NO Booster – take your performance and endurance to the next level
NO Booster, i.e. pre-workout products, are products that are intended to be taken before training. These are nutritional formulas designed to increase energy, strength and performance during exercise.
NO boosters mainly contain nutrients - amino acids, which are the precursors of nitric oxide NO. These amino acids are L-citrulline, L-arginine and nitrates (beetroot juice). The amino acids mentioned are used by the body to produce nitric oxide NO, which has many positive effects. One of the most important is the increased transport of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, meaning the muscles can work harder for longer. A higher supply of oxygen and nutrients allows the muscles to work at high intensity for longer periods of time.
Another category of ingredients contained in NO boosters are ergogenic (performance-enhancing) supplements and other nutrients (minerals, electrolytes, etc.), for example beta-alanine, caffeine, taurine, creatine, L-carnitine, etc. Ergogenics contribute to an increase of strength, energy, concentration, endurance and performance. However, we need to pay particular attention to the amount of caffeine so that we don't consume too much of it.
The ingredients of NO boosters and their effect on performance
Arginine is one of the best-known precursors of nitric oxide. It contributes to the increased transport of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and thus increases performance and endurance. Beta alanine is a precursor to carnosine. It is one of the most effective nutritional supplements for improving performance during high-intensity training. It influences the increase of the carnosine reserves of the muscles and thus serves as a buffer substance that regulates the acidity and alkalinity of the cells and maintains a neutral pH value. It prevents premature muscle acidification and thus enables longer and more intensive training.
Citrulline contributes to increased performance and faster production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the basic molecule for energy. Citrulline contributes to the faster removal of waste products from the body. Lactate and ammonia are byproducts that build up in the body during long-term, high-intensity exercise. If these products are not removed from the body, this leads to a decrease in performance, muscle acidification and exhaustion.
Citrulline malate is simply L-citrulline combined with malic acid (malate). The combination of these two compounds increases the bioavailability of citrulline malate when ingested. L-Citrulline is one of the 20 amino acids. It occurs naturally in foods such as watermelon, legumes and nuts. L-Citrulline is converted into arginine after ingestion. This means that it increases arginine levels in the body MUCH more effectively than arginine itself. Supplementing with citrulline malate as a performance enhancing aid has been shown to reduce fatigue and improve aerobic and anaerobic performance during long-term training/competition. Research has shown that citrulline malate can improve both aerobic and anaerobic performance during prolonged endurance exercise. It does this by reducing fatigue, increasing nitric oxide levels in the body, improving blood flow to working muscles, increasing work capacity and increasing muscle ATP.
Caffeine is an important component of pre-workout products due to its stimulating effects. It helps to increase energy, mood and performance before and during training/competition. It helps increase concentration, eliminates the feeling of fatigue, improves reaction time and reflexes. Creatine's most important function is that it stimulates the use of fat for energy, which is extremely important for endurance athletes. In this way we keep glycogen stores full for longer. Another popular ergogenic in pre-workout products and energy drinks is taurine. Taurine helps to increase concentration and performance. It improves glucose transport to the muscles, which in turn enables higher performance. It also protects the muscles from oxidative stress.
Creatine has many important functions in the body. Consuming creatine helps increase strength, performance and endurance. Its most important property is the ability to quickly replenish ATP (adenosine triphosphate) reserves, which has a significant impact on increasing endurance and performance during training.
