One of the latest advancements in sports nutrition supplementation is Glycerol. Several companies feature products with extreme doses of this ingredient. Why is that? There are several convincing reasons, in this article we will take a closer look at Glycerol, tell you what it is, what it does, and how it can make a dramatic difference in your workouts.
So What Exactly Is Glycerol?
Glycerol is also known as Glycerin. Do not confuse it with the amino acid Glycine, a non-essential proteinogenic amino acid. There are also several branded versions, such as GlycerSize™ 65% Glycerol Powder. Most likely, you’ve seen this or some other branded version in various pre-workouts. For example, you can find it in 5% Nutrition pre-workouts. You’ll find another branded version, HydroPrime™, in Alpha Lion SuperHuman Pump. (1)
What Does It Do?
Glycerol will do several impressive things. For starters, it’s an osmolyte. That means it pulls water into your muscles for insane water-based pumps. Your pumps will be unreal, especially when stacked in a pre-workout with other osmolytes and nitric oxide boosters. It will also dramatically improve hydration and noticeably enhance your endurance.
Glycerol And Hydration
As noted, Glycerol improves hydration. As you know, dehydration will derail your performance in the gym as well as negatively affect your mental productivity. Many pre-workouts contain electrolyte minerals, and some may also contain coconut water. If you use a product that contains other osmotic ingredients, the effects of Glycerol will be even more pronounced. All of this works together to ensure hyper-hydration.
It Has Even More Benefits!
One more benefit of Glycerol is that it can help your body maintain core temperature when you exercise in hot temperatures. As an added plus, it can also hydrate the skin. In fact, it is added to many moisturizers and other skin products for that reason. (2, 3, 4, 5)
Glycerol And Endurance
Studies have shown that Glycerol can increase exercise endurance by as much as 24%. In this study, test subjects consumed 1.2g/kg body weight. That’s more than anyone will ever need to consume, as the most extreme available doses are about 20g. I have consistently seen effective results using 8-10g doses. (2)
What Is The Suggested Dose?
With that in mind, you will usually see it as a generic or branded ingredient in high stim or stim-free, pump-based pre-workouts in the 2-4 gram range. Some companies are going up to 10-12g. A few companies offer it in doses as high as 23g.
The Best Way To Train Using Glycerol
Probably the best way to train for optimal Glycerol benefits is to chase the pump. There are a couple of ways to apply progression to this type of training. First, limit rest between sets to around 20 seconds. That’s going to mean you will have to use more moderate weights. Next, increase the intensity of your workouts. This can be done in many ways. For example, you can add reps or add a few more sets. Or, you can manipulate time under tension by using drop sets and/or rest-pause. Another approach is to use supersets or even tri-sets. These techniques are great ways to use progressive overload without adding more weight.
Glycerol Is The Future – And It’s Here Right Now!
One of the best ways to get through a workout like I described above is to make sure you’re using a powerful pre-workout. You can take that one step further and add creatine, the original cell volumizer. For example, 5% Nutrition Kill It Reloaded gives 3g of GlycerSize, plenty of caffeine, a creatine complex, and plenty of other N.O. boosters. Add 5% Nutrition Full As F*ck and ramp up the Glycerol by another 2g. Or, try Axe & Sledge Demo Day, with 2g of HydroMax, stacked with Axe & Sledge Hydraulic V2, with 1.5g of HydroMax. Gorilla Mode Liquid Glycerol is another solid choice. No matter what supplements you go with, illpumpyouup.com is the place to get them, so stop and shop today!
References:
- Glycerol | C3H8O3 – PubChem (nih.gov)
- Patlar, S., Yalçin, H., & Boyali, E. (2012). The effect of glycerol supplements on aerobic and anaerobic performance of athletes and sedentary subjects. Journal of Human Kinetics, 34, 69–79. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10078-012-0065-x
- Nelson, J. L., & Robergs, R. A. (2007). Exploring the potential ergogenic effects of glycerol hyperhydration. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 37(11), 981–1000. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200737110-00005
- van Rosendal, S. P., Osborne, M. A., Fassett, R. G., & Coombes, J. S. (2010). Guidelines for glycerol use in hyperhydration and rehydration associated with exercise. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 40(2), 113–129. https://doi.org/10.2165/11530760-000000000-00000
- Lyons, T. P., Riedesel, M. L., Meuli, L. E., & Chick, T. W. (1990). Effects of glycerol-induced hyperhydration prior to exercise in the heat on sweating and core temperature. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 22(4), 477–483.