Power Eating
Taking Glutamine And Creatine
Q. What’s the best way to take glutamine and creatine? Can
these products be stacked?
A. Glutamine and creatine are perhaps the most widely used supplements when it comes to bodybuilding. Glutamine, a non-essential amino acid, is used toreduce the amount of glutamine that is robbed from the muscle cells during training, resulting in muscle preservation and increases in protein metabolism. Creatine works by providing muscle cells with the energy they need to perform more work through the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – our muscles’ energy source – which means more sets and reps! The result of supplementing with creatine is gains in muscle size and strength. Both creatine and glutamine have a useful place in the bodybuilding stack. Because creatine is essentially used to keep ATP levels elevated, it’s often stacked at the beginning of the day or prior to a workout. Most people respond best to creatine supplementation at a dose of 3 to 5 grams per day. And although creatine can be consumed pre- or post-workout, if you’re going to stack with glutamine, it’s best to use these two products at separate times. This is because they could compete for uptake by the cells of the muscle, resulting in less uptake of each of these valuable nutrients. Research has shown that after intense workouts, the body’s glutamine levels are reduced. Glutamine should be supplemented at a dose of 2 to 5 grams per day to stimulate increases in growth hormone levels and reduce muscle catabolism.
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