|
The Dramatic Muscle-Building
Benefits Of
Glutamine
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in the
human body and is arguably the most important in the process of building muscle
and gaining strength.
It can be found naturally in food sources such as
beans, poultry, fish and dairy products, but in order to consume a highly
beneficial amount you should probably consider buying it in powdered form as a
nutritional supplement. Most serious weightlifters and bodybuilders would
consider glutamine as one of the most important supplements out there, and for
good reason.
What exactly does glutamine do, and how is this beneficial
to the muscle growth process?
Glutamine is best known for being an “anti-catabolic” agent. What
this means is that rather than directly promoting the growth of new muscle
tissue, glutamine works by preserving the muscle tissue that you have already
built.
You see, muscle breakdown is occurring all the time. This naturally
happens when you train intensely, when you don’t provide your body with enough
protein or during the time that you are sleeping. This process is completely
natural and is to be expected.
However, if you are training and eating properly, then your body is
also synthesizing new muscle tissue throughout the day. Your overall muscle
gains can be calculated by taking the rate of muscle growth and subtracting the
rate of muscle breakdown. Glutamine helps by minimizing the rate of muscle
breakdown, resulting in greater overall net gains in muscle mass.
Glutamine is also highly beneficial in the positive effect that it
has on the immune system. Not only are your muscles heavily stressed from your
workouts, but your entire immune system is stressed as well. Glutamine will help
you to recover quicker in between your workouts and will also help to prevent
you from getting sick.
I would recommend supplementing with 10 grams of glutamine daily in
order to see the best results. Although glutamine will not provide any
immediately noticeable results, you will definitely achieve greater muscle gains
in the long term by using it.
Here are the two most important times to supplement with
glutamine:
1) Within 30 minutes of completing your
workout.
After an intense workout your body’s glutamine levels can drop by as
much as 50%. In order to restore these levels the body will typically tap into
the glutamine reservoirs within your muscle tissue. You should consume 5 grams
at this time in order to keep your hard earned muscle in tact.
2) Right before bed.
Taking 5 grams of glutamine right before you decide to doze off will
help to minimize muscle breakdown while you sleep and will also increase your
body’s natural secretion of growth hormone, a powerful anabolic substance.
Here is a quick recap of the recommended dosages:
Workout Days: 5 grams post-workout, 5 grams before
bed.
Non-Workout Days: 5 grams with an afternoon meal, 5
grams before bed.
Although glutamine will not provide any instant, dramatic muscle
increases, you should be able to see by now that it is quite important in the
overall muscle-building process and is a supplement that no serious weightlifter
should be without.
If you're interested in learning about 4 other highly effective
supplements that I would definitely recommend including in your program, click
the link below to visit my website. I'll also teach you about several heavily
marketed muscle-building supplements that you should steer clear of, and this
could potentially save you hundreds or even thousands of your hard-earned
dollars...
About The Author
|