Supplementation is no longer considered a luxury option. Chances are that anyone you chat with in the gym is supplementing with something. When it comes to gaining muscle size, everyone knows that having a protein supplement is a requirement.
What if you really want to ensure maximum size gains?
What can you do that doesn't require breaking the law or endangering your body?
The solution is simple, you pair up the two biggest names in the supplement industry to see real gains.
Let's take a look at the benefits of creatine and glutamine and why they make the perfect supplement pair.
Benefits of Creatine
Your body naturally makes creatine but it's limited to about one gram per day. Creatine plays an important role in providing energy to muscle tissue. Stored within this tissue, it's released during high energy demands such as exercise. It's then converted to ATP and used as fuel to complete whatever energy demanding task you're doing.
Creatine is also used for muscle recovery. Recent studies show that creatine was successful in reducing inflammation and muscle tissue damage post-workout. (1)
Benefits of Glutamine
The primary reason that glutamine is such a popular supplement is due to its ability to support muscle recovery, especially after intense workouts. Taken on a regular basis, subjects saw a decrease in post-workout inflammation and muscle damage. This benefit is extended on a hormonal level as glutamine is also used to prevent catabolic breakdown of protein in the body. In other words, it's a muscle sparing supplement. (2, 3)
Why You Should Pair Them
The name of the game is performance and recovery. You need to perform well if you want to achieve your fitness goals. This is especially true during high intensity workouts. If you're a bodybuilder, what good is it to throw in the towel halfway through your workout?
More important than performing well is recovering well. Over training will put a stop to any fitness goal faster than you can imagine. The combination of providing your muscles with the fuel they need and the ability to reduce inflammation and support recovery is why these two industry giants need to be taken together.
The Proper Way to Take Them
Despite huge advancements in supplement technology, it's still recommended to perform a loading phase with creatine. The idea behind this is to completely saturate your muscles with 20 grams of creatine per day for 7 to 14 days. You could do 5 grams per day but that will take at least a full month to see the same results. It's best to take creatine following a workout when your body is primed to absorb it all.
Glutamine can be taken at its normal 5 gram serving but if you are a serious bodybuilder or power lifter then you may want to consider 10 grams. It's best to take Glutamine on an empty stomach so do it as soon as you wake up.
Creatine:
- 20 grams for 14 days
- 5 grams after that
- Take post-workout
Glutamine
- 5 to 10 grams based on intensity
- Take in the morning on an empty stomach
Conclusion
Creatine and glutamine have been stand alone supplements for decades. There's a reason that they are still around and still the most purchased supplements on the market. They've been proven time and time again to be an effective way to fuel your muscles while aiding in recovery. If you want to see serious results, then you need to be adding these effective and inexpensive supplements to your diet program.
References
- Kreider RB. Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations. Mol Cell Biochem. 2003 Feb;244(1-2):89-94.
- Piattoly, Tavis. L-glutamine supplementation: effects on recovery from Exercise. Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. (4 – 9) August 2005.
- Calder PC, Yaqoob P. Glutamine and the immune system. Amino Acids. 1999;17(3):227-41.
