards in order to keep the bar aligned over your heels, and in turn keep your entire body balanced.  Drift too far forward or backwards, and you'll be forced to dump the bar.  What this basically describes is an extremely tight isometric exercise for your entire upper back, core, shoulders, and chest.  One must keep their traps squeezed together and their arms locked out throughout the entire motion.  This, without doubt, becomes very fatiguing VERY quickly.  Little tiny bits of bar movement suddenly require huge efforts to fight and contradict.  And after a few sets, it's almost a guarantee you'll be sore the next day where you haven't ever felt sore before, because most likely you've never worked stabilizing muscles to such a high degree.

    To even do one overhead squat, with any sort of weight, is an accomplishment.  No one should claim it's not, because it'd be safe to say the large majority of gym-goers have ever ventured from their routines enough to try one.  The flexibility requirements of overhead squatting is large.  One must have very flexible hips, knees, hamstrings, calves, quads, shoulders, chest, and spine.  Luckily the overhead squat itself is not inherently possible without such flexibities, so the risk of strain or dislocation decreases.  One who isn't flexible enough, will be forced to drop the bar before any sort of bodily damage can occur. 

     In order to increase flexibility for such an exercise, many stretches should be done on a daily basis (perhaps this is a good time to say that this article is merely meant to describe the benefits of overhead squatting, and should not be considered a guide to either the exercise itself or the supporting exercises or stretches.)  And not only will stretches help your overhead squat, the overhead squat itself is an amazing full body stretch, and therefore will only help you to become stronger and more flexible in the long run.

So is it the Ultimate Exercise?  Is overhead squatting the greatest, most beneficial movement one could do in the gym?  Again, certainly not exclusively.  But the benefits associated with the exercise are immeasurably large, and definitely place this exercise near the top of the list.

Talk to Marcin Dolega, champion 105kg class Polish weightlifter, about the benefits of overhead squatting.  That's a full Olympic snatch^^^....and is about 400lbs.