Transparent Labs Pump Review: Nitrates for Days

For years now, Transparent Labs have been creating completely disclosed supplements.

In fact, they were one of the first to go fully naked on labels. 

Transparent Labs discloses everything from the ingredients to the flavoring and they are safe to use for drug tested sports. 

They’ve created themselves with quite a reputation for clear but effective supplements. 

Pump is no different. 

It’s a monster of a nitric oxide booster with complete and generous doses of pump inducing ingredients. 

We’ll cover my review then dig into the ingredients…

I’ve taken quite a few pump focused supplements, many of them varied in formula’s.

But there was almost always some citrulline along with agmatine. 

Transparent Labs Pump is a little different though. 

It has a huge dose of citrulline at 8 grams, along with 2.5g arginine nitrate, 2.5g betaine anhydrous, l-tyrosine, l-glutathione, and Astragin. 

the maximum dose used in studies is 10 grams, and anything more than that doesn’t get any better. 

So I’d take this on an empty stomach, as with any pre workout, and then workout an hour or so later. 

Before I’d lift any weights, I’d already feel solid. 

My arms felt tighter, some veins were popping out more, I felt prime and ready for lifting weights. 

After a few sets, it already felt like I had a great pump on.

The pump would be what I would feel after an hour of working out without using TL’s Pump.

It got better when I used it on days when I had arms and chest. 

I’d see more veins in places where I haven’t seen them in a while like my shoulders and chest. 

If I was at a leaner bodyweight then I’d definitely see much more of them.  

The performance and endurance boost was also incredible. 

It felt much easier to recover between sets quicker. 

Also, I felt less sore the next day, and still looked full and pumped. 

The ingredients in Pump are properly dosed and it’s a short formula, but a very effective.

Every scoop packs 20 grams and there’s 30 servings, making one of the most effective for it’s value. 

The doses are also generous, with nothing underdosed.

With 8 grams citrulline, nitrates, betaine anhydrous, tyrosine, l-glutathione and Astragin. 

Pump is one of the few supplements with 8 grams of citrulline per serving. 

That’s huge. 

And not to mention there’s high quality sources of minerals, like sodium (from Himalayan rock salt) and Calcium (from BioFolate). 

This ensures a solid foundation for optimal vasodilation and pumps. 

Without citrulline, there isn’t a complete pump supplement. 

It’s one of the staple ingredients if a pre workout promises pumps and performance enhancements. 

Containing a huge dose of 8 grams, Transparent Labs has included this powerhouse of a nitric oxide booster.

Citrulline is the key to increasing l-arginine in the body, which increases N.O. synthase to increase vasodilation, widening blood vessels, which leads to more blood flow and nutrient delivery. [1]

More vasodilation means more blood flow, and this will deliver intense pumps.

It also comes with benefits for performance as well. 

Citrulline can clean up the ammonia build up that occurs from high volume workouts. [2]

An increase in ammonia levels means muscular fatigue and can be an issue for metabolic and neurologic processes. [3]

Arginine also plays a role in removing ammonia from the body, assisting the body with keeping it prime and optimal for energy. 

Citrulline has been proven time and time again to be much more superior to arginine as it is much more bioavailable while arginine is destroyed by the gastrointestinal tract far too quickly. [4]

And of course, there’s a huge 8 gram dose here, much higher than most pump supplements and even pre workouts. 

Pump is already off to a great start with a proper dose of citrulline to help optimize performance and pumps. 

Although we know arginine on it’s own is near useless, arginine nitrate is still benefical.

This isn’t just pure arginine, this is arginine nitrate. 

Pump uses the patented form of NO3-T which is arginine bonded with nitrates, the polyatomic ions sourced from vegetables like beets, kale and spinach. 

When nitrates are ingested, it can create more N.O. in the body. [5]

Nitrates are highly effective at increasing vasodilation to where the body needs it the most during training. 

More blood flow means more oxygen rich blood which will help keep your body and energy at it’s most optimal state.

This also means the removal of metabolic waste products that occur from exercise like lactic acid. 

Aside from the pump, arginine nitrate can increase endurance as your body will need less oxygen to train. 

You’ll also be less likely to develop nitrate tolerance as it’s bonded with arginine. [6]

Transparent Labs has strategically paired nitrates with citrulline as it can lead to serious performance gains.

One study from 2019 had 24 adults consume 520mg of nitrates along with 6 grams of citrulline daily for a month and another group who had placebo.

They found the group that had the citrulline and nitrates had huge improvements in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption and maximal power output. [7]

Pump doesn’t only have nitrates but it also has 8 grams of pure citrulline, making it a very synergic combination for pumps and performance.  

If you like creatine and you know its benefits, then you’ll like betaine anhydrous. 

Like creatine, betaine can benefit size and strength gains. 

Doses in various studies vary from 500mg to 2.5g, while Pump has 2.5g, benefits can be seen with doses as little as 500mg!

Betaine works as a osmolyte, meaning it can drive water into cells to help protect against osmotic stress. 

Aside from it’s health benefits like reducing homocysteine, it has performance enhancing effects. 

The first is it’s ability to increase levels of serum nitric oxide concentrations. [8]

And studies have found with only 2 weeks of usage, betaine can increase strength.

One study found that participants improved squat volume with only two weeks of using betaine. [9]

And not only that but they also improved vertical jump power output, bench press throw power output, and force production in the isometric back squat and bench press. [10]

Betaine is an absolute must when it comes to improving gains in the gym, both strength and size and the dose Transparent Labs have used here is a full clinical dose of 2.5g. 

Tyrosine is one of our favorite ingredients for multiple reasons. 

One of them is that tyrosine is the fuel for feel good neurotransmitters in the mind. 

When you take stimulants, it can release those neurotransmitters, but when you take tyrosine, you ensure a steady flow of dopamine and norepinephrine. [11]

Tyrosine is a must for those experiencing high stress as it can improve mental function during those periods. 

Benefits from tyrosine can be seen with doses from 500mg to 2.5g, and here Pump has just enough at 500mg.  

Finalizing the combination of nitric oxide boosters is the addition of glutathione. 

This is one of the best antioxidants to use as it can combat oxidative stress, enhance nutrient metabolism and cellular functioning. [12]

The benefits it offers varies from reducing oxidative stress to increasing vasodilation. 

However, plain glutathione is known to have poor bioavailability. [13]

Transparent Labs Pump is using the patented form of Setria, a standardized form of glutathione from Kyowa Hakko which is suppose to be the solution to the poor bioavailability. 

Although this antioxidant hasn’t been seen to improve performance, it’s been noted to improve nitric oxide levels post exercise. [14]

Prolonging the pump post workout will help keep your physique looking fuller and more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. 

The combination of citrulline and glutathione may improve performance, but one thing is for sure is that it will help prolong the pumps. 

Rounding up the formula is the most important ingredient of all…

AstraGin is a combination of membranaceus and Panax notoginseng. 

This patented ingredient from NuLiv Science is made to maximize absorption of many ingredients that it’s used with, including minerals and vitamins, amino acids, creatine and other nutrients. [15]

There’s also astragalosides in membranaceus and Panax notoginseng which has been seen to improve ATP production in the mitochondria. [16]

Without AstraGin, you would simply not be making the most out of Transparent Labs Pump as it helps the digestive tract absorb much more of the ingredients. [17]

While it may not stand out in the formula, these ingredients actually make Pump that much more useful. 

The minerals in Pump include:

• Sodium Citrate and Himalayan Rock Salt (350mg)
• Vitamin C (250mg)
• Potassium Citrate (100mg)
• Folate (as BioFolate Calcium 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate) (400mcg)

Folic acid is an important essential nutrient which must be obtained from diet or supplements as our bodies cannot make them. [18 , 19]

It takes part in DNA synthesis and plays a crucial role in enzymatic reactions in the body. [19]

Potassium is another important nutrient that many struggle to get enough of in the Western diet although it’s easy to get enough sodium. 

Potassium is not only important for hydration but it can also lead to more vasodilation as it can also lower blood pressure. 

Vitamin C is an antioxidant as we know it as it can reduce the tolerance build up of nitrates. [20]

Getting enough sodium is beneficial for hydration and will lead to better pumps. 

Athletes especially need to get enough sodium to help with performance. 

So far there are two flavors:

• Blue Raspberry
• Strawberry Lemonade

Knowing Transparent Labs, they’ll release more flavors in the near future as they have for most of their supplements. 

There’s 30 servings in Pump, coming at a price tag of $50 but this can be reduced to $45 with discount code FITFREK. 

That comes to a price of $1.50 per serving, which is fair seeing how every scoop is packed to nearly 20 grams and it uses full clinical doses of every ingredient. 

With nearly 20 grams of ingredients, Pump does one thing and one thing well…

And that’s incredible pumps and performance. 

It uses a full 8 gram dose of pure citrulline, along with 2.5g arginine nitrate, 2.5g betaine and more. 

Adding in minerals that are much needed for the foundation of a great pump and endurance is a must, and Transparent Labs have done well here as well. 

Use discount code FITFREK.