Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate (AAKG) is a compound made from the conditionally essential amino acid L-Arginine, bound to an Alpha-Ketoglutarate molecule. L-Arginine acts as a pre-cursor to the vasodilator Nitric Oxide. What does that mean for you and your workout? Nitric Oxide causes blood vessels to open wider leading to improved blood flow to the muscle tissue. That could increase the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to exercising muscle and that really translates to muscle PUMPS!
In addition to its muscular ‘pump’ and vascularity effects L-arginine also plays an important role in increasing muscular protein synthesis, which helps to decrease protein catabolism.
Therefore, AAKG is a must supplement, both for strength athletes (even bodybuilders) looking to increase muscle size because of its anabolic potential and also for endurance athletes looking to improve aerobic capacity because of its vasodilation properties.