Health Care

by: Tony Schwartz

Glutamine, also referred to as l-glutamine, is a conditionally-essential amino acid. This means that while glutamine is not considered an essential amino acid, under conditions of extreme stress such as a traumatic injury to the body, glutamine becomes essential.

Glutamine seems to be particularly important in the digestive, immune, and muscular systems. In fact, it is the most abundant amino acid in human muscle tissue. For this reason supplement companies have focused on offering glutamine pills and powders to supplement users.

The thought is that if glutamine is so prevalent in human muscle tissue that more glutamine will help us to build more muscle. To do this most supplement companies recommend a dose of 5-10 grams of glutamine.

It has also been hypothesized that glutamine will increase growth hormone levels. Although never sufficiently proven, supplement companies recommend a dose of 2-5 grams of glutamine before bed for this purpose.

From my work with athletes I have found a few interesting things with glutamine. The first is that it does seem to have a positive effect on the immune system. If an athlete is going through a stressful time (big competitions or an especially rigorous training cycle) it is very common for the athlete to get sick due to a weakened immune system. By adding in supplemental glutamine I have found that the athlete is much less likely to get sick.

This immune system boost is not as cool-sounding as increasing growth hormones levels, but just think of what getting sick does to your training. You will easily lose at least a few days of productive training, if not more. If supplemental glutamine gives you the ability to train hard for a few extra days then it makes it one of the best muscle building supplements in my book.

In addition to the immune system boosting properties, I have found that glutamine is one of the best muscle building supplements for speeding recovery after intense weight training. The trick is that the dose has to be high enough. I suggest at least 20 grams in your post-workout shake, and as high as 40 grams depending on your individual needs.

The problem is that most combination products only contain a few grams of glutamine along with a few grams of some other substances. What you end up with is a supplement that looks good because it has 100 different compounds in it. But the problem is that none of these compounds are at the correct dosage.

To avoid this I recommend purchasing a stand-alone glutamine powder. That way you are only paying for the important ingredient and you know you are getting the correct dosage.

As always, please remember that glutamine is just a supplement. Adding in 20 grams after your workout won't add pounds of muscle instantly. It must be combined with a properly designed training and nutrition program in order to work to its fullest potential.

Get more information on the best muscle building supplements and a FREE muscle building report on “The 13 Reasons You Suck at Gaining Muscle."

By: Marc David

Confused Supplement Seeker,

A few days ago this kid posted his supplement stack pictures. He spends $400+ a month on supplements! I think I spend under $50 and that's if I'm being experimental.

I'll refrain from talking about brand names and such as I think we all have our opinions on those and many times price is a factor. Let's just stick to the overall basics.

So let's begin...

Foundational Supplements:

* Multi-vitamin
* Essential Fatty Acid complex

The multi-vitamin will act as an insurance policy. Variety in your diet is great and you should strive for it, but not all of us get everything we need for optimal performance. And with the debates on food quality, it's just a decent idea to take a multi- vitamin.

An EFA complex gives you so many benefits to fat burning and muscle building by increasing your metabolism and the heart healthy benefits, it's just a must. Eating plenty of fish will help ensure you are getting your Omega acids but again, insurance policy and a decent foundational supplement.

And that's it!

Performance/Muscle Building Supplements:

* Whey protein
* Creatine

Why isn't protein a foundational? Because I believe that if you wanted to, you could get all your protein needs from whole foods. It's not a foundational to take a shake even after a workout. And while you can argue that the body will absorb it better and such, it still doesn't make it a must even as an insurance policy.

But it sure as heck does help. I think most bodybuilders will take some form of whey shake at some point during the day. My guess is in the morning upon waking up and after a workout.

Good old creatine. It's proven in over 300 peer reviewed published articles on it's improvements to the bodybuilding athlete.

Optional Supplements:

* Beta-Alanine
* Glutamine
* Casein
* Other proteins

An up-coming major player in coo hoots with creatine is beta- alanine. From my own research and experimentation, it's a fine supplement and not a bank breaker. I do stack this with my BCAA supplement that has creatine in it. One to watch at the least.

Glutamine is something that gets a lot of attention but rarely do we find studies that show it's clear link to bodybuilding. Needless to say...

You can try it out if you want.

Casein is just a slower digesting protein. Many people are firm believers in mixing proteins especially at night when you want a slower digesting protein. Some products have protein combinations in them already. Dairy proteins like cottage cheese have casein in them and make a very good nighttime snack.

Other proteins like egg white protein or vegetarian proteins might be something optional if you find it necessary or beneficial.

Experimental Supplements:

* BCAAs
* Caffeine
* CLA

Branch Chain Aminos are great. Especially in a pre-workout formula. At the moment, I've had great personal success using a BCAA powder with creatine mixed in it. Not something for everybody but if you are looking for that extra edge, BCAA style supplements sure do have a lot of valid research behind them to suggest a performance enhancement.

Caffeine for weight loss or a metabolism boost or maybe you just like your local coffee shop. I don't experiment with it at all but I do like my coffee. Many people find that caffeine in coffee or green tea make good herbal weight loss products that are safe.

CLA is an old school healthy fat that get press every now and again. Lately there's not much promise in terms of human weight reduction but again, something to consider. Don't expert miracles. I tried it once. Interesting. Not a supplement that you'll find in my closet though.

Remember, there are hundreds of supplements out there and the list is growing daily. These few are really all you'll need in addition to your 5-6 meals a day.

If you were to stick just with the foundational supplements, you would still make fantastic progress and spend under $30 a month on supplements.

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