Weight training, whether your live for it or dread the mere thought of it, is a vital component to any exercise routine. Striving to complete your repetitions and gradually increasing lift weight are vital to any successful weight lifting regimen. While many factors are involved in both the muscle gains achieved through your program and your ability to retain these gains, one of the most important aspects of intensive weight training is the ability of your body to adequately recover from these difficult sets of repetition and goals. Recovery not only sets the pace for which you are able to continue your training, but the harder it is for your body to recover, the higher your chance of illness, muscle fatigue, and exhaustion. To help secure your optimal recovery time, an additional supplement of Glutamine can prove beneficial.
So What is Glutamine?
Glutamine [2,3] is a naturally occurring amino acid found inside the human body. Glutamine is one of the few amino acids to possess the ability to easily cross the blood to brain barrier. While stores of this amino acid are found in the body, it is depleted throughout the duration of intensive exercise. Since Glutamine performs multiple functions throughout the body, especially in aiding with the recovery process, many athletes benefit from an increased supply through an additional supplement.
How can Glutamine help?
In order to perform our best during new and more challenging weight training programs, as well as other specific types of regimens, our bodies must be able to recover on a daily basis. To properly recover, Glutamine provides [2,3,4] our bodies with a number of benefits intended to stop the breakdown of muscle as well as fortifying the immune system. Glutamine [2] inhibits the breakdown of muscles after a workout by providing the muscles with a component with which to create and build newer and stronger muscle. Many athletes who have recently started a weight lifting system are susceptible to muscle tear and as their body’s supply of Glutamine drops, their need for a fortifying agent increases.
A study [1] conducted on the relationship between Glutamine intake and increased muscle strength and fatigue suppression suggested that with the increased supply of this amino acid readily available to an athlete’s body, the athletes were both better able to meet their current goals and were more prepared to tackle more challenging tasks in the future. Finally, by increasing the strength and functions of our immune system [4], our bodies are better able to fight off illness which many athletes are prone to contract after an especially intense competition or practice. Acting as a precursor [4] to the powerful antioxidant Glutathione, the supplement provides protection against the numerous types of free radicals associated with the oxidative stress endured by the body after sessions of exercise, especially during exhaustive weight training routines.