A Personal Trainer Gives The REAL Reason We Should Be Taking A Nitric Oxide Booster
So there you are, you just got done with a weight training workout and find yourself feeling like a monster. Your muscles feel huge and you feel like your skin is stretched so tight it could pop. You attribute part of it to your workout and part of it to the Pre-Workout and/or Nitric Oxide supplement you took prior. In which case, you’d be right! We like to take our Nitric Oxide Boosting supplement to get a “pump” and “vascularity.” But what if I told you there is a different reason why you should be taking an N.O. Booster, the REAL reason you should be taking one?
It is time we get down to business. The real reason we should be taking it is to delay muscle fatigue i.e. lengthen our sets. I have found that when my clients take a nitric oxide boosting supplement 15-20 minutes prior to training can push their limits much higher. I have heard numbers in different trainings range from a 25-35% increase in ATP production. What is ATP? Well, instead of giving you a full physiology lesson, let’s keep it in Layman’s terms. Your cells use ATP to power things such as muscle contraction and cell communication. Raise your ATP and you raise your output, raise your output and you delay your onset of fatigue. Think of it this way, you did not take any Nitric Oxide Supplement prior to your workout. You complete 10 reps in a set of squats at a given weight, you couldn’t go for one more. Then, the next time you take an N.O. Booster prior to lifting, maybe that set of 10 reps at that weight becomes 12 or 13. Now you have finally hit your real max, your real failure, and that is where the magic happens. Remember when Muhammed Ali said something along the lines of he didn’t start counting until it hurts when referring to working out? That is because that is where we make our most progress. I like to think of it as “the first 90 percent of my reps are just a means to the last 10 percent.”
So there you have it, now you know the real reason of why you should take a supplement that boosts your Nitric Oxide levels. You’re pushing it harder and delaying your muscle fatigue. Oh but let’s not forget one thing, we DO love the pump and vascularity that comes with it, and there is nothing wrong with that either!
Shelby Johnson is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science. She was the head Rugby coach at a large university and has been deeply involved in fitness for more than 10 years. She currently is the Head Trainer at a prestigious private gym as well as a nutrition coach. She has lead hundreds of clients to a better life.
