Viagra might not be the first supplement you think of when it comes to muscle building. But new science shows this little blue pill might actually be the answer to your bodybuilding prayers.
You’re breathless, sweaty, tired, throbbing and pumped full of blood. You’re fatiguing fast but you know you have to stick with it. Are we on about your final set of a high-volume squat session? Or is this you leaving your girl in a quivering, wet mess on the bed?
Well, it could be either really. Especially if the blue pill of power called Viagra is involved.
Like Arnold said, “I am like getting the feeling of cumming in the gym; I’m getting the feeling of cumming at home; I’m getting the feeling of cumming backstage”.
Who better to say it than the master himself. Maybe he had a pocket full of the stuff too.
So could the medication known as Sidenafil really help build gains?
Get your junk out of your hands bro. Let’s find out…
This is what you’ll learn:
- Viagra is the brand name of sildenafil. It was introduced as a vascular health medication but quickly became a treatment for erectile dysfunction.
- As a prescription med, Sidenafil may help to increase muscle function and protein synthesis – but only in untrained men.
- Viagra increases testosterone slightly, but not by much.
- Side effects of Viagra use include headaches, stomach issues, and blurred vision.
What Is Viagra?
When it was first released, Viagra (Sildenafil) got a bunch of dudes standing to attention.
Literally.
It was first designed to treat angina, high blood pressure, and pulmonary hypertension, but scientists quickly realized it was actually better at putting the spunk back in the junk of guys who suffered from erectile dysfunction.
Yep, Viagra a prescription medicine used by dudes who suffer from ballzheimer’s and need to put the fun back in dysfunction and the wood back in their weapon.
Anyway, enough penis jokes… for now.
Around 30 million U.S. men and 100 million men worldwide use Viagra on prescription. Most of these dudes are aged 40-70 and want to put their rocket back in the socket of their women after struggling with low sex drive or physical symptoms of E.D.
[infobox]Putting just the tip in: Viagra (Sildenafil) is a prescription medication used to treat vascular conditions and erectile dysfunction. Over 100 million men worldwide use it.
[/infobox]Could Viagra Really Help to Boost Strength and Muscle Mass?
Real bros understand that crafting out a stage-ready physique is more than just a clean diet and throwing a few weights around. You need to grab every inch and tug hard in order to maximize your gains and become the very best in your sport.
Bodybuilding is a lifestyle, a job and a religion that can chew you up and spit you out if you don’t live and breathe it. So when something new comes along that promises to boost muscle mass and strength, it’s worth taking note.
But is sildenafil really as good as it’s claimed to be?
Will it help you take your physique goals to the next level? Or just leave you limp, weak and out of pump?
Viagra enhances blood flow through increased nitric oxide production
In the film The Matrix, taking the blue pill meant the story ended. But it’s the opposite for the little blue Viagra pill, with millions of guys reinvigorating their rock bottom sex lives by slipping it into their nutrition rotation.
What’s interesting to bros around the iron houses of the world though is that Viagra has recently been claimed to offer some potentially exciting performance benefits.
Viagra is classed as a PDE-5 inhibitor. It enhances blood flow by blocking the action of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). This helps to allow more blood to your junk, triggers relaxation of smooth muscle, and at the same time stimulate the production of nitric oxide – a blood vessel dilator.
Put all of this together and you’ve got a member with more rock in it than the WWE. This is the main reason it’s used to treat ED – a disorder characterized by a lack of blood flow.
So where does a PDE-5 inhibitor fit into the life of a funk swole brother wanting to gain muscle mass and strength?
Nitric oxide is a compound well known for its ability to enhance and stamina in the gym. In fact, it’s so powerful that nutrients with NO-boosting ingredients are widely used in pre workout supplements to:
- Increase power output and strength
- Build unbreakable endurance and motivation
- Reduce time-to-fatigue
There’s no way Viagra will be as effective as the best nitric oxide-boosting pre workout supplements such as citrulline malate and red beet, but it may still have some value for performance enhancement.
[infobox]Putting just the tip in: Viagra could improve performance by boosting blood flow using the nitric oxide pathway.
[/infobox]Viagra may increase protein synthesis and reduce fatigue
A recent study from Clinical and Transitional Science made an interesting finding in their study of healthy men taking 25 mg/day sildenafil over a 6-day period.
The men were split into two groups – one was given Viagra and the other a placebo. They both underwent the same tests for fatigue, strength and muscle architecture both before and after treatment.
Hit me bro, what happened?
The research team made some pretty interesting findings. Viagra was able to:
- Reduce muscle fatigue
- Increase muscle protein synthesis/proteome expression
In theory, these findings could translate to more muscle mass by potentially remodeling muscle tissue and elevating protein levels within muscle cells. Actual changes in muscle growth weren’t measured as such during the study (it was only a short-term project), but the results were interesting.
It’s worth noting though that this study wasn’t done in bodybuilders. It was conducted using older dudes weighing on average 125 lbs who were at risk of muscle loss. It’s not exactly the same as a bunch of bros slamming blue pills to get jacked. These guys were the epitome of ‘DYEL’ers.
On top of that, maximal isometric strength and power didn’t change either.
[infobox]Putting just the tip in: Viagra could increase muscle mass. But so far the only study uses men that didn’t even lift bro.
[/infobox]
Does Viagra Increase Testosterone?
As the primary male hormone responsible for ramping up both anabolic and androgenic gains, testosterone is the key player in the war between you and the iron.
Increase your T levels and a bounty of benefits awaits you:
- Enhanced muscle mass and strength
- Lower body fat and more lean tissue
- Increased energy, motivation and determination
- Elevated stamina and endurance
That’s to name just a few important, powerful masculinizing benefits.
Viagra might enhance testosterone, but evidence isn’t conclusive
A study in the aptly named journal Andrology found that when a group of men aged 40-70 with low testosterone was given a high dose of Viagra, their testosterone levels increased.
It wasn’t a huge increase though, with total and free T concentrations increasing by 103 ng.dL and 31.7 pg.mL respectively. That’s nowhere near the increase you’d get from regular strength training or a premium natural testosterone booster.
[infobox]Putting just the tip in: Viagra may increase testosterone slightly, although the changes are only modest and nothing to get a boner about.
[/infobox]Are There Any Side Effects to Viagra Use?
Before you get your dick all hard about the potential uses of Viagra for bodybuilding, it’s worth knowing that the small chance of muscle gains won’t come free.
Like all other synthetic medications, Viagra comes with a number of side effects.And we’re not just talking about smashing out a set of bench presses while trying to hide a tent pole in your gym shorts either.
- Headaches and dizziness
- Muscle pain and non-specific back pain
- Stomach pain, nausea, and sickness
- Diarrhea
- Blurred vision
- Sleep issues and insomnia
Putting just the tip in: You’ll struggle to look like a swoledier with blurred vision and sh*t in your pants from common Viagra side effects.
[/infobox]Summary – Viagra and Bodybuilding: A Hard Decision?
Viagra is a medication designed for vascular health but used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Clinical trials show it has some promise as a possible performance aid, and could even help build muscle. But currently research is limited to untrained men – and the benefits are understudied.
Did this article give you a boner? If so you’ll shoot your load when you see these…
Seriously saying it isn’t as good as nitric oxide boosters?!? Clearly you’ve never used it to train and/or you’re trying to sell bullshit supplements.