Fitness
How To Use Glutamine To Make Your Muscles Leaner
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve had a dabble in the fitness game at some point, and for those perusing this at the start of your fitness journey, this next piece of information is something to always keep in mind when gaining feminine muscle.
Glutamine is the richest amino acid that’s produced in your body; in fact, over 61% of skeletal muscle is glutamine. It’s also the primary transporter of nitrogen into your muscles cells.
So if you’re serious about transforming your physique then your workouts will no doubt be intense, which actually makes your glutamine levels drop significantly. It takes several days to build them back up, so it’s important to feed your body glutamine to promote protein synthesis (muscle building) so you don’t miss out on precious growth time.
Glutamine can minimize the breakdown of muscle and improve protein synthesis. Here’s how to supplement with this amino acid so you get bigger, better, stronger and leaner.
Putting the glute in glutamine
Amino acids create the protein that helps develop your muscle and body tissue. As your muscles are used, nutrients must be pumped into them to stop the breakdown causing a negative effect. Having glutamine before your workout will limit muscle breakdown, which means the body will use the excess formula to synthesize protein and build lean muscle.
Research by Viterbo University, Wisconsin, found glutamine increased muscle mass. And by adding a dose of glutamine to your post-workout drink you can speed up the recovery process.
This has its benefits because instead of feeling sore and achy after a tough fight with the iron, you can be fresh for longer and work harder for longer and therefore build more muscle. Research in The Journal of Nutrition found that glutamine increases the plasma glutamine concentration, which reduced the effects of muscle fatigue after a workout. This means that after training you’re more likely to be skipping along than waddling in agony.
When to take it
Definitely take glutamine right before bed because this is when the overwhelming majority of research shows that consuming just 5g of this amino acid has the most positive impact on significantly raising your growth hormone levels.
Also, another great time is upon waking, when your muscles have been without significant nutrition for up to 6-8 hours. Lastly, a wise time to take it is about 30-60 minutes after working out. This helps in the recovery/recuperation process from demanding workouts, leaving you to focus on the important things in life.
Find health advice and more in every issue of TRAIN FOR HER magazine.