Alpha Supps PUMP: Top Off Your Pre Workout with More

In an industry where companies often copy-and-paste their competitors’ work or attempt to innovate just for the sake of saying they did something different, the results can be questionable. That’s why we appreciate Alpha Supps Pump, a simple formula based on a no-nonsense, back-to-basics approach to build a stackable pre workout capsule to include some extra ingredients that aren’t in most of your powdered pre workouts.

Alpha Supps Pump: Boost your pre workout with new angles

What do you add to your nitric oxide boosting pill formulas? The stuff that you don’t have in your powdered pre workout! This includes HydroPrime glycerol, arginine, and black pepper extract for better absorption!

Alpha Supps Pump works its magic by improving three key metrics:

1. hydration,
2. inflammation, and
3. vascular function.

However, it does have a couple key differentiators, including the inclusion of HydroPrime from NNB Nutrition, a proprietary form of glycerol that empowers consumers by solving a long-standing problem in the supplement industry.

Paired with L-arginine, which is staging a comeback and will pair incredibly well with the citrulline in your powdered pre workout, we’re excited to see retailers adding a but more oomph to their pre workouts. The pre workout booster is shown below, but first, find it at AlphaSuppsUSA.com:

Alpha Supps Pump Ingredients

In a four capsule serving of Pump, you get the following:

The Alpha Pump formula from Alpha Supps

• HydroPrime (Glycerol Powder Standardized for Minimum 65% Glycerol) – 1000 mg

  HydroPrime is a trademarked form of stable glycerol powder from novel ingredient developers NNB Nutrition that brings added muscle and cellular hydration (sometimes known as the “water pumps”) to your workout when taken with plenty of water.

  Glycerol is a polyol compound, technically a sugar alcohol, and a byproduct of both fat and carbohydrate metabolism in the human body.^[1,2] It’s central to the process of hepatic gluconeogenesis,^[3] the process by which the liver forms glucose from non-carbohydrate substrates, mostly protein.

  Before being metabolized by the liver and kidneys, ingested glycerol is dispersed rapidly throughout the body, with the exception of the brain and eyes.^[4] Once it has permeated bodily fluids, glycerol raises the osmotic pressure and total volume of water in the body.^[4]

  Inducing a state of hyperhydration

  

  When it comes to hydration, endurance, cell volumization, and heat tolerance, water is king. And this simple ingredient — glycerol — enables you to hold more water for better performance!

  What are the implications of a rise in osmotic pressure? Osmosis is the mechanism by which differences in solute concentration across a cell membrane cause water to move across that membrane.^[5] In other words, by raising osmotic pressure in bodily fluids, glycerol facilitates the movement of water throughout the body. One result of this is that the body retains more water, so overall water volume is higher.

  The combination of these two effects produces a state called hyperhydration, in which improved access to water increases muscle cells’ endurance and delays the onset of fatigue.

  Unsurprisingly, glycerol is most effective when combined with high water intake,^[6] so make sure you get plenty of water in with Alpha Supps Pump.

  NNB Nutrition HydroPrime to the rescue

  Despite its many benefits, glycerol is often avoided in powder-based supplements by the supplement industry because of its tendency to absorb water, which may cause the pre workout to clump and solidify—sometimes even ruining the products in which it’s included. Even worse, some glycerol ingredients on the market have not been testing out as labeled, which has been to the dismay of many brands and manufacturers who expected high-yield glycerol and didn’t get it.

  

  More pumps, less clumps, and better performance!

  That’s where HydroPrime from NNB Nutrition comes in. It’s a stabilized form of glycerol that brings less clumps but more pumps, with lab tests showing that it is indeed 65% glycerol by weight.

  And even better, for brands that don’t want it included in their powders, we have it in capsule form here, making it an incredible stacking ingredient. You’ll see this as a theme in Alpha Supps Pump, because the same goes for the next ingredient, which shows that Alpha Supps is using Pump to boost your current pre workout, not necessarily replace it.

  You can read more about glycerol in our guide titled Glycerol: The Ultimate Guide for Hydration, Heat Protection, and Pumps and our specific article titled HydroPrime: Glycerol With More Pumps and Less Clumps.

• Arginine – 1000 mg

  Arginine is a semi-essential (or conditionally essential) amino acid^[7] that’s a precursor to nitric oxide (NO).^[8] Levels of NO production correlate tightly with the amount of arginine taken up by endothelial and epithelial cells, and “exogenous l-arginine can increase… NO bioavailability”.^[9] In other words, supplementing with arginine can increase NO levels in the body. This is desirable because NO triggers vasodilation, causing your body’s blood vessels to expand.^[10]

  

  The Arginine Citrulline Cycle. Too many pre workouts are only including citrulline anymore, but arginine in Alpha Supps Pump synergizes with it! Image courtesy Wikimedia commons (red edits are ours)

  Vasodilation optimizes blood flow to your tissues, making your cells’ uptake of nutrients and fuel more efficient.^[11] That will maximize your physical performance and the benefits of your exercise. It will also help you push yourself harder, and recover when your workout is finished.

  Why arginine instead of citrulline?

  Over time, researchers realized that L-citrulline alone outperformed L-arginine itself when it came to nitric oxide production.^[12] So why not put L-citrulline in the cap? Because L-Citrulline is likely already in your pre workout!

  And it turns out that L-arginine actually synergizes with L-Citrulline. One animal study^[14] and two human studies^[13,15] have shown that L-arginine combined with L-Citrulline promotes even better plasma L-arginine increases and nitric oxide production. One of the studies showed that 1 gram of L-arginine plus 1 gram of L-citrulline outperformed 2 grams of L-arginine as well as 2 grams of L-citrulline!^[13]

  

  Arginine and Citrulline together raise plasma arginine more than equivalent doses of each one individually!^[13]

  It works this way because the citrulline helps inhibit arginase, the enzyme that breaks down arginine. So your powdered pre workout will end up helping Alpha Supps Pump while Pump helps your powdered pre workout!

  This is the kind of thinking that we like inside of our stackable pre workout capsules — including synergistic ingredients that brands aren’t putting into their powders. We have another one of those below as well.

  If you want to learn more about the interplay between citrulline and arginine, check out our long-form special topic article on the subject.

• S7 Blend – 75 mg

  A proprietary blend of seven plant extracts, S7 is, by weight, 3% curcumin, 30% catechins, and 60% polyphenols. A study of S7 itself showed an incredible 270% increase in circulating nitric oxide upon supplementation.^[16]

  Here’s what’s in it:

  • Green Coffee Bean Extract: green coffee beans are simply coffee beans that haven’t been roasted. Compared to roasted beans, they have higher levels of chlorogenic acid,^[17] a polyphenol with powerful antioxidant^[18], anti-inflammatory^[18] and anti-hypertensive^[19] effects. It’s also thought to increase vascular tissue responsiveness^[20], theoretically amplifying the cardiovascular benefits of exercise.
  • 

    Accelerate your pumps with four trademarked ingredients

    Green Tea Extract: rich in polyphenols and catechins,^[21] of which EGCG is the most studied. EGCG drives lipolysis,^[22,23] the process by which the body burns fat for fuel. There is evidence that EGCG can block the absorption of carbs,^[24] thus discouraging weight gain.

  • Turmeric Extract: turmeric extracts are standardized for high levels of curcumin, a bioactive compound. Curcumin is powerfully anti-inflammatory, which is why researchers believe it may help fight a wide range of diseases that are linked to chronic inflammation ^[25], such as depression^[26]. Curcumin also can help support exercise by increasing the antioxidant capacity of the body.^[27]
  • Tart Cherry: there is evidence that tart cherry can reduce muscle pain and improve recovery following high-intensity exercise.^[28]
  • Blueberry: similar to tart cherry, blueberry extract has been shown to accelerate muscle recovery following exercise. ^[29] It also reduces oxidative stress and inflammation.^[30]
  • Broccoli: broccoli extracts are standardized for sulforaphane, a sulfurous compound that benefits vascular health by reducing inflammation.^[31]
  • Kale: contains some unique antioxidants and polyphenols, such as quercetin and kaempferol. ^[32] These compounds have been shown to lower blood pressure^[33] and have therapeutic benefits for a huge range of medical conditions.^[34]

• AstraGin (Astragalus membranaceus & Panax notoginseng) root extracts – 50 mg

  Formulated to contain a specific blend of astragalosides and ginsenosides that boost the production of ATP, AstraGin helps improve nutrient absorption by making that ATP available to intestinal cells.^[34,35] There are over 20 rigorous research studies demonstrating that AstraGin increases the absorption of amino acids, curcumin, and water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, among many others.^[36-41]

  

  NuLiv Science’s data shows that AstraGin boosts arginine absorption!^[37] Additional data shown here

  So there’s a good chance this will not only boost the arginine and S7 in Pump, but it will also boost the citrulline and other amino acids in the rest of your pre-workout stack.

• Bioperine (Piper Nigrum Fruit Extract) – 10 mg

  A patented and uniquely powerful black pepper extract standardized for piperine, Bioperine does have some anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of its own. However, the main reason for its inclusion in this formula is that turmeric extract’s bioavailability is quite low on its own,^[42] and combining it with Bioperine increases its absorption by about 2,000%.^[43]

  Piperine is a win in a capsule for stacking

  We love to see that Bioperine was added by Alpha Supps here because it’s generally not the best-tasting ingredient, and doesn’t work well in powdered pre workout supplements — especially at this 10 milligram dosage.

  However, in a capsule, we bypass the taste concerns, and get the benefits of enhanced ingredient absorption — not just of the ingredients in Pump, but of the other pre-workouts you stack it with, such as Alpha Supps’ Alpha Pre.

Dosage

Take four capsules alongside your pre workout supplement (such as Alpha Supps Alpha Pre). If using it alone, consider anywhere from 4-8 capsules for a more impressive pump.

Conclusion: A solid pre workout topper

What do you put into NO pills? The stuff that’s not in your pre workout powder

Alpha Supps is a young brand made by industry veterans Alex Sims and Mike Bracewell who have incredible retail experience, and many retail connections. They’ve put together a brand that supports local business, but have taken it to international levels by expanding as far as Chile, Russia, and Dubai.

We’ve seen too many brands avoid L-arginine, glycerol, and black pepper extract in their pre-workout supplements for the reasons described above. However, they all have a great place in pre workouts — some of them just may be best suited for capsule application, even though we’re very confident in HydroPrime’s stability in powders.

As we mentioned in our earlier article on combining L-arginine with L-citrulline, you can expect to see more arginine in new pre workout supplements given 2021-2022 supply chain issues with citrulline. However, the approach Alpha Supps takes here is novel as well – put in the capsules what nobody’s putting into their powders, and you have a capsule booster that will have very little overlap with powdered pre workouts.

There’s more to come from NNB Nutrition and Alpha Supps, so check our NNB Nutrition news page and sign up for our alerts below: