| Getting a good pump is the hallmark of a great workout. Nothing is worse than going to the gym and not having a good pump, the muscles feel flat. Vasodilation is the process of your blood vessels opening up. Think of your veins like a garden hose, if the hose is tight and inflexible, the water is not going to flow thru the hose well. Supplements that increase nitric oxide (NO), open up the hose and make your veins flexible allowing more blood to flow thru them. L-Norvaline is an analog of the branched chain amino acid Valine. Norvaline contributes to the NO boost by inhibiting an enzyme called arginase, which break down arginine. Thus norvaline keeps arginine around for longer and prevents its breakdown, thus increasing its NO boosting time. L-norvaline, research suggests, could improve blood flow, increase your production of L-arginine, and increase nitric oxide levels. L-norvaline also exhibits anti-inflammatory properties independently of its effect on inhibition of arginase activity and increased NO production. |
There are no official recommendations for supplementing with Norvaline. However, theoretically it should be taken around 30-45 minutes prior to training and at a dose of at least 100mg per serve.
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El-Bassossy HM, El-Fawal R, Fahmy A, Watson ML. Arginase inhibition alleviates hypertension in the metabolic syndrome. Br J Pharmacol. 2013 Jun;169(3):693-703.
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