L-Glutamine And Other Junk

Spring has sprung here in New England if ever at a snail like and cautious pace. You remember Parker, don't you? Golden Retriever, Age 5, loves bananas, steak, hugs as you can see here. Hates romaine lettuce, snappy black dogs, house smoke detector alarms.  Owned and operated by my sister.  Here we are embracing in complete and utter JOY that it really is SPRING and soon he will be sampling a morsel of
Easter dinner ham.


I am up to 14 hours of weekly training now and 2+ weeks into consistent use of L-Glutamine.  I have not missed a dose (6-8 grams a day) and I have to say, I am surprised how good I am feeling especially now that I am ramping things up (for what purpose I'm not exactly sure) I have no real season planned but it's apparent, I live to train, race season scheduled or not. Ahhhh but fear not. I've been lurking around the race calendar and I don't think I will make it through the year without some sort of crack addict fix of triathlon.

 Now a 3 hour ride is nothing for most of you triathlete  readers, but for me, it's a big day out and
I've at least broken through this barrier recently with the hope it won't continue to be complete bleeding from the eyeballs- drudgery now to have my ass planted on a saddle for 3+ hours building up something that resembles bike fitness. Here's my motivation...Team Psycho Training Weekend (insert scary music) coming up in May. Oh Boy... That is a post all in it's own so i will save it for later. My team mates show love by dropping you like a bad habit on the rides and ridiculing you over dinner the same night. It's really fun!!!

Getting back to the  L-Glutamine.  I have felt completely SPENT after a particular ride (ok..most all of them right now) or day when I mix a hard session (beating) of TRX and say a tempo run tacked on  and feel TRASHED. You know that feeling? When you legs sort of burn going up stairs and it feels like lactic acid is just swirling around in there? But by the next day, after the addition of the L-Glutamine, I've found I'm no longer limping around and feeling fatigued to the point where all I want to do is graze and  to go lay down. My easy/recovery day is still just that-treated as it should. But at least I'm not struggling just to get through the recovery day. VICTORY!  I do recommend you do some research on your own and give this a shot if in fact you feel that your own recovery could use a boost.  I'm thankful for finding this supplement that is simple to take, easy to digest, has no flavor and doesn't break the bank.  Try to get the purest pharmaceutical grade you can.  I purchased mine here.  2- 1LB powder form containers.  If you do try it, I would love to hear your own feedback so let me know! One more point I shall make on this, taking this AFTER a hard session of training and before you go to bed are doses you don't want to miss. From what I have read. These are really important times to take it for Endurance athletes.

 Happy Healthy Spring Training  And Racing.  Gummy chicks and rabbits included. Gawd..I love these things! :-)

My New Weapon? I Just Might Be On To Something......

 Keep reading if:
A.Your an endurance athlete.
B.You are sore after workouts.
C.You want to recover move quickly.
D. None of the above but hell,  I wanna see what this "weapon" thing is all about.


Ok.. here we go...   LISTEN UP. You just might wonder how you got yourself up everyday  without this!


L-Glutamine   


I'll try to give a brief overview of what you need concerning this subject since I've already done some research,  so grab your coffee and settle in.
I first heard about L-Glutamine from MD my trainer dude who punishes me 2x a week with TRX suspension training. My current issue at the moment is recovery or rather the lack of it. Nutrition, sleep and sandwiching in recovery "days" just isn't working for me.
 I need help or potentially I will be digging myself into a hole or worse, getting injured again. (shutter)


Below is a typical  pattern for me without getting into the meat of my combined/other workouts:


Monday I'm fresh as a wild  field daisy. I can bang out a prescribed swim set at  morning Masters leading Lane 3 confidently. Bring it on baby...


Tuesday MD STEAM ROLLS me early AM with TRX and then I'll do a hard tempo run at 
lunch to add to my fatigue for the day.  I do eat within the prescribed window for recovery and it's always protein loaded but it doesn't appear to be enough in terms of recovery.


Wednesday I saunter back to the pool early morning  and I'm trashed from Tuesday's Fun In The Sun, feeling a tad bitchy, ( who me??!!)  while moaning and begging someone else to lead the freakin' lane.


Thursday  TRX thrashing repeated.  MD could CARE LESS that Wednesday was "Distance Day" at Masters and pummels me just as hard if I complain. Bastard...
 I'll  throw in a run- hill repeat session to add to the mix. Heck, is all about suffering, right?


Friday I'm back in the water bright and early and I'm cooked again like Wednesday. I just want my paddles and my fins to motor me through what ever pool punishment is doled out for the morning and by midday, I'm looking for a nap and someone to knead me like dough.


I possibly can't continue down this meat grinding path so here's where my new"secret weapon" is going to rescue me in terms of aiding my recovery ( one hopes)
L-Gluamine  L-Gluamine  L-Gulamine


"Research  has shown that after intense training,Glutamine levels in the body are reduced. 
  Studies suggest supplementing with L-Glutamine minimizes the breakdown of muscle tissue and improves muscle metabolism"


Supplementing with L-Glutamine: 


Helps build protein within your muscles
Helps prevent muscles from breaking down
Helps restore glycogen levels which increases performance
Helps boost your muscle recovery time
It supports growth hormone levels
Helps regulate your blood sugar
It's not a banned performance substance
It's easy to incorporate into your routine with no side effects unless you take
too much at one time and it's virtually tasteless.


The key to using it is consistency and finding the right dosage for yourself. Typically as athletes, the recommended dosage is 5- 15 grams a day spread out through the day.
I found that using the powder form is easier and less expensive that trying to take
it in pill form. One scoop equals 5 grams.
You should take it everyday like a vitamin.
Example dosage:
5 grams with your first meal
5 grams post workout
5 grams at bedtime when you are in REAL recovery mode.


I will be totally honest here in saying that I've just stared this supplement 6 days ago and on further research, it takes approximately 2 weeks to notice the effects of consistent dosing with L-Gluamine.


Stay tuned  as  I will be honest in my evaluation of this supplement and either save 
you some money or  risk giving up my secret in making you a lean, mean, recovery machine. Just don't be in my age group come race day.  :-)