To start off, many of you are familiar with attaining that juicy pump in the gym. If not, think about after squatting and your legs swelling so much that it may become daunting trying to find pants to wear to a wedding function. Or perhaps after having a gruesome arm day, causing your arms to enlarge so much that your family friends ponder on how you have gotten so big.

This happens as a result of the increasing blood flow brought to that particular muscle from the dilation of your blood vessels. Nonetheless, I am going to explain to you the importance behind nitric oxide, which many of you may already be familiar with, or may have used a supplement proclaiming to be a nitric oxide booster.

To start off, your body needs to maintain its internal environment to withhold a sufficient amount of oxygen to be present for all of your bodily functions. As a particular muscle requires the need for more oxygen to be used, such as a contraction, your body’s circulatory system will be signaled to rush more blood into that area to recuperate for its used up oxygen.

Your internal environment’s supply of oxygen prevails as a source of energy to perform any physical activity. As a particular region begins to receive more oxygen, your body as an entity is losing oxygen as the circulatory system rushes blood (which contains oxygen) into that area. That is why after performing an excruciating exercise, you are gasping for as much air as possible. Your body needs oxygen to survive and needs to avoid transcending its own supply.

Nitric oxides relevance to this is that it lingers within the human body in the form of a gas molecule. This gas molecule exists closest near the vessels of your smooth muscle cells. It precedes transmitting signals that correlate to the body’s physiological movements; thus, your muscles rely on its ability to convey messages towards your brain.

Moreover, its relevance towards getting a pump is that as a certain muscle contracts, nitric oxide will diffuse throughout the blood into the vessels of the smooth muscle tissue, inducing them to “relax” and causing the surface area for blood flow to widen. This is also known as your blood vessels becoming dilated, or less constricted.

Nitric oxide is not a supplement itself. In fact, nitric oxide is continuously being made in your body but its formulation can be stimulated with external sources that contain amino acid L-arginine (Arginine). As certain enzymes react with these molecules, your body begins to produce more nitric oxide and is a bridge towards the facilitation of blood to demanding areas.  

One supplement of my choice is: citrulline malate. L-citrulline is an amino acid that has been known to convert itself into arginine and promotes high levels of nitric oxide production; therefore, being an arginine precursor.  

As a whole, as a muscle acquires a larger capacity for nutrients to be allotted, such as an increasing amount of blood flow, the muscles can be more competent to greater levels of physical strain and lead towards more endurance. Nitric oxide aids in this process because its production is related to signals that provoke physiological functions, such as increasing the volume for blood intake in a specific area. Nitric oxide is exquisitely important; as it can only made within your body, but it’s production rate can be stimulated upon your body acquiring extra arginine (or citrulline). Even so, you can acquire these amino acids from simply eating foods like peanut butter, salmon, shrimp and many more. A greater enlargement will proceed to allow for more hypertrophy and gaining more muscle mass!

Here is a list of foods which contain arginine: 

Turkey
Pork Loin
Lentils
Pumpkin Seeds 
Walnuts 
Edamame 
Tuna
Tilapia 
Quinoa 
Oatmeal 

Author: Ameron Bhaala | IG: @ameronbhaala