This is for you nutritionists. I have been taking 5 grams of glutamine before and after my workouts. My question is, "Is Glutamine or Creatine beneficial to Triathletes?" I went to purchase some more Glutamine and decided to post here before I pay $30 (again). Thanks.
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Creatine and Glutamine and the Triathlete
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Posted 6 months ago #
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Glutamine: Prolonged strenous exercise or overtraining can temporarily depress levels of glutamine, but if you are healthy, your body can usually replete itself within a few hours without a glutamine supplement. Glutamine supplementation may OR may not help decrease muscle damage and shorten recovery time; but if you decide to try it, recommended dose is 5-20 grams/day. Doses should be split up so that you are taking 2 or 3 times a day.
Creatine: We need approx. 2 grams of creatine per day, but most of us get enough from animal proteins. Short-term supplementation (8 weeks or less) is safe. Side effects include weight gain (tissue holding more water), dehydration and muscle cramps, tears and pulls. To help prevent water retention, try loading dose of 6 grams/day for 5-6 days, then a maintenance dose of 2 grams/day for less than 8 weeks. Coordinate the supplementation with starting it just before your high-intensity training. Studies show that 20-30% of people do not benefit from supplementation, so try it and see if you notice any difference in your endurance.
Hope this helps!Posted 6 months ago # -
creatine: I think the weight of opinion is that creatine does not help endurance athletes performance-wise. (please somebody post study links if I'm off-base here). Creatine may help you gain muscle mass and strength though (if you are in the 70-80% as expert mentions above). The offset is that your body has to carry the extra pounds & it really can lead to other problems (joint issues, connective tissue problems).
This is all experiential + what I've learned from reading, so research yourself and let us know what you find out.
glutamine: cant hurt, might help; depends if you have $30 burning a hole in your pocket.
Posted 6 months ago # -
But if you have $30 burning a hole in your pocket... I suggest you go out and ride your bike SOOOO much that you wear a hole in your back tire. Then, that $30 could go to buying a new tire.
I bet, that $30s (and the training that led to the need to spend it) would go a lot further in increasing your performance.
Ok, yes, I'm being a bit of a smarty... But I'm only slightly kidding... since after all, overall fitness improvements are always better for performance than any small tweaks from supplements or gear changes.
Posted 6 months ago # -
I guess what I was trying to say about creatine is that it can indirectly improve performance in endurance events. Creatine, by possibly improving strength and cardio can allow more intensive interval-type training, which in turn can affect your endurance.
We used glutamine (30 grams/day)in tube-fed and IV fed ICU trauma/burn patients when I worked at the trauma hospital and found it helped decrease the stress response and cell injury.
But yes, creatine and glutamine use in athletes is still in the experimental stage. Of course, you can never discount the placebo effect!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Awesome! Thanks for the informed responses. I have completed creatine cycles when I was body building and got to a whopping 180 lbs. I was really strong but felt sluggish and couldn't do much cardio becuase it would hurt my knees. I just wanted to get other's opinions. I'm new to this type (endurance) of training and want to do things right. Thanks again and the $30 will be put towards a new bike becuase I still do not have one =-{!
Posted 6 months ago #
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