Welcome to Sunday Supplement! First of all, I apologize for not doing one last weekend, my computer decided to annoy me and wouldn't work! Anyway, today I want to talk about Glutamine.Glutamine is an amino acid, and a popular one at that, but it's not an essential amino. Most of the glutamine you store in your body is found in your muscles and lungs. Glutamine has many benefits, and is the main carrier of nitrogen.
Glutamine has become very popular among athletes, bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. It is known for aiding recovery after strenuous exercise. I personally use glutamine, pre and post workout, to help aid my recovery and avoid muscle breakdown. It has been proven that after a hard workout, glutamine levels reduce, and since amino acids form proteins which build new muscle, your body will need glutamine (and other nutrients) to help it to recover. Some people say take glutamine before a workout, some say after, and some say before and after. If you 'pre load' your body with glutamine before an intense workout, it will be there ready to start protein synthesis and avoid muscle breakdown.
Sources of glutamine:
- Beef
- Pork
- Poultry
- Milk
- Eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Raw spinach
Your body can produce enough glutamine for everyday needs. However, if you are training for muscle mass or sporting performance, you may well need more. Do not exceed 40g per day, I would stick to a few grams pre workout, and a few grams post workout. You can find glutamine in powder form as well as capsules. The powder is what I use, and seems to be the most common - as its easier to mix into shakes and you tend to get a little more. There are two types - L glutamine, and glutamine peptides. L glutamine simply means it is not attached to any other amino acids, and the peptides are. The peptides seem to be the most popular, but a lot of studies about the effectiveness of glutamine have used L glutamine - a little strange, but there we go!
I would recommend trying glutamine, as it can be very beneficial.
Lee Gregory Fitness
