Glutamine - Bodybuilding Supplement

Pushing yourself to the limit when you're weight training can leave you sore and not fully recovered for you next bodybuilding session. But did you know that you might be at higher risk for infections such as colds. That's because when you weight train strenuously you can deplete the levels of certain amino acids in your body. Now what if you were told that there is a bodybuilding supplement that can reduce the likelihood of this happening, that this supplement can strengthen you immune system and reduce your recovery time.

What is this bodybuilding supplement and where can I buy it? The supplement we are referring to is L-Glutamine.

Let's recall that amino acids are the building blocks of protein and that twenty are required to build the various proteins needed for the growth, repair and maintenance of your muscles and body. The difference between essential and non-essential amino acids is that essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and thus must be found in your diet.

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in our bodies, in a healthy person the total Glutamine level is in the order of 100 grams, with typically 60% of it found in our skeletal muscles. It is actively transported and metabolized in nearly all our tissues. It is found in high concentrations in our muscles, brain, stomach lining and heart. The concentration of glutamine in the blood is 3-4 times greater that all other amino acids.

Glutamine is converted to glucose when more glucose is required by the body as an energy source. Glutamine can help in stimulating muscle protein synthesis by donating nitrogen to build protein. In addition glutamine has been shown to increase growth hormone with a dose as small as 2 grams. This is of interest because of the role growth hormone has in stimulating muscle growth. Glutamine, given intravenously, was found to be more effective than other amino acids at helping replenish muscle glycogen after exercise.

We primarily obtain glutamine from the conversion of glutamic acid found present in the foods that we eat. Some of the foods with the highest content are eggs, poultry, pork and dairy products. The average amount of glutamine ingested daily in a healthy diet is in the order of 5-8 grams.

During intense bodybuilding, glutamine consumption exceeds glutamine production and there is a decrease in muscle protein synthesis. Intense training lowers blood levels of glutamine, which can remain low with overtraining, this contributes to muscle breakdown and wasting. Under these circumstances you may need to eat up to 400 grams of protein per day in order to replenish your body with the desired glutamine levels. Now 400 grams is a lot of protein to eat, which is why we recommend glutamine as a supplement, it is relatively inexpensive and is ideal for people who are training and dieting at the same time.

If you feel that you’ve hit a plateau in your training why don’t you give it a try.

Don't give up and keep flexing !