Arginine

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by embra, Dec 6, 2011.

  1. embra

    embra Valued Member

    As I am currently too busy with work and studies to train a lot of MA (2 years ago I was training 5 sessions a week, now its about 1 session a week); I am looking more at diet to keep myself reasonably healthy, such that I can get back to more sustained training later, when life gets a bit organised.

    As such I am often trying out ways to make my diet as nutritionally healthy as manageably possible and use some supplements here and there, as much as anything else to see if I can detect any effects and benefits.

    One Bagua teacher that I have recently started training with (he only holds monthly workshops) recommended Arginine to me as a way to gain cardio-vascular performance. If you google Arginine you will see that it can give some benefit, but it is apparently in plentiful supply in the average diet.

    This then begs the question, could it be detrimental to try Arginine - say on a limited basis? My preference is to try supplements out, but not take them regularly.

    The only supplement that I take regularly is Omega 3 supplement, as it is almost impossible to obtain this naturally in the recommended doses (unless you are an Eskimo eating oily fish every day, 3 meals a day.)

    I recall some folks here being quite knowledgable on these kind of subjects, so any feedback and info is welcome.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2011
  2. seiken steve

    seiken steve golden member

    I would not use arginine to improve cardio (if that's what your instructor meant) however arginine is known to cause vasodilation and increase blood flow (body builders used to use it to improve 'pump' and it is used often in the 'adult movie' industry) however recent research indicates that pre or post workout arginine can acctually blunt the GH response of exercise.

    Arginine can be used to help GH pulsing when taken on an empty stomac and you aren't going to be doing any exercise, I use it first thing in the morning (1g arginine and 3g BCAA taken in a shot glass as soon as I wake) I honestly haven't noticed any difference from when I was just using BCAA but I have a big tub to get through so I'll keep at it and keep you updated. I have noticed I'm slightly more vascular but I have recently gained some weight and leaned out somewhat so that could explain it.
    Additionally I have noticed more of a 'pump' when training but I put that down to the higher carb consumption/being totally awesome.

    If your going to be inconsistent with your supplement routine you may as well not bother, supps are part of my diet and therefore I keep them as consistent as my diet is.

    Personally I don't think I'll be getting arginine again, I haven't seen enough benefits to justify not just spending the money on some BCAAs or whey.

    Honestly if your looking for a supp to improve your cardio then you're looking at things the wrong way, go and run, do some sprints and save 20 quid or whatever the cost of arginine is these days,
     
  3. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Most of it is supplement hype. I've written several long bits on it here at MAP. There was a time several years back when the supplements industry was hyping beta-Alanine along with citruline malate along with L-Arginine as the next biggest thing. If you read the labels on lots of the supplements that contained it... most of it was mixed into a proprietary blend where they aren't required to tell you how much caffeine is actually in the mix... and there's almost always caffeine in the mix.

    Which right off is a red flag. As a died-in-the-wool caffeine addict and life long coffee drinker... in order for me to feel the hit I need a MASSIVE dose. The times I was training and supplementing on a regular basis with it... it had to have had a mega dose of caffeine because it amped me.

    Feel focused? Feel pumped? Feel 110% switched on? Feel like you could go for another hour at full tilt? Feel like you could go 10 more rounds?

    Of course you do.. that's got nothing to do with the supplements listed above and everything to do with the MASSIVE dose of caffeine you just ingested. :rolleyes: For most people... if they took what they spend on supplements and invested that same amount in good sleep and a proper diet... they'd be much further ahead. But... supplements industry hype is slick and people learn a few chemical terms and they feel empowered. It's as bad as the pharma industry only perhaps less regulated.
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2011
  4. seiken steve

    seiken steve golden member

    Certainly good points slip, but I cqnt help but feel you were addressing the use of arginine containing (crap) supps, NOexplode and the like.

    I'd be curious to here your thoughts on a the use pure arginine products, as I say I've pure arginine caps that I use with BCAA caps immediately upon waking, (my thoughts are posted above )
     

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