Ready to Xplode: Saying N.O. to lackluster training

For those of us in the mixed martial arts community, there seems to be a love-hate relationship with training. We love the results, but we hate the commitment.

The average person can get away with spending a couple of hours per week in the gym as a means to staying in shape. For the aspiring fighter, however, it's a couple of hours per day.

Weights, treadmills and stationary bikes are all a part of the daily routine. But so are striking, wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

That's a lot to ask of your body, and probably one of the biggest reasons fighters like Forrest Griffin are starting to align themselves with nutritional supplement companies like BSN.

At the rate mixed martial artists are evolving, you can either run with the pack, or get left in the dust. Training is so critical to success and getting the most out of your training of course depends on how prepared you are.

I've seen plenty of guys at my gym just go through the motions in their grappling sessions because they're suffering from muscle fatigue. If you're not familiar with grappling or basic wrestling, trying to hold a man of relative size and weight to the floor while he tries to do the same to you is physically exhausting.

And it happens fast.

On the treadmill you can lower your speed until your heart rate stabilizes, but once you've depleted your muscles, you'll be spending the rest of the day limping around like Aloysius Snuffleupagus.

That's what makes a product like N.O.-Xplode invaluable to MMA training.

What started as one of bodybuilding's best kept secrets is now becoming the standard practice at most dojos and training facilities for the simple fact that it maximizes your workout through an increase in muscular endurance.

And getting ripped in the process is a nice little bonus.

For the fourth straight year, N.O.-Xplode has won "Muscle Builder of the Year" from Bodybuilding.com. And its parent company BSN has won "Brand of the Year" three years in a row.

One of the reasons I like N.O.-Xplode is because the nitric oxide increases the blood flow in my body and keeps my muscles at DEFCON 1 throughout my training (but particularly in response to stress).

When you've gotten a hold of an arm and you're trying to secure the armbar, believe me every ounce of strength and energy counts.

Now as a gym rat I've always been a fan of nitric oxide, but the early days had me swallowing horse pills for an inconsistent and often delayed effect.

BSN has eliminated that headache by making N.O.-Xplode in powder form and if you haven't tried the blue raspberry - I highly recommend it. It tastes like a Snoopy Sno-Cone!

Aside from the nitric oxide, N.O.-Xplode has a proprietary blend of four advanced creatine analogs designed to increase ATP production during training. I was blowing past my usual "sticking points" in about a week.

I also like the balance of the caffeine and the alkaloids. Instead of having that energy rush that makes your heart race like you narrowly missed an oncoming cement truck, I was focused and alert. No jitters!

Naturally you can't just pop the top and suck down a N.O.-Xplode smoothie. It works fast, for me it took about 15 minutes. You have to first establish your tolerance (and level of sweetness) so start small and work your way up.

Try to avoid taking it unless you plan on training or exercising immediately afterwards. You don't need to be walking around the office high-kicking the water cooler. And for God's sake please follow the directions on the bottle and be cognizant of the warning label.

I find most nutritional aids to be interchangeable but for me N.O.-Xplode is far and away the best all-in-one supplement for the money. Some places will recommend you stack it with Cell Mass or something similar but I was content with N.O.-Xplode by itself.

With the constant energy, strength, power and focus, I actually found myself looking forward to training.

Go figure!

Sure, there are plenty of supplements out there, but ask yourself, do you want to be the Terminator or Tiny Tim?