Is Glutamine a Good Supplement for Building Muscle? by Barry Richardson

Is Glutamine a Good Supplement for Building Muscle?
by: Barry Richardson

Unlike some other bodybuilding supplements, glutamine is not a universally-popular supplement for building muscle. Some say that its benefits as a muscle-building supplement are not proven. Until recently, glutamine was considered essential for helping build muscle, but recent studies have shown that its benefits have been much exaggerated.

Glutamine is an amino acid which makes up about 65% of your body's amino acid content. Yet, in times of deficit, your body can manufacture it out of other amino acids. For this reason it is known as a non-essential amino acid.

Some people claim that it helps reduce muscle soreness after exercise and to repair damaged muscle tissue. Others claim that it hepls enhance strength. Nevertheless, current research does not show glutamine to be an essential supplement for building muscle.

Yet, the research has produced some interesting results. It was discovered that glutamine does indeed work, under certain clinical testing, but doesn't do much for a workout, even when large quantities are used. It did not affect muscle performance or repair during weight training.

Although some believe that glutamine improves cell volume, studies have disproved this. It has not been proved, however, whether or not it improves glycogen stores after exercise.

A final study showed that your body manufactures up to 48% more protein when you have an amino acid drink after your workout. Adding glutamine to this did not, however, change protein synthesis.

In a nut-shell, it seems that the importance of glutamine as a good supplement for building muscle is probably a 50-50 situation. It isn't as great as was first thought but does provide some benefits. For one, it restores testosterone levels after you exercise. It can also help you get that hard, ripped look when used in conjunction with a fat-loss program.