What is Pump (Astera Labs)?
Three nitric oxide precursors and nothing else. No stimulant, which is the whole difference between this and Pump Pro.
Arginine, ornithine and citrulline all feed the nitric oxide pathway, which is what widens blood vessels and produces the pump. Citrulline is the one that matters most: it converts to arginine in the kidneys and raises blood arginine more reliably than arginine itself does, because arginine taken directly is largely broken down before it gets there.
Pump benefits
- Higher citrulline and arginine doses than Pump Pro
- No stimulant at all, so it can be used late in the day or alongside a pre-workout
- Injectable, which avoids the poor oral absorption that limits arginine capsules
- Nothing prohibited in it, unlike the version with heptaminol
- Not hormonal, so nothing is suppressed and no post-cycle therapy applies
Pump dosage
- Standard
- 1ml, 30 to 45 minutes before training
- L-arginine
- 100mg per ml
- L-citrulline
- 100mg per ml
- L-ornithine
- 50mg per ml
- Frequency
- Training days only
- Total actives
- 250mg per ml
1ml half an hour or so before training, on training days only. There is no stimulant, so it will not interfere with sleep if you train late.
It also stacks cleanly with a caffeine pre-workout, since nothing here overlaps with one.
Package content
- Vial
- 10ml multidose
- Total actives
- 250mg per ml
- L-arginine
- 100mg per ml
- L-citrulline
- 100mg per ml
- L-ornithine
- 50mg per ml
- Brand
- Astera Labs
At 1ml per session one vial covers ten sessions.
Store below 30°C. Protect from light. Do not freeze. Keep out of reach of children.
Who is Pump for?
People who want the pump without a stimulant, anyone training in the evening, and anyone who already uses a caffeine pre-workout and does not want to add more.
Pump Pro adds heptaminol, which is a stimulant and is prohibited in tested sport. Read that page before choosing between them.
Before you use it. This is about as benign as anything in the catalogue gets. Injection site soreness is the usual complaint and intramuscular is more comfortable than subcutaneous. Nothing here is prohibited in sport, unlike the Pro version. Nothing in it is hormonal, so nothing is suppressed and no post-cycle therapy applies. Store cool, dry and out of direct sunlight. Not for anyone under 18, and not for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
How to use Pump
Draw 1ml and inject subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Intramuscular is preferred, since these solutions can irritate under the skin. Rotate sites and wipe the stopper before every draw. The injection technique guide covers it.
Frequently asked questions
Pump or Pump Pro?
Pump if you want a stimulant-free product, if you train in the evening, or if you compete in a tested sport.
Pump Pro adds heptaminol, which gives it a stimulant edge but is prohibited in competition. It also has lower doses of the three amino acids to make room for it.
Why inject it rather than take capsules?
Absorption, and arginine is the clearest case. A large share of an oral arginine dose is broken down in the gut and liver before it reaches circulation.
Injecting bypasses that entirely, which is why the doses here look small next to an oral pre-workout scoop.
Can I use it with a normal pre-workout?
Yes, and there is no overlap to worry about. This is purely nitric oxide precursors and most pre-workouts are built around caffeine.
If your pre-workout already contains citrulline, you are doubling that specific ingredient rather than stacking two different things.
Does it need cycling?
No. Nothing here is hormonal or stimulant, so there is nothing to recover from and no tolerance to reset.
Most people use it on training days and simply stop when they want to.
How long before training?
Thirty to forty-five minutes is the usual window, which gives the nitric oxide pathway time to respond.
Injected rather than swallowed, so it does not need the hour a capsule would.
