Have you spent much time in a Health Food store browsing through all of the muscle building supplements? If you have, you may have been overwhelmed by all the different types of supplements and all the brand names which claim to work wonders for your muscle gaining efforts. One supplement in particular which has received much publicity is glutamine. Spend some time in the gym listening to the weightlifters and bodybuilders chat about their favorite techniques and supplements, and sooner or later you’ll hear someone mention glutamine. You may be told that this supplement is extremely helpful in growing your muscles, and you may even be told that it is essential for any muscle building at all. Do you really need glutamine supplements for your body building program?
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. (Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.) That much is true. But what about actual supplementation? You must understand that one of the major reasons that glutamine is recommended is that it was shown to be helpful in trauma cases. Studies have shown that muscle loss can be reduced in patients with severe trauma such as in the case of burn victims or AIDS patients. The problem is that this kind of stress cannot be automatically compared to the kind of stress your body undergoes during exercise. While there may be certain situations in which such a supplement would be helpful, glutamine supplementation is probably not necessary in the majority of cases. You have to remember that much of the hype that surrounds this product and others like it comes from the supplement companies themselves. Always remember to stick with the essentials of progressive resistance training and increasing your calories, however popular a bodybuilding supplement may be.
Why do bodybuilding supplements like glutamine sell so well? They do well because bodybuilders, like most people, prefer to look for a seemingly magical product that promises immediate results. Unfortunately, so many people in our society have become accustomed to looking for shortcuts and short term gratification. It’s particularly sad when you consider that learning how to gain weight naturally is not as difficult as it may seem. The real magic pill is combining the right knowledge (weight gain diet plus proper workout routines) with determination. The beginner must understand that weight gain, like most worthwhile goals, requires diligence over the long term.
If this is a little discouraging for you, consider the following. Most great things in life are not accomplished with one incredible act. On the contrary, both our successes and failures in life almost always come from the accumulation of small choices over time. You will accomplish more working out a few times a week than you will in one super long workout. Whatever you choose, keep the long term in mind and rest assured that living your dreams tomorrow, in both bodybuilding and beyond, are well worth the price you pay today.
