Few things are as gratifying in the gym as getting a savage pump.
The confidence, encouragement, and pure ecstasy that accompanies barely being able to move your arms after a workout is simply sublime, and, in addition to boosting your motivation to keep pushing for one more rep, there’s also some evidence that “the pump” can help build muscle.
UNBENT was engineered to be the best pump supplement on the market bar none.
And, trust us, there’s much more to building a bad-ass pump pre workout than 6g of L-Citrulline and a sprinkling of glycerol, arginine, and agmatine…a LOT MORE.
We’ve attacked “the pump” from multiple avenues, bringing together ingredients that not only support nitric oxide production, but also supplements to enhance cell swelling & volumization as well as ones that encourage greater vasodilation and vascularity.
The result is a pump pre workout like no other.
Increased Nitric Oxide Production
Nitric oxide is an important cell signaling molecule involved in numerous biological processes, not the least of which is encouraging greater blood flow, nutrient delivery, and muscle pumps.
What you may not realize is that the body inherently can utilize two different pathways for generating nitric oxide:
- Citrulline→Arginine→Nitric Oxide
- Nitrate→Nitrite→Nitric Oxide
The Citrulline-based pathway is the pathway through which the vast majority of pre workout supplements target for boosting nitric oxide production with the likes of supplements, including:
- L-Citrulline
- L-Arginine
- Arginine AKG
- Nitrosigine®
UNBENT includes a full 4,000mg citrulline to support nitric oxide production (as well as provide other performance-enhancing benefits via ammonia buffering), but that’s not all.
We’ve also included a combined 3,000mg of amino-bound nitrates (NO3-T®) from:
- 1500mg Arginine Nitrate
- 1500mg Betaine Nitrate
This potent combination provides a dual-pronged approach for superior nitric oxide production support, and when combined with the other complementary ingredients in UNBENT delivers those highly sought-after sleeve-splitting pumps!
Nitrates just aren’t about delivering bigger, nastier muscle pumps, though, they can actually benefit exercise performance and recovery through a variety of means, including[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]:
- Improved blood flow
- Reduced oxygen cost when exercising
- Increased skeletal muscle force and power production
- Greater endurance
- Increased overall lifting volume
Furthermore, a recent meta-analysis on the effects of nitrates on muscle power noted about 5% increase in maximal muscle power.
The team of researchers concluded that this 5% increase “...is likely to be of considerable athletic and clinical significance… it has been estimated that a mere 1% improvement in performance can double the odds of victory for an elite athlete.” [9]
UNBENT specifically includes Arginine Nitrate as research indicates that the inclusion of arginine allows for better absorption and uptake, increases vasodilation (since it fuels the other NO pathway in the body), and reduces nitrate tolerance. [10,11]
Added Polyphenols!
In addition to supplying important substrates (the “fuel” the body uses to synthesize nitric oxide), UNBENT also includes an unsung hero of nitric oxide production -- polyphenols from grape seed extract.
These polyphenols help stimulate endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), which is the enzyme that catalyzes the production of nitric oxide from arginine. Furthermore, grape seed extract also contains antioxidants that can help combat oxidative stress and increase the bioavailability of nitric oxide.
Greater Cell Swelling & Muscle Volumization
Boosting nitric oxide production is one (albeit a very important) part of getting a sick muscle pump during training, but it’s not the only thing affecting bigger, badder pumps.
Cellular swelling (aka “water-based” pumps) can also play a big part in achieving and sustaining a muscle pump.
UNBENT includes a trio of primetime cell-saturating ingredients in HydroPrime™, Betaine, & L-Taurine.
HydroPrime is a high-yield form of glycerol supplying 65% glycerol by mass, which is a considerable upgrade from most glycerol products on the market that are 25% glycerol at most. Also, unlike other forms of glycerol, HydroPrime is shelf-stable and resists clumping, which means the powder won’t meld into a solid clump in the tub, effectively relegating your tub of pre workout to the dumpster.
Taurine is an amino acid that, in addition to supporting cell hydration, also acts as an antioxidant and has been found to bolster endurance and athletic performance.
Together, these three ingredients work as osmolytes in the body which encourage cells to absorb more water, increasing cell volumization and muscle fullness. Whereas L-Citrulline and Nitrates can support nitric oxide-fueled pumps, the trio of HydroPrime™, Betaine, & L-Taurine foster “water-based” pumps.
Combating Vasoconstriction
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in a devious enzyme that can regulate blood pressure by causing vasoconstriction. In essence, ACE works counter to what many of the ingredients in UNBENT are trying to do -- support greater nitric oxide production and blood flow.
VasoDrive-AP® is a trademarked ingredient composed of two lactotripeptides, isoleucyl-prolyl-proline (IPP)and valyl-prolyl-proline (VPP). These two casein derivatives have been found to limit the actions of ACE, therefore providing yet another means to encourage greater blood flow, more flexible blood vessels, and bigger, badder pumps.
Moreover, meta-analytic data from 2015 suggests that the components of VasoDrive-AP may help improve blood flow and promote healthy blood pressure levels, via its inhibition of ACE.[12]
Don’t Forget About Electrolytes
Above we mentioned that UNBENT includes a trifecta of potent cell-volumizing agents and to help cells get the most of those ingredients, they need to be accompanied by sufficient fluid intake.
Water is an important part of maintaining proper hydration, but an often overlooked, yet equally important part, is electrolyte intake, namely sodium.
Sodium is an essential mineral and electrolyte that affects fluid levels in the body as well as nerve impulses, blood flow and blood pressure. Deficiency in sodium can lead to muscle weakness, spasms, cramps and an earlier onset of fatigue. Furthermore, hyponatremia also affects cardiac function, increasing your heart rate.
UNBENT includes 250mg of Pink Himalayan salt, providing 100 mg of sodium to support hydration, performance, and (of course) pumps.
References
- Bailey S.J., Fulford J., Vanhatalo A., Winyard P.G., Blackwell J.R., DiMenna F.J., Wilkerson D.P., Benjamin N., Jones A.M. Dietary nitrate supplementation enhances muscle contractile efficiency during knee-extensor exercise in humans. J. Appl. Physiol. 2010;109:135–148. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00046.2010.
- Larsen F.J., Ekblom B., Sahlin K., Lundberg J.O., Weitzberg E. Effects of dietary nitrate on blood pressure in healthy volunteers. N. Engl. J. Med. 2006;355:2792–2793. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc062800.
- Larsen, F; “Effects of dietary nitrate on oxygen cost during exercise”; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet; 2007
- Lansley, K; “Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of walking and running: a placebo-controlled study”; School of Sport and Health Sciences, Univ. of Exeter; 2011
- Bailey, S; “Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans”; School of Sport and Health Sciences, Univ. of Exeter; 2009
- Bescos, R; “Acute administration of inorganic nitrate reduces VO(2peak) in endurance athletes”; National Institute of Physical Education-Barcelona, University of Barcelona; 2011; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21407132/
- Fulford, J; “Influence of dietary nitrate supplementation on human skeletal muscle metabolism and force production during maximum voluntary contractions”; NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility, University of Exeter Medical School; 2013; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23354414/
- Galvan E, O'Connor A, Goodenough YC, et al. Effects of 28 days of two creatine nitrate based dietary supplements on bench press power in recreationally active males. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12(Suppl 1):P17. Published 2015 Sep 21. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-12-S1-P17
- Coggan, A.R., Baranauskas, M.N., Hinrichs, R.J. et al. Effect of dietary nitrate on human muscle power: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18, 66 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00463-z
- MacAllister, R, et. al; “Arginine and nitrate tolerance”; British Journal of Pharmacology; May 2000
- Leaf CD, Wishnok JS, Hurley JP, Rosenblad WD, Fox JG, Tannenbaum SR. Nitrate biosynthesis in rats, ferrets and humans. Precursor studies with L-arginine.
- Fekete ÁA, Givens DI, Lovegrove JA. Casein-derived lactotripeptides reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in a meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Nutrients. 2015;7(1):659-681. Published 2015 Jan 20. doi:10.3390/nu7010659
