Is Glutamine the Forgotten Hero? Certainly some lifters might say that. On the one hand, it is highly regarded as an important supplement. Yet the debate over how helpful it really is continues to rage. We’re doing our best to make the most of our training, nutrition, and supplementation. We want the most muscular, fat-free physique possible. And guess what? Glutamine can help. Let’s dive in and find out more!

What Is Glutamine?

Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid (CEAA) that makes up a whopping 61% of our skeletal muscle tissue. So it makes sense that it’s typically known as the most dominant amino in our muscles. But it doesn’t stop there. Glutamine consists of 19% nitrogen, which means it’s the main transporter of nitrogen into your muscle cells. (1)

Nitrogen Balance

The term nitrogen balance is a common term in bodybuilding, yet not everyone may understand what nitrogen is or what it does. Nitrogen was discovered in 1772 by the Scottish physician Daniel Rutherford. It is a component of protein, accounting for about 16%. If you see the term “positive protein balance” it can also mean “positive nitrogen balance”. Back in the 80s, all the magazines used this term. In fact, you never heard of the term “protein synthesis”. I still remember when Weider came out with Nitrogen Test Sticks so you could test to see if you were in an anabolic state. Good idea but they didn’t cause much of a stir. (2, 3, 4)

The Benefits Of Glutamine

1. Your body’s demand for this amino acid increases quite a bit during an intense training session as well as any other times of stress. This includes following a pre-contest diet, severe injuries, or an illness. 
2. This is an amino acid that plays a role in protein synthesis. 
3. It also helps prevent muscle protein breakdown.
4. Some research has suggested that it may help promote recovery. 

Glutamine significantly affects:

1. BCAA metabolism – Think about how important this can be if you’re a lifter that uses a BCAA/EAA supplement. 
2. Immune system function – Immune system cells such as the lymphocytes and macrophages use glutamine as a primary fuel source. That makes the demand for this powerful amino increase if the immune system is stressed. 

 

As you can see, it is an extremely beneficial amino acid. (5, 6, 7, 8)

Glutamine And Stress

It has taken two decades to establish the fact that intense exercise causes muscle tissue to release significant amounts of glutamine. Your intense workouts will deplete levels by 34% to as high as 50%. Also, it is released from your muscles during heightened periods of training, fasting or surgery. This ultimately means that muscle tissue gives up more glutamine than what is typically supplied by diet. Therefore, adding it in supplemental form is a good idea. 

Other Facts About Glutamine

This amino occurs naturally in milk, meat, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, and almonds. It makes up roughly 4-8% of the protein you get from food. If your levels of glutamine are low, your muscles release glutamine to be used elsewhere in the body. Clinical studies suggest that levels in your muscles can be depleted within 4-6 hours. Plus, it can take more than 24 hours for levels to return to normal. As you can see, if you train intensely day in and day out, your stores of glutamine won’t have the opportunity to replenish themselves. This in turn leads to the scenario of falling into a catabolic state. This is, of course, a nightmare for any bodybuilder. 

What Is Overtraining?

The nightmare situation above leads to overtraining. That can be defined as a negative, catabolic state resulting from too much training volume and intensity. Combined with that is a failure to balance these two variables with proper recovery periods. For example, the lifter that trains at least 2 hours a day, 7 days a week with no real recovery time. When I worked in the retail supplement business, I always had newbies come in who thought they knew best when I tried to explain that a new lifter shouldn’t jump into Arnold’s pre-contest routine and expect to see results.

Overtraining And Your Immune System

In addition, this negative state wreaks havoc on your immune system. Your muscles use glutamine as a means to preserve muscle – and the immune system uses a  large amount also. Obviously, as noted, the solution is to add it in supplemental form.

Glutamine Supports Recovery

On a more positive side evidence suggests that glutamine might support recovery in the following ways:

 

1. By sparing myosin heavy chain (MHC).  What is that? It is a motor protein that converts chemical energy into mechanical force to power muscle contraction. (9)
2. It plays a role in glycogen formation.
3. By protecting the immune system.
4. It helps promote protein synthesis.
5. Glutamine appears to be anti-catabolic.
6. It elevates growth hormone levels.

Dosage Guidelines

The most common dose from a bodybuilding perspective is 5 grams, and this can be taken twice a day for a total of 10 grams. 

How To Use Glutamine

The best times to consume this potent amino would be first thing in the morning. I advocate drinking an 8 ounce glass of water, followed by a small protein shake in the morning as soon as you get up. You can rely on the naturally-occurring glutamine in your protein shake, or add a scoop of glutamine to your shake. 

Additional best times to take it would be before and after a workout and right before bedtime. It comes in various forms: as a stand-alone powder or pill, and many pre-workouts, post-workouts, and amino acid formulas.

Summary

It should be clear that taking glutamine in the morning as well as before and after a workout will support muscle growth, positively benefit your workouts and support recovery. Additionally, it helps maintain muscle tissue during physical stress. Plus it plays a key role in immune system health. Adding glutamine to your supplement program can make a big difference in your progress. So stop by illpumpyouup.com and try some for yourself!

References:

1. Hall, J C et al.; “Glutamine.”; The British journal of surgery vol. 83,3 (1996): 305-12. doi:10.1002/bjs.1800830306; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8665180/
2. http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele007.html
3.  http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/research/clue/nitrogen.html
4. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/organic/protein.html
5. Candow, D G et al.; “Effect of glutamine supplementation combined with resistance training in young adults.” European journal of applied physiology vol. 86,2 (2001): 142-9. doi:10.1007/s00421-001-0523-y; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11822473/
6. Legault, Zachary et al.; “The Influence of Oral L-Glutamine Supplementation on Muscle Strength Recovery and Soreness Following Unilateral Knee Extension Eccentric Exercise.”; International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism vol. 25,5 (2015): 417-26. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2014-0209; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25811544/
7. Street, B. et al.; “Glutamine Supplementation in Recovery From Eccentric Exercise Attenuates Strength Loss and Muscle Soreness”; Journal of Exercise & Fitness; vol. 9,2 (2011): 116-122; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X12600070
8. Calder, P C, and P Yaqoob.; “Glutamine and the immune system.”; Amino acids vol. 17,3 (1999): 227-41. doi:10.1007/BF01366922; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10582122/
9. Wells, L., Edwards, K. A., & Bernstein, S. I. (1996). Myosin heavy chain isoforms regulate muscle function but not myofibril assembly. The EMBO journal, 15(17), 4454–4459.