QUESTION:
Do you have to cycle off of Kre-Alkalyn? Also, I was wondering if it is helpful to take citrulline and arginine? Any side effects? Note: I’m 69 years old and work out and play tennis. I’m in pretty good shape. Thank you.
Luigi
ANSWER:
Luigi,
First of all, I want to congratulate you maintaining your activity level and conditioning at the age of 69! I have no doubt your healthy lifestyle habits have been instrumental to your awesome longevity!
To answer your question, I feel cycling off Kre-Alkalyn, or almost any supplement, can be advantageous. The only exceptions would be those particular substances your body will use a certain amount of every single day.
For example, your body will use select amounts of protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals on a daily basis because they’re essential to sustaining life. However, our bodies are exceptionally good at adapting to new stimulatory compounds like creatine, herbs, adaptogens, stimulants, etc.
We tend to develop a resistance to many of these compounds if we never cycle off of them, thus giving the receptor sites of your cells a chance to “air out”, so to speak.
For example, consider drinking alcoholic beverages. Do you remember the first time you ever drank alcohol? You probably felt a significant “buzz” after only 1-2 drinks. However, after several months it probably took at least 6 or more servings of the same alcoholic beverage to produce the same feeling as before.
It’s the same with caffeine. The first time you drink a cup of premium coffee, you feel so “jacked up” you’re nearly climbing the walls! However, several months later, you now require nearly a full pot of coffee to obtain the same effect 1-2 cups of coffee used to give.
Supplement Cycles
So, in general, I feel cycling off supplements is a good thing. I bet your next question is going to be, “How long should I cycle off of these ingredients?”
For this, there’s no concrete answer. But, I can tell you, based on my own personal experience, taking a 2-week break from various ergogenic ingredients, such as creatine, following 4-6 weeks of continuous use, has proven to be very productive.
When you resume using them again, the binding affinity of those compounds to the receptor sites of your cells will be much stronger and produce a much more significant effect than before.
Regarding your second question, I believe supplementing arginine and citrulline can be beneficial on numerous levels because these amino acids increase nitric oxide content in the body.
Increased levels of nitric oxide can drastically enhance the productivity of your workouts. This is primarily because nitric oxide will allow your muscles to receive more oxygen and nutrients as a result of enhanced circulation, via blood vessel dilation.
Nitric Oxide Levels
In addition to improving athletic performance, enhanced nitric oxide levels are also great for the cardiovascular system because of the way it relaxes arterial walls and dilates blood vessels, enhancing blood circulation.
L- arginine converts into nitric oxide via the nitric oxide synthase enzyme eNOS. Oddly, l-citrulline can increase serum arginine levels better than actual l-arginine itself.
In conclusion, I give a ‘thumbs up’ to l-arginine and l-citrulline! Just be sure to check with your doctor first. You want to make sure any new supplement you take will not produce any negative reactions with any prescription drugs you might be taking or existing health conditions.
I wish you all the best in your conquest to greater health!
Prove ‘Em Wrong,
Chad Shaw
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