Arginine is known in sports and medicine as a substance that is beneficial for treating low libido and erectile dysfunction, lowering blood pressure, strengthening the immune system, alleviating cardiovascular problems, stimulating natural growth hormone production, and improving blood supply to organs and tissues, including muscles.
Most of these properties are explained by the fact that when it enters the body, the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) in the blood increases, which has a vasodilating effect.
While arginine is one of the most popular types of sports nutrition, numerous scientific facts suggest the dubious benefits of its additional intake as a supplement. See Arginine in bodybuilding: benefits, harms… uselessness | Scientific facts.
In the mentioned material, we compared information from popular internet resources (bodybuilding.com 1 and flexonline.com 2) with scientific data. The result was not in favor of the former.
In this article, we will discuss how to properly take arginine in sports and bodybuilding. We will also do this in a comparative style: we will compare recommendations from the same platforms (bodybuilding.com and flexonline.com) with what scientists and experts say.
Main thoughts:
How to take arginine?
Instructions for taking arginine from flexonline.com & Jim Stoppani
Jim recommends taking arginine 30-60 minutes before a workout to dilate blood vessels and improve the saturation of muscles with nutrients, oxygen, and anabolic hormones. This will increase energy levels, allowing for more active and longer training sessions.
He also advises taking a dose after a workout to enhance recovery and stimulate growth.
Another important time for taking arginine he mentions is in the morning and before bed 30-60 minutes before sleep to improve recovery and muscle growth.
Arginine is best taken on an empty stomach as it is better absorbed.
Forms of arginine: There are three forms of arginine: L-arginine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, and arginine ethyl ester. They differ in absorption rates: L-arginine has the lowest absorption, while the other two are much higher.
Dose: Jim recommends taking 3-5 grams per serving.
If using arginine ethyl ester, the dose can be reduced to 2-3 grams. If your goal is to increase growth hormone levels, the dose should be 9 g (for L-arginine) and 6 g for arginine ethyl ester, as 3-5 g convert to nitric oxide (NO), so additional grams are needed to enhance growth hormone production.
To enhance the effect of arginine, Jim Stoppani recommends taking a whole range of other supplements:
- citrulline: this amino acid increases energy as well as the level of arginine in the blood;
- pycnogenol: increases the activity of nitric oxide synthase – the enzyme necessary for converting arginine into nitric oxide;
- vitamin C – to prevent the breakdown of nitric oxide in the blood;
- rutaecarpine – for even greater vasodilation and increased blood flow.
Jim Stoppani provides remarkably detailed instructions on how to take arginine in bodybuilding: before workouts, after, in the morning, and before bed. He also knows the specific dosages of arginine needed to increase nitric oxide levels (5 g) and growth hormone (another 4 g)…
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Instructions for taking arginine from bodybuilding.com:
“Clear recommendations on how to take arginine have not been established by doctors and scientists.” (However, Jim Soppani has established them).
“It is better to follow this principle: gradually increase the dose and observe the body’s response.
Start with a small dose in the first week, then increase it the next week. And so on, until you achieve a balance between the optimal positive effects for yourself and the side effects.
Keep in mind that manufacturers often enrich sports proteins with arginine. Consider this when calculating the dose. “
The resource bodybuilding.com indicates that there are no clear recommendations on how to take arginine in sports. The optimal approach is to gradually increase the dose until side effects appear.
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How to take arginine from the perspective of scientists
As shown in the material about what arginine is and what it is needed for in bodybuilding, the effectiveness of arginine intake in sports is not definitively proven: the results of scientific studies are very contradictory and vary in different experiments, even when the dosages are the same.
Since scientific evidence regarding almost all the benefits of arginine, for which it is taken in sports, is contradictory, it is incorrect to speak of specific dosage values and optimal timing for intake. As shown, the body’s response to additional arginine intake is highly individual.
As with all other amino acids, the practice of taking them separately is common in bodybuilding, it is necessary to first answer the question: is there any point in taking them as supplements if they are already present in protein (provided there is an adequate amount in the diet)?
In bodybuilding, the practice of consuming individual amino acids with positive properties for athletes is indeed widespread. This particularly concerns amino acids such as BCAA, glutamine, carnitine (not an amino acid, but a structurally similar substance), leucine, and arginine.
But this certainly does not mean that it is correct.
Scientists question such an approach for many reasons. One of them is that an excessive amount of any single amino acid negatively affects the amino acid balance in the body 3.
For more arguments, see the material on the opinions of doctors and scientists regarding the advisability of taking amino acids in sports.
Scientific studies show that the body’s response to additional intake of arginine is very individual. This means that the dose at which desirable positive effects of arginine may manifest varies for different people; there is also a possibility that there may be no effects at any doses.
We recommend: BCAA Amino Acids: What Are They Needed for in Bodybuilding?
webmd.com 4: “Our body produces L-arginine in the necessary amount on its own. Additional intake in the form of a supplement is rarely necessary and may only be beneficial in a state of deficiency.“
examine.com 5 (a trustworthy resource that provides scientific reviews of various types of sports nutrition and more): “The standard dosage of arginine in sports and bodybuilding is 3-6 g before training.
To maintain elevated levels of arginine in the body throughout the day, it can be taken 3 times a day; the total dose being 15-18 g.
L-citrulline is more effective in increasing arginine levels in the blood over a longer period.
Taking more than 10 g of arginine in one dose may lead to digestive side effects.“
Experts from examine.com talk about the greater effectiveness of L-citrulline in increasing arginine levels in the blood and recommend taking it specifically.
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Who is recommended to take arginine?
And one more curious point.
Honestly, sometimes articles about sports nutrition on well-known sites read like jokes.
Look at how bodybuilding.com answers the question “Who is recommended to take arginine?“:
“Everyone. There is especially high demand for arginine in children, infants, athletes, obese individuals, and the elderly, as well as in cases of erectile or sexual dysfunction (without a source).
Arginine is beneficial for athletes during intense training as it strengthens the immune system. It is also useful after a course of steroids, as steroid use often leads to increased blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels. Arginine has been shown to alleviate these side effects (without a source).
Due to arginine’s property of increasing growth hormone levels, enhancing lipid oxidation, lowering blood pressure, and reducing the size of arterial plaques, it may be beneficial for those suffering from obesity.
It is unlikely that arginine can be recommended for EVERYONE.
Aside from some medical cases mentioned at the very beginning, it may also be useful for:
- Athletes. Give it a try and share your experience with us in the comments.
- Those losing weight. Give it a try, there is a theoretical basis for some of its effectiveness for weight loss.
- For men and women with reduced libido. Give it a try. If the effects of arginine in your body meet the expectations and claims of manufacturers, then improved blood flow to the sexual organs may help address the issue.
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Conclusion
Analysis of information from popular online resources and scientific sources shows a fundamental difference in recommendations on how to take arginine in sports and bodybuilding in particular.
Scientists talk about individual sensitivity to arginine and that the effect of its intake may be completely absent, while popular online stores represented by well-known “experts” provide precise dosage values (down to the gram) and timing of intake.
