Nitric Oxide

[SPINMAN]

Does anyone focus on nitric oxide levels? Can anyone share on the supplements they use? I go right to the precursor and add the amino acid L-citrulline which converts to L-arginine producing an increase in nitric oxide (NO).

How it works-
Nitric oxide (NO) acts as a signaling molecule that essentially tells your blood vessels to relax. For an athlete, this creates a "performance chain reaction" that impacts both how you train and how you recover.

​The primary mechanism is vasodilation—the widening of the blood vessels. This leads to several functional benefits:

​Oxygen and Nutrient Delivery: Wider vessels allow more oxygenated blood to reach working muscles. This is particularly beneficial during aerobic exercise, as it can lower the "oxygen cost" of the activity, making you more efficient.
​Waste Product Removal: As muscles work, they produce metabolic byproducts like lactate and ammonia. Increased blood flow helps "flush" these out faster, which can delay the onset of muscle fatigue.
​Mitochondrial Efficiency: There is evidence that NO improves the efficiency of mitochondria (the powerhouses of your cells), allowing them to produce more energy (ATP) with less oxygen.
​The "Pump": In resistance training, increased blood volume in the muscle tissue creates the physical sensation of a "pump," which can contribute to muscle hypertrophy over time by increasing cellular swelling.

[ReapThaWhirlwind]

I'm really big on this.

The best NO boosting things I frequently use is Beet Powder/Beat Juice, Mushrooms, and Onions.

L-Citrulline is strongly recommended as well.

There's a large range of NO boosting supplements out there, but they mostly are just giving you these basic ingredients in a pretty package, with an upcharge for adding salt and pepper to your supplements.

Another great offense is a good defense. Liposomal NAD+ supplementation, specialized antioxidants like astaxanthin, luteolin, polyphenols, EGCGs, lutein, and frequent electrolyte replenishment help to boost protection of precious resources, polypeptides, and metabolic chain pathway interaction by neutralizing free radical mass and lactic acid (general acidosis) implications.

[Flowrider]

That's awesome! I've never heard of this. Thanks for sharing.

Neat info from you 2. It'll be so helpful with recovery after a ride

Thanks 🙏🏻😊

[ReapThaWhirlwind]

Stacking L-Citrulline with L-Arginine is a pro move. Conversions chains can suffer if you won't supplement for the entire line, because they will get blackholed wherever you have a deficit. Sometimes, high-end chain compounds that you might supplement for directly will get broken down to fill the need of previous chain compounds that you're at a deficit for.

I find the best method is to cover the entire spectrum if you can, or cover the bottom chain and the top chain for the coverage.

For a compound like NAD+ for example, it's like a six step conversion from Niacin to NAD+. What you'd want to do, is cover the bottom of the chain with Niacin, then also cover the NAD+ directly (liposomal) and let those two edges blend in together metabolically.

Note that sometimes food additives have special metabolic properties that you don't get told about outright, or that misinformation will present to you as bad. Such as Sodium Nitrite, which is a direct precursor to Nitric Oxide. Foods with sodium nitrite, such as corned beef hash become excellent food staples to boost NO while covering other precious metabolic needs.

[SPINMAN]

That's a good stack. Here is more info on increasing NO efficiency.

How each supplement increases nitric oxide
1. Beetroot powder — Direct nitrate pathway but Beetroot contains inorganic nitrates, which convert to nitrite via oral bacteria, then to nitric oxide in the body. This is a direct and efficient pathway, especially for endurance, blood pressure, and circulation. but, Effectiveness depends on oral bacteria — antibacterial mouthwash can block the effect.

2. L‑Citrulline — Most reliable NO booster. Citrulline converts to arginine, which your endothelium uses to make NO, so It bypasses first‑pass metabolism, so it raises blood arginine levels more effectively than arginine itself.
Best for gym pumps, strength training, and general NO support.

3. L‑Arginine — Direct precursor but poorly absorbed. That's why I don't do l-arginine. Although arginine is the direct substrate for NO production, oral arginine is heavily broken down in the gut and liver, making it the least effective of the three.

Which one increases nitric oxide the most?
Supplement Pathway Effectiveness Best For
L‑Citrulline Citrulline → Arginine → NO ⭐ Most reliable Pumps, strength, general NO
Beetroot powder Nitrate → Nitrite → NO ⭐ Very effective Endurance, blood pressure
L‑Arginine Arginine → NO ⭐ Least effective Budget option only

Bottom line:

Citrulline = strongest and most consistent NO booster

Beetroot = very effective, especially for endurance and circulation

Arginine = mostly ineffective due to digestion losses