Authored by Andy Chasse’ in Exercise 
Published on 06-20-2009

Nitric oxide sounds a little dangerous, right? Truthfully, it’s not dangerous at all. Nitric oxide is actually a very beneficial chemical compound used amongst various athletes and weight room enthusiasts.

Nitric oxide is a gas molecule found in various mammals. It functions to signal the certain beneficial and detrimental processes inside the body. It also serves to repair, maintain, and protect body cells. As it relates to weight training, nitric oxide is responsible for the so-called “pump” experienced during exercise. This pump is commonly noticed during certain curling exercises that involved the biceps flexion. Nitric oxide is responsible for the “full” feeling in your biceps. While there are a number of people out there who don’t quite appreciate this feeling of fullness, there are even more whose primary focus lies in attaining the pump.

But if nitric oxide is already present inside the body and performing as it’s supposed to, then why supplement it? Refer to the above statement – people love the pump. They want more and more of it. It is almost considered a “high” of sorts. And why say no to a product that provides better protection and reparation abilities to the cells that keep the body running?

Well, that’s easy. There’s no reason to say no to it. Looking past the fairly expensive price tag, nitric oxide provides a number of benefits surpassing even the mighty pump. Nitric oxide regulates all kinds of activities that take place in the brain, liver, stomach, lungs, and a number of other organs. Moving back to its specific function in weight training, one particular question comes up. What is beneficial about the pump? It’s a great feeling that many desire to attain while lifting weights, sure; but there is actually a fair amount of science behind it. The pump is a result of increased blood flow to the muscle. Increased blood flow means that more nutrients are going to get to the muscle and they are going to get there at a lightning fast speed. Theoretically, this increased nutrient delivery allows the muscle to continue working hard under ever-increasing amounts of stress.

Understand, however, that not everyone requires nitric acid supplementation. Everyone in this world has been blessed with bodies that work just a little differently from all the others. In other words, each individual has a varying production of nitric oxide. While some bodies produce a surplus, others leave a deficiency. Fatigue and weakness are two strong signs of nitric oxide deficiency. This lack of nitric oxide should be corrected immediately in order to ensure a healthy body and continued gains in muscle size and strength.

As far as side effects go, there may be a few. Most of these side effects lie in the dosage, though. The best bet when starting nitric oxide supplementation is to directly follow the dosing guidelines listed on the product. Upon judgment of individual tolerance, an increase of decrease of dosage may be made. A dosage that is too high for a particular individual may result in diarrhea and nausea.

This covers the basics of nitric oxide supplementation without going too deep into the science behind it. The key to supplementation of any sort is to approach it carefully and cautiously. Just the dosage and move on from there.