L-Citrulline (fermented) โ 6,000 mg
Citrulline is a conditionally essential amino acid and and indirect precursor to nitric oxide (NO) synthesis.[1]
Recall that conditionally essential amino acids are those your bodyโs capable of making on its own, but not necessarily enough to meet all your nutritional needs. Being subjected to mental or physical stress โ in the form of sickness, injury, or even psychological pressure โ can actually increase your bodyโs need for the conditionally essential aminos, which usually makes supplementation necessary.
Citrulline to NO โ a roadmap
Although citrulline supplementation ultimately upregulates NO, itโs not the most direct precursor. Hereโs the process your body uses to convert citrulline into NO: Citrulline โ arginine โ NO.
Given that arginine is the direct NO precursor, why donโt we take that instead of citrulline? As it turns out, arginineโs oral bioavailability is poor โ the bioavailability of citrulline is so much higher that citrulline supplementation is actually more effective at raising arginine blood levels, which in turn boosts NO.[2,3]
Upregulation of NO is a highly desirable outcome for athletes and gym goers โ or more broadly, all who care about their cardiovascular health โ because NO triggers vasodilation, a mechanism that causes arterial diameter to increase, meaning the same volume of blood flows through a larger space. Thus, vasodilation leads to significant drops in blood pressure and heart rate, improves perfusion (especially in peripheral tissues), and eases the stain on your heart.[4-6]
Through these mechanisms, NO boosts tissue oxygenation, nutrient delivery, and metabolic waste disposal, all three of which add up to improved athletic performance and recovery. Athletic endurance, especially, seems to benefit from increased NO.
Studies on citrulline show that it can support athletes and their goals in several ways,[7-12] thanks to the improved blood flow and nutrient delivery it helps provide.
The Six Pillars of Kyowa Quality
Finally, citrulline supplementation can increase your bodyโs production of ornithine,[13] an amino acid thatโs responsible for clearing ammonia from the body.[14] Ammonia buildup creates both mental and physical exhaustion, so speeding up your bodyโs elimination of ammonia may have an indirect endurance-boosting result.
Ornithine can also increase metabolic rate and improve sleep quality while decreasing subjective feelings of stress. Ornithineโs ability to improve the bodyโs cortisol-to-DHEA ratio apparently plays a key role in this mechanism.[14]
Beta Alanine โ 3,200 mg
Beta alanine is an ergogenic aid โ a term that refers to any substance, device, technique, or treatment that enhances an individualโs energy utilization, efficiency, or performance during exercise.
Beta alanine reacts with the amino acid histidine to form a dipeptide molecule called carnosine, which your body uses to eliminate lactic acid from muscle tissue.[15] Since lactic acid (AKA lactate) buildup is a primary factor in the developing of both mental and physical exhaustion, slowing down the rate at which it accumulates has an endurance-boosting effect.
Peer-reviewed studies consistently show that beta alanine supplementation can increase athletic performance by delaying the onset of fatigue,[16,17] increasing power,[18] and, when taken long term, encouraging healthy body composition.[19]
The 3,200 mg dose used in Hosstility AMPED has been repeatedly shown to benefit the performance of exercises conducted for 30 seconds to 10 minutes.[15]
Donโt sweat the tingles
Fouad Abiad: The Mastermind Behind Hosstile
Itโs common, when taking beta alanine, to experience a tingling sensation in your face and upper body. If this happens to you, donโt worry about it โ research shows that this effect is totally benign.[20]
Betaine Anhydrous โ 2,500 mg
Betaine, sometimes referred to by its chemical name trimethylglycine (TMG), is, like beta alanine, an ergogenic aid. However, it acts via different mechanisms.
Methyl donation
Fundamentally, betaine works to improve performance by supporting mitochondrial respiration, thus upregulating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis.[21] Betaine can do this by serving as a methyl donor, meaning it carries methyl groups (chemical formula CH3) to places in the body where they are needed for carrying out key cellular-metabolic processes.[22] Betaine is, as a matter of fact, the most potent methyl donor known to science.[23]
One of methyl donorsโ most important benefits is helping the human body regulate serum homocysteine, an amino acid thatโs created as a metabolic byproduct of methionine metabolism. If homocysteine goes up too much, it can substantially increase your risk of cardiovascular disease,[24] so itโs definitely worth keeping under control.
A 2013 meta-analysis of the research literature on betaine found that this supplement can substantially lower homocysteine blood levels,[25] making it a great investment in long-term cardiovascular health and performance.
Osmolyte
As it turns out, betaine has multiple ergogenic mechanisms. In addition to being a methyl donor, betaine is also an osmolyte, a category of substances that possess the ability to manipulate cellular water balance. More specifically, betaine can increase your cellsโ water content, a state known as cellular hyperhydration in which cells enjoy better nutrient availability[26] and are more resilient in the face of heat stress.[27]
Research shows that this 2,500 mg dose of betaine, taken daily, can improve:
- Strength[28,29]
- Power[27,28,30-32]
- Body composition[26,33,34]
In one especially striking study, collegiate women who supplemented betaine during a resistance training program shed 4 pounds more fat than the placebo group.[33]
With that body of research, itโs no wonder why betaine is in nearly every single pre-workout supplement, and this is the dose to get it at!
Taurine โ 2,000 mg
Taurine is one of PricePlowโs favorite do-it-all ingredients. This conditionally essential amino acid has important benefits for both health and performance.
First, taurine is a potent antioxidant,[35,36] and is particularly good at defending your mitochondria from oxidative stress.[37] In neurons, taurine can actually cause mitochondrial biogenesis, the creation of new mitochondria, to occur.[37] Remember, mitochondria are the powerhouses of all your bodyโs cells โ they synthesize the cellular energy thatโs needed for the performance of all cellular-metabolic tasks.
Taurine also has neurotransmitter effects, and has relaxing, anti-anxiety effects on brain function,[38] while dampening neural inflammation.[39] At the same time, taurine increases dopamine synthesis and signaling, helping protect your dopaminergic neurons and improve their performance.[40,41] Basically, taurine is neuroprotective.
Taurineโs Benefits (endurance-wise) can be seen after a single use![42]
Taurine and caffeine โ a match made in heaven
Note that Hosstility AMPED contains a hefty 350 mg dose of caffeine, which is one reason why weโre glad to see taurine used in the formula โ there are important synergistic effects between caffeine and taurine that make this combination a no-brainer. For example, one study which, admittedly, used much higher doses of taurine and caffeine than are present in AMPED, found that these two supplements together boosted performance in elite boxers to a greater extent than either one alone.[43]
Osmolyte
Taurine is also, like betaine, an osmolyte, which is just another one of its ergogenic mechanisms. So, just like betaine, it confers all the performance-enhancing benefits of cellular hyperhydration, like more efficient cellular waste elimination and resistance to heat stress.[44,45]
According to a 2018 meta-analysis, even one dose of just 1,000 mg taurine โ only half of what we have in Hosstility AMPED โ can significantly increase athletic endurance.[42]
Taurine can also enhance muscular electrolyte function,[46] and help decrease muscle cramps.[47] A study at a 1.66 gram dose โ less than what we have here โ also found that taurine led to increased fat oxidation.[48]
Combined with betaine and sea salt (next), youโll see quite a nice hydration component here in Hosstility Amped โ and we havenโt even gotten to the true nootropics yet!
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt โ 789 mg
Pink himalayan salt is an excellent source of electrolytes. Donโt fear the sodium!! We need it for optimal training!
Pink Himalayan salt is recognized for its significant electrolyte and trace mineral content, but still consists mostly of sodium โ itโs roughly 39% sodium by weight, so this 789 mg dose yields roughly 300 mg of sodium.
Outside of our athletic circles, sodium can get a bad wrap, but we know the truth โ that this mineral is an electrolyte thatโs needed for optimal health and performance.[49,50] And since the body loses tons of sodium in sweat,[51] that makes salt a pretty sensible ingredient for a pre-workout formula.
As a bonus, sodiumโs ability to increase bodily water retention[52] means it can help contribute to the pump that most weightlifters and bodybuilders chase in the gym.