Arginine supplements have anabolic effect on power lifters

jim_a

Bodybuilders or power lifters who start to use L-arginine are likely to progress faster. According to a Polish study that will be published soon in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, high doses of this amino acid increase the production of IGF-1 and growth hormone.

The most popular supplements that contain L-arginine and its analogues or precursors are the NO boosters. If you take 10 g L-arginine or a precursor of this daily, they may well work. That’s the dose that the Poles gave to 9 power lifters aged between 18 and 33 for 3 weeks. To be precise: the test subjects took 3 g L-arginine, 2.2 g L-ornithine and a humongous 12 mg vitamin B12, twice a day. Ornithine is a precursor of arginine. A control group of 8 athletes took a placebo.

The Poles got the power lifters to do only a few sets in the 3 weeks that the study lasted. The lifters just did bench press, squats and dead lifts. For each exercise they did 5-8 sets of 1-3 reps. The load was 90-120 percent of the weight at which they could just manage 1 rep.

During the 3 weeks that the study lasted the concentration of growth hormone increased in the arginine users. That’s not so surprising. Arginine is a limiting factor for the production of growth hormone. If you give people arginine, they make more growth hormone.

In the arginine users the concentration of IGF-1 also rose, but by less.

The supplement had little effect on the binding protein IGFBP-3, and no effect on the cortisol and testosterone levels. The supplement also had only a very small effect on muscle damage markers such as lactic acid [LA] and lactic acid dehydrogenase [LDH]. This may be because the subjects’ training volume was so small and they didn’t train at failure. So they didn’t train hard enough. If they had trained harder, the supplement may have had an effect.

The positive effects on growth hormone and IGF-1 should be big enough to enhance muscle growth. In theory. But whether L-arginine supplementation really results in more strength or muscle mass is difficult to tell from the study.

By the way, the supplements industry doesn’t claim that NO boosters increase muscle growth because of the growth factors they supply. The industry claims that L-arginine is converted into nitrogen monoxide, NO. And NO supposedly enhances the anabolic processes in the muscle cells.

Source:
J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Apr;24(4):1082-90.

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jim_a All the Truth Member Messaggi: 541 Data registrazione: May 2008	Arginine supplements have anabolic effect on power lifters - 25-04-2010, 11:54 PM Arginine supplements have anabolic effect on power lifters Bodybuilders or power lifters who start to use L-arginine are likely to progress faster. According to a Polish study that will be published soon in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, high doses of this amino acid increase the production of IGF-1 and growth hormone. The most popular supplements that contain L-arginine and its analogues or precursors are the NO boosters. If you take 10 g L-arginine or a precursor of this daily, they may well work. That’s the dose that the Poles gave to 9 power lifters aged between 18 and 33 for 3 weeks. To be precise: the test subjects took 3 g L-arginine, 2.2 g L-ornithine and a humongous 12 mg vitamin B12, twice a day. Ornithine is a precursor of arginine. A control group of 8 athletes took a placebo. The Poles got the power lifters to do only a few sets in the 3 weeks that the study lasted. The lifters just did bench press, squats and dead lifts. For each exercise they did 5-8 sets of 1-3 reps. The load was 90-120 percent of the weight at which they could just manage 1 rep. During the 3 weeks that the study lasted the concentration of growth hormone increased in the arginine users. That’s not so surprising. Arginine is a limiting factor for the production of growth hormone. If you give people arginine, they make more growth hormone. In the arginine users the concentration of IGF-1 also rose, but by less. The supplement had little effect on the binding protein IGFBP-3, and no effect on the cortisol and testosterone levels. The supplement also had only a very small effect on muscle damage markers such as lactic acid [LA] and lactic acid dehydrogenase [LDH]. This may be because the subjects’ training volume was so small and they didn’t train at failure. So they didn’t train hard enough. If they had trained harder, the supplement may have had an effect. The positive effects on growth hormone and IGF-1 should be big enough to enhance muscle growth. In theory. But whether L-arginine supplementation really results in more strength or muscle mass is difficult to tell from the study. By the way, the supplements industry doesn’t claim that NO boosters increase muscle growth because of the growth factors they supply. The industry claims that L-arginine is converted into nitrogen monoxide, NO. And NO supposedly enhances the anabolic processes in the muscle cells. Source: J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Apr;24(4):1082-90.