FAQ Glutamine

[Taekwondo Guy]

How To Use Glutamine!

Answering the question of how much glutamine to consume is somewhat difficult. There is not one blanket answer to cover every variable. Things to consider when determining the amount of glutamine to consume include body weight, activity level, lifestyle stress, overall health, and diet. Another variable to consider is what you are using glutamine for. Is it to prevent OTS, stimulate growth hormone secretion, help boost your immune system, or replace sugar in your post-workout drink?

To assist in preventing OTS I recommend consuming glutamine both before and after training, and before bed. Again, there are too many variables to give you an exact amount to consume. Generally five to ten grams pre and post workout, and before bed is a good place to start. If you are on a very low carbohydrate diet, you may want to consider upping this amount, especially in your post-workout drink. Glutamine can increase glycogen storage by as much as 16 percent if consumed post-workout. 4

I have seen recommendations as high as .44 grams per lean pound of body weight. Consuming high levels of glutamine about a half an hour before a workout will leave you with a memorable experience. Upon experimenting with 30 grams of glutamine pre-workout, I experienced increased muscle volume to the point that I could no longer contract the muscle.

No other supplement, including creatine, has ever given that intensity of "pump" before. I must warn you, however, I have had some people tell me they experience nausea when consuming large amounts of glutamine per serving (even with large servings I have personally never experienced any side effects).

But, at the same time, they also said their workouts were some of the best they've ever had. Interestingly, while I was experimenting with larger servings (30 grams pre/during workout and 15 grams post-workout) I found it nearly impossible to get sore muscles. Normally I'm hobbling around in shear pain for four or five days following a hard leg workout; I was obviously ecstatic to be able to walk around pain-free. This experiment is hardly scientific, however, if you suffer from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS - the intense muscle pain that occurs and peaks about 48 hours after a workout) I suggest you consider adding glutamine to your supplement routine.

Unfortunately, like so many other topics relating to our bodies, the amount of glutamine one should take offers no black and white blanket answer. Use the above recommendations as a guide and look to your body for feedback. If you gobble down 30 grams of glutamine, then feel like you're going to blow chunks, reduce your next serving size. If you have any nausea, or stomach discomfort start with small serving sizes and gradually introduce larger amounts.

Conclusion

Rarely in the sports supplement industry does one come across a product as diverse as glutamine. However, with flashy supplements hitting today's market, unfortunately glutamine has to play second fiddle. But, a solid body can never be built with these flashy supplements unless a solid foundation is first laid. If you are looking for a product that prevents sickness, speeds recovery, prevents sore muscles, and stimulates growth hormone production look no further than glutamine.

As I said earlier, glutamine is sexy. I'm glad I took some time to get better acquainted.

By curtis koch

[ here's a great link to clear up on wheather to take creatine with glutamine or not, originally posted by Wolf: http://www.ast-ss.com/dev/qa_search/...ext.asp?ID=677 great read. edit: jim]

[FPAEP]

Is it a good Idea to take xenedrine with ephedrine and glutamine and cla at the same time? Or is it better to start taking it during the weight gain period with the protein, and creatine, and CLA?

[Jaime]

I would take xenadrine or CLA, not both.

[Y2Jversion1]

you could take cla & xen at the same time..nothing wrong with that.. you should take glute all the time..while bulking and esp while cutting..
however if your bulking and taking creatine, you shouldn't take the xen because the caffeine may cancel out the effects of the creatine..

[Jaime]

I wasn’t saying it will hurt you it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, seems to be overdoing the fat burners. Especially since his Xenadrine had ephedrine, I’m sure that’s all he will need.

[Y2Jversion1]

yea but cla's not really a stimulant or a fat burner.. it's not like you'll get a crazy side effect or somethin.. cla has a lot of other goodies in it as well besides the fact that it helps shrink fat cells and prevents you from putting on new fat esp in the ab/mid section area.. people do use this combo while cutting.. it's quite effective..

[Big Al]

Bulk, are you still getting the mega pump from Glut that you were? I found that trying your Glut overload to get an insane pump was definitely correct, but doing it every day was making me feel overly (unnaturally)tired. How often should you do the "glut pump" thing?

I just got NLarge 2 & Glutamine. I am 145lbs and about 5'6". I am shooting to take in about 3 servings of NLarge 2 a day. According to what my weight is - what would be a good amount of glutamine to take in a day? The type of Glutamine I have is ProLab powder.

A quick note - I noticed the NLarge2 has 9.24 grams of "L-Glutamic Acid". Is this the same thing as L-Glutamine?

If I were to try the glutamine overload before a workout about how much and when should I take it?

Thanks in advance for any answers!
-MiKE

[Taekwondo Guy]

i've come off everything except creatine at the moment...
i'm trying to save cash as glutamine burns a deep hole.

[Big Al]

Mr. Mike, I usually try about 30 grams an hour or so before a workout for that wierd "superpump" effect. Do it on a day when you're training arms - you'll really see the effects then! But it does chew through the glut rather quickly - I wouldn't advise doing it every workout.

I know some of you are saying not to mix glutamine with protein because the aminos compete to be absorbed. I talked to a few supplement companies and they said to combine them after a workout. I also emailed Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler(I think you know who they are) and they both said to combine them. That's good enough for me.

[Serious lifter]

Hey guys, instead of taking 10g from the supplement, would it be fine if i take like 2g b4 working out and then 4g after working out??? I get 5g from my whey and 4.6g from the Protein bar. So, that would be about 14 g total. Howz that???

[Reverb]

Hey, I just found this site and am a beginner. After reading a lot of posts about lots of different stuff, it's clear that I've found a great group of people with good information - thanks!

I'm doing basic protein shakes and a good diet in addition to the workouts. Not planning anything fancy on the supplements side for now. I'm a hardgainer and am trying to bulk up. Just ordered N Large 2.

Here's my question: A guy at my fitness gear shop told me that glutamine peptides are more effective than L-Glutamine, and that it's more concentrated, resulting in a smaller dosage. But I haven't seen any info about it since then, and everyone seems pretty happy with 15-30g of L-Glut a day.

Any ideas? What's the difference between peptides and regular glut?

[Topgun]

Peptides are what? Pills?

[Jaime]

I believe peptides are derived from amino acids.

[Reverb]

Found some info on this! This is from ProteinFactory.com's website. They sell both L-Glutamine and Glutamine Peptides but say that the Peptides are better absorbed because they are a smaller molecule. On the down side, they apparently taste far worse than regular glutamine. Maybe that's why they are often sold as pills instead of powder.

Heres the detail:

Glutamine Peptides in Layman's Terms
To understand the differences in glutamine peptides and regular glutamine, one must first obtain the knowledge of exactly what are peptides and how they are different from free form amino acids. Peptides are amino acids broken down into their smaller more digestible form using the hydrolyzation process. Only hydrolyzation can produce the smaller peptides, superior to free form amino acids and larger peptides currently found in your whey proteins that are produced NOT using the hydrolyzation method. The supplement companies make it sound difficult because there is a small amount of peptides that occur naturally, regularly commercially produced whole-protein supplements. Unfortunately, what the don't tell you is that these are the larger peptides with a high molecular weight, which is different from smaller di and tri peptides that are produced using the hydrolyzation method.
Several studies have shown that smaller peptides are better absorbed than larger peptides and regularly manufactured protein.
1. Amino acids from peptides are more readily absorbed than free-form amino acids, thus producing a greater insulin reaction.
2. Humans fed smaller peptides compared to whole-protein foods had a greater increase in amino acid levels.
3. Hydrolysated products produce greater pharmacological effects (increasing GH and insulin response).
4. OLIGOPEPTIDES are LARGER PEPTIDES, which are absorbed much SLOWER than small tri and di peptides. Supplement companies try to use the word "oligopeptides" to fool the customer with scientific mumbo-jumbo when they're actually stabbing themselves in the back!

ProteinFactory sells a formula of glutamine peptides with carbs derived from pineapples, which they claim hides the bad taste.

Hope this helps clarify this issue.

[fisherp1]

Hi Bulky,

thanks for your help in other topics.
I have a query: you mentioned that you should take whey, creatine and glutamine on POST workout - but you also said that glutamine and whey would compete for absorbtion.

can you shed any light on this - I'm just a beginner ya' know!

Paul.

[JiNX]

How much water do you use for 5g of glutamine?

[Topgun]

About 8oz.

[JiNX]

Several ppl told me to use just a little of water in the bottom of a glass... I'll drink it with more water from now!