so i am currently cutting and was reading an article where they suggested taking a NO supplement with no caffeine prior to going to bed. Has anyone tried this? I have heard time and time again that nitric oxide supplements such as No-xplode are a waste of money.
Caffeine isn’t good for sleep…and sleep is as vital as it gets in terms of physique enhancement.
Nuff said.
What better time to waste money than before bed.
What was their reasoning and evidence for this suggestion?
I am skeptical, but if there is validity behind this statement then it would be worth hearing out.
[quote]silverhydra wrote:
What was their reasoning and evidence for this suggestion?
I am skeptical, but if there is validity behind this statement then it would be worth hearing out.[/quote]
It said that “This arginine based supplement is also effective when taken before bed, when it can exert a profound surge in GH levels and support fat burning” then says “within 30-60 minutes of bedtime every night take a 5-10 gram dose of a nitric oxide supplement that does not contain caffeine on an empty stomach” i dunno could have been bullshit but sounded interesting so was wondering if anyone has tried that before
I remember doing the nitrix thing a couple years ago, only difference i noticed with the product was my morning wood was more intense.
Whats the def of “profound surge” is it higher than other “boosters” like GABA or melatonin
i would personally use things like GABA, or Melatonin besides even if they don’t have a profound surge of GH levels they may improve sleep quality whereas I don’t thing arginine does a thing for sleep
As for GH, my memory may be shoddy, but I recall some studies implicating arginine with increasing GH, but it was MUCH higher than 10g. I believe it was around 50g. And at this level there was something about gastrointestinal distress (which would ruin sleep).
Does Alpha-GPC increase GH before bed? I heard that CT takes A-GPC prior to bed, but the studies done on the compound only implicated that surge post-workout. I guess you could try that and hope for the best.
Exercise and sleep are some of the best ways to manipulate it, besides injecting it. Sleep quality is instrumental though, as to the amount of GH you produce (which occurs 1 hour into sleep) <= which is maximized by darkness of a room and diet rich in protein (and I’m sure other things). Lesson is to eat well (think low glycemic, aka bodybuilder diet --if you eat carbs throughout the day balance them with protein, and eat plenty of healthy fats. Also I would say to impose a carb cut off around 3-4 hours before bed - solely because carbs can and do affect sleep induced GH output. If you train in the evening, it’s a tricky situation though as you’re supposed to wait now at least 60 minutes post training (according to CT’s method) to take in carbs post workout as the catecholamines mess with insulin production. But high glycemic carbs and starchy carbs pre workout and at other times of the day can be okay if the BBer or athlete is training hard enough. Keep in mind though that carbs raise insulin, and insulin has an inverse relationship with HGH.
Also, hydration level has been shown to be positively correlated to HGH (although I think someone once mentioned (in a discussion on this site) to me the opposite is true, but I’m gonna go with what this study says until proven otherwise as this study looks pretty solid)
Abstract - http://www.eje-online.org/cgi/content/abstract/145/4/445?maxtoshow=&hits=80&RESULTFORMAT=1&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT
Full text - http://www.eje-online.org/cgi/reprint/145/4/445?maxtoshow=&hits=80&RESULTFORMAT=1&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT
As for training, you have to spend at least 10 minutes training at or above lactate threshold.
I think the whole amino acid thing is a little sketchy as I’ve seen studies and recommendations all across the board on this topic. Also studies have shown that multiple daily sessions can give rise to optimal human growth hormone (hGH) secretion over a 24-hour period. This last point is intuitive if you think about it… bust your ass several times a day and your body comp (presumably due to GH) will be drastically improved due to the constant high level of GH in your system. Also studies have shown that longer rest periods between the multiple daily session led to the highest daily output (at least 3 hours according to the study is adequate).
**If you are an athlete, I would say it’s more than okay to take in carbs post training in the few days leading up to an event though.
One article I read is pretty much sums it up nicely and is in line with most of the other research I’ve read to date:
In summary, then, exercise above lactate threshold induces the secretion of human growth hormone (hGH), promoting the use of fat as fuel. This, in turn, spares muscle carbohydrate, keeps body fat down and muscle mass high and enhances adaptation to specific exercise stimuli. The benefits are clear, but simply switching to high intensity work for the whole year is not the answer; rather, a periodized program, where the number of sprints or higher intensity workouts alters according to the competitive program, is the best way forward.
A suggested exercise and dietary strategy for optimizing human growth hormone (hGH) secretion is as follows:
* Exercise â?? three sessions per week, each involving at least 10 minutesâ?? work above lactate threshold or a number of sprints, with a 1:3 work-rest ratio;
* During exercise â?? plenty of plain water (ie 200 ml every 10-15 minutes if training in 18-21°C);
* After exercise â?? avoid sugar for two hours post exercise but take 25g protein immediately afterward in the form of either a protein shake, protein bar, lean meat or eggs
[quote]BT - (this is more or less what I do, although I get double or triple the protein suggestion using a CH pulse ~30 minutes post workout and a meal with salmon, eggs, shrimp, or chicken along with coconut oil - the MCTs (which are readily avail for energy) from coconut oil is great for a non carb source of calories IMO, but see below about fat… also the cholesterol from eggs/shrimp I feel is good for recovery but I don’t have any evidence to support this, at least not the timing aspect.), about another half hour after that.
If bulking and or not dieting you can easily up this amount of protein and coconut oil higher, and also you can feel free to have as much carbs as you like (if not right before bed)… so I advocate training early enough in the day to manage this [/quote]
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/human-growth-hormone.html
Also the author says “Before exercise â?? no fat for 60 minutes before, 2g glutamine 60-90 minutes before” but The glutamine thing sounds unsubstantiated, although I’m not saying it’s false. I’m also not sure about why the “no fat” preworkout thing is recommended. The other stuff looks solid though. Anybody??