Have you ever felt as if your legs weren't recovered enough for the day's training? Do you ever look for quick ways to bring your legs back to full capacity (ice, massage, cross-training, stretching) so you can work hard again?
This is about glutamine and its effects on recovery.
Glutamine is an amino acid, one of the most abundant amino acids in the body. It's released when muscles contract. A long, hard training can deplete glutamine by 25% to 30% or more.
Why Is That Important?
Glutamine is a fuel used not only by muscles, but also by immune cells. The immune system manages recovery of all types: illness, injury, surgery, and training. Glutamine is a fuel source for cells that line the GI tract, which guards against microorganisms that cause disease. In addition, glutamine facilitates glycogen synthesis, which is highly important after training.
For both optimal health and optimal recovery, glutamine needs to be replaced after training.
How Can I Do That?
The obvious way to replace glutamine is through food selection. Since glutamine is an amino acid, many protein foods contain it. Examples of glutamine-containing proteins are: beef, fish, chicken, pork, eggs, egg whites, milk, yogurt, ricotta cheese, and cottage cheese.
Some vegetables also contain glutamine: Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, kale, parsley, spinach, cabbage and others.
Glutamine can also be found in fruits: apples, apricots, avocado, bananas, cantaloupe, dates, figs, grapefruit, oranges, papaya, peaches, pears, persimmon, pineapple, and strawberries.
The long fruit list doesn't contradict my previous articles that recommend limiting fructose, the sugar in fruit. I suggest limiting your daily fruit servings to 1 or 2, and choosing your fruits from the above list to help with glutamine replacement.
Other foods that contain glutamine are: beans, soy, peanuts and other legumes; wheat, barley, beetroot, corn, nuts (small amount).
What If Foods Don't Help?
If you've been training hard enough to feel that you're not recovering fully - even with these foods in your training diet - you might want to go with a glutamine supplement. I'm most familiar with glutamine powder, but it's also sold in tablet form. If you use a supplement, try taking 1 heaping teaspoon (5 grams, the usual recommended dosage) before bed. Mix the powder into about an ounce of water and drink it, then drink a full glass of fresh water. Glutamine powder has worked well for me, but I'd like to hear from you if you give it a try.
One of the benefits of taking glutamine before bed is that it can trigger a release of your own human growth hormone. HGH is a complex topic, but it has been shown to have immune benefits and to aid in cell and muscle recovery.
Staying away from sugar -- before and after workouts -- will give
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Anthony Robbins said, "Knowledge is only potential power. Implementation is power." Nutrition coaching from someone who understands sugar addiction is implementation on steroids! For coaching, please go to Services>Coaching on the same website. I can provide a detailed execution plan so you can take action and get the best results as quickly and easily as possible.
Find out the "3 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Trying To Quit Sugar" when you visit
Anthony Robbins said, "Knowledge is only potential power. Implementation is power." Nutrition coaching from someone who understands sugar addiction is implementation on steroids! For coaching, please go to Services>Coaching on the same website. I can provide a detailed execution plan so you can take action and get the best results as quickly and easily as possible.
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