L-Arginine. When IS the best time to take?

[TrueAmateur]

re-bump .. I bought L arginine yesterday and after reading this I don't have a clue but I understand it does change when you take it.
basically leaving pre-post workout out, best in the morning just before breakfast, or in the night just before bedtime?

Basically, you take it in the off-time. Like when your not going to be working out for the next few hours. That's what gives me the best results anyways... well did, I don't mess with any supplements anymore.

[iceman5422]

Bumpity bump.

Still can't get my head round taking this on an empty stomach. Surely it's a big no-no for someone aiming to build muscle to ever have an empty stomach?

There just doesn't seem to be a best time to take Arginine to maximum effect!

Am I right or wrong?

i taken it at bedtime after a big dinner after practice and within a week notice improvements

[rachaelwasiak]

re-bump .. I bought L arginine yesterday and after reading this I don't have a clue but I understand it does change when you take it.
basically leaving pre-post workout out, best in the morning just before breakfast, or in the night just before bedtime?

I personally think the best time to take it would be an 1hr before bed.
When you think about it, if you repair at night wont you get better workouts during the day?
I don't get why so many people are confused. People are always after the magic answer.

[An Inconvenient Bro]

take it back for a refund or take it to the trash bin

[timothyanaus]

Not for nothing, but I just looked at the back of my cheapo bottle and it says " ...take one capsule daily, preferably in between meals." Seems pretty simple then. Take it on an emptyish stomach.

[CytoRoc]

i took it before workouts and after. man, i just loaded up on it and saw the benefits reap. really, broscience will tell you one thing. pure science will tell you another.

my take.. sh** man, take it whenever lol i take 4 capsules daily and feel great.

[muscleshakes]

Everyone on this site can laugh hit I love glutimine and I supp with Arginine too. I can tell a big difference in my gut health when I'm taking glutimine 3 times a day. I stopped taking glutimine for couple months and noticed I Wanst recovering as fast. It's a good supp to take 5 grams in Morning 5 after I lift and 5 before bed. I got a buddy to take it he doesn't even lift but his stomach was hurting and he always had heartburn. Doctors said he was fine all test showed nothing Wrong. They said he had gerd. Anyways he took glutimine and has been on since. It helps detoxify the body.

[FaintReality]

I take 2g of arginine and citrulline at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Super cheap if you buy bulk powder.

[rhadam]

Everyone on this site can laugh hit I love glutimine and I supp with Arginine too. I can tell a big difference in my gut health when I'm taking glutimine 3 times a day. I stopped taking glutimine for couple months and noticed I Wanst recovering as fast. It's a good supp to take 5 grams in Morning 5 after I lift and 5 before bed. I got a buddy to take it he doesn't even lift but his stomach was hurting and he always had heartburn. Doctors said he was fine all test showed nothing Wrong. They said he had gerd. Anyways he took glutimine and has been on since. It helps detoxify the body.

no. just no lol.

I take 2g of arginine and citrulline at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Super cheap if you buy bulk powder.

waste of money.

[FaintReality]

waste of money.

Elaborate

[B1LL1ST1C]

came in to say never then noticed thread was from 08 lol. supplemental arginine does not increase nitric oxide expression with exception to placebo only. citrulline, nitrates, agmatine are all the way to go

[rhadam]

Elaborate

Supplemental arginine is basically worthless and if you're going to supplement citrulline i'd dose it pre workout.

[Rami01]

First thing in the morning, at least 1 hour before breakfast.

Last thing before bed, on an empty stomach.

[JayLS1-327]

never o'clock

take it back for a refund or take it to the trash bin

And this ^^

Dave, everytime I drink butterscotch my nips get hard. Is that normal?

[Mr.Creatine]

i used to take it preworkout for a month, didn't notice anything.
after 2 weeks of taking 2g at nighttime, it seems to work on my 'other' muscle.

[itzDodge]

Supplemental arginine is basically worthless and if you're going to supplement citrulline i'd dose it pre workout.

For pumps it might be lacking any value but they're other lesser known benefits to arginine that might make it worth it to use.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20619625

Dietary Arg supplementation increased mRNA levels for fatty acid synthase in muscle, while decreasing those for lipoprotein lipase, glucose transporter-4, and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase-α in adipose tissue. Additionally, mRNA levels for hormone sensitive lipase were higher in adipose tissue of Arg-supplemented pigs compared with control pigs. These results indicate that Arg differentially regulates expression of fat-metabolic genes in skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue, therefore favoring lipogenesis in muscle but lipolysis in adipose tissue. Our novel findings provide a biochemical basis for explaining the beneficial effect of Arg in improving the metabolic profile in mammals (including obese humans).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16772327
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15795423

[DJDEPTA]

Arginine is the main ingredient in any NO booster worth its price because it's readily converted to NO. Most people experience good results with NO boosters; if you haven't, there might be a problem with the way you're using them.

This should help and clear things up on this thread, read below..

Timing: Again, as with most supplements, timing is everything with arginine. The most critical time to get a dose is about 45-60 minutes before workouts to maximize your NO levels, which in turn dilates your blood vessels to deliver more oxygen, critical nutrients (such as glucose and amino acids) and anabolic hormones to your muscles. This increase in blood flow also creates a greater pump during your workout. Arginine taken at this time boosts growth hormone (GH) levels during and after the workout, as well. Consider taking one dose in the morning and one before bed to keep your NO levels high throughout the day, regulate muscle growth and spike GH levels while you sleep.

On Empty: When did you eat last? Since arginine is absorbed much better when taken on an empty stomach, try to take it no sooner than an hour after your last meal and close to an hour before you eat something. This timing can get tricky before workouts, since you want to ingest a protein shake immediately before training. Therefore, take your arginine product about 45-60 minutes before downing the protein shake, then do your workout immediately afterward.

Form: The simplest form of arginine is L-arginine. Research shows this form is effective, yet some scientists suggest it can be poorly absorbed by the body. If you find you're getting poor results from L-arginine, try one of this amino's other forms, such as arginine alpha-ketoglutarate or arginine ethyl ester; these forms are believed to be better absorbed by the intestines. A study from Baylor University (Waco, Texas) found that test subjects who took an arginine alpha-ketoglutarate supplement gained significantly more strength in the bench press than those who took a placebo.

Amount: Most guys should do well with 3-5 grams of arginine at each dosing time. A 1982 study published in the Copenhagen journal Acta Endocronologica, however, reported that subjects who took about 115 mg of arginine per pound of bodyweight, which equates to about 20 grams per day for a 180-pounder, improved their nighttime GH peak by an average of 60%. If you take arginine three times a day, you may need to boost each dose of arginine to 7 grams or more to get a decent increase in your GH levels.

Sidekicks: For the body to convert arginine to NO, it must rely on the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS) to catalyze the conversion. If this enzyme's activity isn't maximized, then upping the amount of arginine you take may not be enough to boost NO production in your body. Increase NOS activity by taking arginine along with supplements that improve NOS activity, such as 50-100 mg of pycnogenol or 100-200 mg of standardized American ginseng.

I hope that helped!

[Mattouven]

What I honestly still do not understand, and why shockingly and blatantly no one has even brought this up once yet besides the guy who made this one thread after me doing a lot of research to find the answer which I still haven't, is to how in the world am I to bloody get my casein protein(almost two cups worth of dry curd cottage cheese with some greek yogurt) in my stomach before bed if everyone is stating to take this on an empty stomach? I will bloody wake up starving a couple hours later in the night. No, moreover, I will not even be able to go to bed before I get my body its needs for feasting during the night and the last thing any aspiring bodybuilder wants is to be put into a catabolic state. Where is honestly the benefits in that, going to bed on an empty stomach when taking this? Yes I understand there are competing factors if there is another protein source in your stomach at the same time, but still, when relating to most vitamins(especially multivitamins), for better and more thorough absorption, they are to be taken with food without any question so the minerals and nutrients can be transported through the body. Anyone please...attest this.

[nevergain]

The best time to take L-arginine is back in 2008 when this thread was relevant.

Mattouven, you don't need cottage cheese before bed. The most important thing is you reach your overall protien goal for the day. Have a read through the stickies in the nutrition section and don't overthink the going catabolic stuff.

[addictR3]

I'd go for Agmatine over Arginine.

[Mattouven]

Hm. Very interesting. Yeah I do tend to be a bit committed in myself to eat before bed. I am one who has as very high metabolism, one who could very well be called a hardgainer. And yeah honestly I will not lie, ever since finding out about catabolism within the body, it sort of scared me a little and ever since I would make sure that would not take place. I do believe it is better to be safe than sorry to put some good nutrients down the hatch before bed though. I view our bodies as furnaces, just roll along with this analogy. During the night when the living space tends to want to get cold, you need to have that stove stoked and burning good so everything is kept on track and in safety. If you choose to not keep your living space comfortable(our bodies), things could get a little serious and a bit desperate! Having other things (our muscles) being used for the burning. Oh and on a side note, I have been taking Arginine and Ornithine by NOW Sports for three nights now...I can not recall sleeping this deep and good, having such vivid dreams like this in possibly ever. This stuff is above and beyond. And this is clearly beyond a placebo because it is only so bloody noticeable and just a simply straight fact that I truly have a bigger pump and a way higher energy than I have ever had before, and even before it was pretty up there but something honestly went through the roof here.

The best time to take L-arginine is back in 2008 when this thread was relevant.

Mattouven, you don't need cottage cheese before bed. The most important thing is you reach your overall protien goal for the day. Have a read through the stickies in the nutrition section and don't overthink the going catabolic stuff.