6 - 8 before training, at least 30 minutes from your last meal or 10 minutes from any type of food (pre-workout snack, shake, etc.)
Did you try the 4 caps before bed BTW?
You can also combine with a pre-workout supplement with citrulline malate and/ or L-arginine and caffeine for an added boost. The NADH with assist in converting both citrulline malate and L-arginine into NO. And at 6-8 caps, that should be a potent enough dose to see those effects. The NADH also stimulates the biosynthesis of adrenaline, and due to this, fills the pool of adrenaline in the central nervous system. This is the essential prerequisite for caffeine to become active.
But it might take a few work-outs before you really start noticing the effects.
In addition, I thought I would add the following semi-interesting reading:
NADH and Athletic Performance
Researchers are just beginning to look at NADH's possible applications for athletic performance. Theoretically, physiologic functions boosted by NADH could have beneficial effects for athletes. Research conducted by Birkmayer and colleagues (Birkmayer, International Journal of Sports Medicine 1996) on competitive athletes does indicate that NADH enhances work capacity. Researchers measured reaction times, physical performance and performance quality in 17 competitive cyclists and long-distance runners. Physical performance was measured on a bicycle ergometer. Performance quality was determined by measurements of continuous attention.
Athletes underwent these tests both before and after taking 5 mg of NADH before breakfast each morning for four weeks. During the test period, subjects kept constant the frequency and intensity of their training and exercise program as well as lifestyle factors. After four weeks of NADH supplementation, most athletes experienced significantly less scattering of reaction times-it dropped by 10 percent in five athletes, 10 to 20 percent in eight athletes, and more than 20 percent in three athletes. Reaction time overall improved considerably in 16 out of the 17 subjects.
Compared to baseline measurements, parameters for physical performance also improved. For two athletes, the maximum work performance (work at max per kg/body weight) increased by more than 10 percent, with another seven showing increases of up to 10 percent. Similar improvements were made in maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max/kg).
Researchers hypothesized that improved reaction times may have resulted from prior NADH deficiency in some athletes or an increase in dopamine production that led to increased alertness and vigilance. The latter explanation is further supported by studies wherein NADH supplementation increased dopamine production in rats. The researchers went on to say that stimulation of cellular ATP production by NADH may have enhanced, athletic performance- more NADH a cell has available, the more energy it can produce. Conversely, an NADH deficiency results in reduced strength, power and performance. The report concluded, "From the changes observed after taking NADH for four weeks, it seems justified to perform a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with a larger number of athletes."
In collaboration with the University in Brno (Czechia), a study was conducted among competitive-level cyclists. They took 10 mg of NADH per day, and performance-specific parameters—vital capacity, oxygen uptake, lactate levels in blood, and reaction time—were measured before and after one month of NADH intake. It was found that oxygen uptake was faster and greater, lactate levels fell, and the reaction time was significantly shorter than at the beginning of the study.
A further study was performed by Dr. Bill Misner, the coach of some top U.S. athletes. He gave them NADH in a dose of 10 mg per day for sixty days. All athletes improved in their sprint performance (cycling for 5 minutes or running 1 mile), and in duration performance all the athletes also showed better values. To confirm these preliminary findings, a study was conducted by the department of sports medicine at the University of Freiburg, in Germany. The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study organized in the following way. One group of highly conditioned athletes took NADH (3 tablets, 10 mg each, per day) for four weeks. This was followed by a six-week washout period. After this resting phase, the athletes received placebo tablets for four weeks. The second group started with placebo tablets for the first four weeks, and then continued with the NADH tablets for four weeks after the six-week washout period. The following parameters were investigated: maximum aerobic capacity, oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide exhalation, lactate levels in blood, and catecholamine levels in blood. Tests were performed at the beginning and at the end of each treatment period.
After NADH supplementation, the following
effects were observed:
• In the metabolic energetic area, oxygen consumption was reduced and there was an increase in the respiratory coefficient.
• The exhalation of carbon dioxide was diminished as was the lactate level. The lactate-lowering effect of NADH has enormous practical consequences for athletes. By taking NADH regularly, they could theoretically exercise much longer under aerobic conditions in the muscles, leading to a higher endurance and performance.
• In the metabolic-regulative domain, a reduction of potassium level was observed. This could be explained by the higher demand through the defined exercise work.
• The plasma concentration of creatine was also lower with NADH. During endurance exercise, activity of the enzyme creatine kinase (CK) is higher than in the resting state. This increase is caused by leaky muscle tissue damaged by excessive use of the muscles during training. Under NADH treatment, the elevation of CK activity is much smaller than without NADH. This may be indirect evidence for the protective effect of NADH against cell damage.
• Among indicators for systemic stress, a decline of the “stress” hormones noradrenaline and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) was seen.
The reduction of the time for oxygen uptake by cells after NADH indicates an improved utilization of oxygen, which points to a higher availability of NADH and, due to this, a greater ATP level in the cells. The increase of ATP in the cells was about 7 percent on average. In conjunction with the lower lactate levels, this means that the athletes can exercise for a longer period of time in the aerobic phase. This leads to better endurance and performance, particularly for marathon runners.
Researchers at the University of Jyvaskyla, in Finland, also examined the efficacy of NADH in improving physical performance in a placebo-controlled study. The results confirmed the findings of the University of Freiburg study. The lactate level in the blood, measured after a aerobic running test, was significantly lower after intake of NADH than after placebo. Also, the jumping force was higher and the reaction times were faster after taking NADH.
In the research department of the Birkmayer Institute, a blood test was developed by which researchers can examine the energizing effect of NADH. NADH is added to a drop of blood in a test tube, and the blood cells take up the NADH immediately. Depending on the ATP pool present in these blood cells, they metabolize a lot of or little amounts of NADH. If the blood cells contain high amounts of ATP, then little NADH is metabolized and converted to ATP by the blood cells. If the ATP reserve of the cells is low, then a lot of NADH is metabolized and used for ATP production. Marathon runners before a race have a high ATP energy level, so their blood cells consume very little NADH for ATP production. After the race, the athletes have a very low energy level, and the blood test performed after the race shows a strongly increased consumption of NADH. Using this blood test, we examined the effect of NADH on the energy level of marathon runners. Athletes taking 30 mg NADH per day for four weeks showed a significantly lower consumption of NADH, corresponding to a higher ATP energy level than the athletes taking placebo. This effect was observed in all phases of the race (in the morning, after warm-ups, after the race, and then 24 hours after the race).
