Blog Supplied by Zombie Labs
Achieving the elusive “pump” during exercise is more than just a satisfying experience — it represents a physiological state where blood vessels expand, delivering increased nutrients, oxygen, and key performance molecules to your muscles. This vasodilation not only fuels strength and endurance but also promotes long-term muscle growth and recovery. In this article, we’ll break down how vasodilation enhances training outcomes and explore key ingredients that can boost your pump, including citrulline, citrulline malate, pine bark extract, L-norvaline, amentoflavone, S7®, sodium, potassium, beta-alanine, and taurine.
The Benefits of Vasodilation for Performance and Muscle Growth
Increased Blood Flow for Strength and Endurance:
During exercise, vasodilation occurs as blood vessels widen, allowing more blood to flow to active muscles. This ensures that oxygen and nutrients, such as glucose and amino acids, are rapidly delivered to where they are needed most, while also facilitating the removal of metabolic waste products like lactic acid.
Enhanced Muscle Growth and Recovery:
A greater blood flow translates to more efficient nutrient delivery post-exercise. The pump stretches muscle cells and fascia, which can enhance muscle protein synthesis and promote hypertrophy. Moreover, vasodilation ensures the timely delivery of essential compounds, such as creatine and amino acids, accelerating recovery.
Improved Cellular Signalling and Endurance:
Nitric oxide (NO2), a vasodilator produced in response to certain stimuli, plays a crucial role in increasing blood flow during exercise. This not only supports strength and endurance but also triggers cellular mechanisms associated with vascular health, metabolic efficiency, and muscle adaptation over time.
Physiological Mechanisms of Vasodilation
When nitric oxide is released from the endothelial cells lining blood vessels, it relaxes smooth muscle tissues, causing vasodilation. Key ingredients in supplements can increase the availability of nitric oxide and optimize this process. Let’s explore how individual ingredients contribute to the pump and enhance vasodilation.
Ingredients That Boost Vasodilation and the Pump
Citrulline
Citrulline is a non-essential amino acid that serves as a precursor to arginine, which then converts to nitric oxide. Unlike arginine, citrulline is more bioavailable because it avoids first-pass metabolism in the liver and arginase enzymes in the stomach, ensuring greater NO production.
How It Works: Increases nitric oxide levels by converting to arginine, which then converts to NO2, relaxing blood vessels.
Citrulline Malate: Citrulline malate is a compound that combines citrulline with malic acid, which plays a role in the Krebs cycle, enhancing energy production.
How It Works: In addition to promoting nitric oxide production, malic acid helps reduce lactic acid buildup and improves ATP generation.
Difference from Citrulline: Citrulline malate offers additional energy-boosting properties and reduces muscle soreness more effectively than pure citrulline. However, straight L-Citrulline provides 33% greater citrulline levels.
Pine Bark Extract (10:1)
Pine bark extract contains oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), powerful antioxidants that enhance nitric oxide production and improve blood vessel flexibility.
How It Works: OPCs reduce oxidative stress and promote nitric oxide availability, preventing premature NO breakdown and enhance endothelial ability to produce more NO2.
L-Norvaline
L-norvaline is a derivative of the amino acid valine and acts as an arginase inhibitor. Arginase is an enzyme that breaks down arginine, thereby reducing nitric oxide production. L-norvaline also helps recycle arginine, getting more bang for the buck.
How It Works: By inhibiting arginase, L-norvaline ensures more arginine is available for nitric oxide synthesis.
Amentoflavone
Amentoflavone is a naturally occurring bioflavonoid found in plants like ginkgo biloba and St. John’s Wort. It has been shown to enhance nitric oxide levels and improve calcium handling in muscle cells, which can amplify the pump.
How It Works: Amentoflavone supports nitric oxide production by inhibiting phosphodiesterase (PDE), an enzyme that breaks down cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which is critical for vasodilation.
Benefits: Increased activation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum resulting in greater muscle contractability and immediate dose dependent strength gains, improved vasodilation, enhanced muscular endurance, and stronger, more sustained pumps during workouts.
S7® (Trademarked Pump Blend)
S7® is a proprietary blend of seven plant-based ingredients, including green coffee bean extract, green tea, turmeric, tart cherry, blueberry, broccoli, and kale. This blend has been shown to increase nitric oxide production by stimulating the body’s own natural NO2 production.
How It Works: Unlike citrulline-based NO2 boosters, S7® acts by increasing the body’s endogenous nitric oxide output, promoting a natural pump effect.
Sodium and Potassium
Electrolytes like sodium and potassium play a vital role in maintaining fluid balance, nerve signalling, and muscle contractions, all of which are crucial for achieving an optimal pump.
How They Work: Sodium draws water into muscle cells, contributing to cell volumisation and the pump. Potassium ensures proper muscle contractions and prevents cramping during exercise.
Benefits:Improved hydration, better muscle function, and sustained endurance through enhanced electrolyte balance.
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid that regulates cellular hydration and electrolyte balance. It also acts as an antioxidant, reducing oxidative stress during exercise.
How It Works:Taurine helps draw water into muscle cells (osmolyte effect) and promotes cellular hydration, amplifying the pump and reducing muscle fatigue.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine increases muscle carnosine levels, buffering hydrogen ions that accumulate during high-intensity exercise. This delays fatigue and allows for longer, more intense workouts.
How It Works: While beta-alanine does not directly increase nitric oxide, it prevents lactic acid buildup, allowing athletes to push harder and extend time under tension. Increased time under tension is likely to increase blood flow and the pump.
Conclusion: The Science Behind the Pump
Achieving the perfect pump isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a sign of optimized blood flow, nutrient delivery, and cellular hydration. By understanding the science of vasodilation and using ingredients like citrulline, citrulline malate, amentoflavone, S7®, pine bark extract, L-norvaline, beta-alanine, taurine, and key electrolytes, you can take your training to the next level. Whether you’re chasing strength, endurance, or muscle growth, the right combination of these ingredients can unlock the performance boost you need.
Pro Tip: Consider adding these ingredients in post exercise to keep the perpetual pump going which will deliver more nutrients to support accelerated recovery and growth.
Now, it’s time to fuel your next workout and experience the power of the pump!
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