Is it better to take Glutamine or Protein depending on your goals?

Javier Colomer 5 min. of reading Proteins Leave a comment

We explain the differences between these two important products, which are also among the most widely consumed.

In a sports context, the use of these products will contribute to certain benefits for the sportspeople or athlete:

Glutamine is an amino acid with important functions for the body, and at certain times – such as high energy demand – its synthesis may be compromised and we may have to supply it externally.
Protein is the most important product from which we can obtain muscle mass gains, recovery and maintenance.

Index

1 Main differences between protein and glutamine
2 Which product is best for you according to your objectives?
3 What does glutamine contribute to sports performance?
4 What does protein powder do for sports performance?
5 Is it safe to combine them?

Main differences between protein and glutamine

	Glutamine	Protein
Definition	A conditionally essential amino acid found in most muscle tissues.	Essential macronutrient consisting of chains of amino acids
Main function:	It removes excess ammonia; contributes to immune and digestive system function; neurotransmission; glucose synthesis…	It regenerates and repairs body tissues; synthesises hormones, enzymes and other biological components of the organism…
Benefits Highlights	It improves recovery in athletes with high training volumes	It contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass
Recommended use	During periods of increased training demand; to promote digestive health.	In any context
Take with other products	It can be combined with any product.	It can be combined with any product.

Which product is best for you according to your objectives?

Both glutamine and protein can be taken all year round or in any part of the season.

Sports objective	Recommended product
Increased strength and performance	Protein
Improved endurance and reduced fatigue	Protein and glutamine (combination)
Increased muscle mass	Protein
Fat loss and muscle definition	Protein and glutamine (combination)
Fast muscle recovery	Protein and glutamine (combination)
Sleep and recovery optimisation	Protein and glutamine (combination)

Volume phase

During this period we seek to increase the caloric intake to establish a hypercaloric diet. In this sense, it will be necessary to provide sufficient protein so that our organism has the material with which to build new tissues.

At this stage, we can increase the volume of training without suffering too much from the calorie surplus.

Definition phase

Here a calorie deficit (taking in fewer calories than are expended) is established to promote the use of stored fat tissue. It is essential to slightly increase protein intake to help maintain muscle mass.

It may also be interesting to add glutamine to make up for the nutritional deficit.

Maintenance phase

At this stage, we seek neither mass gain nor fat loss, but simply to maintain our weight and body composition.

The role of protein will be to contribute to supplementing our diet and the role of glutamine will be to support the digestive system.

What does glutamine contribute to sports performance?

Despite the multiple functions of the amino acid L-Glutamine, there is not much evidence that it directly relates to an anabolic role or fat loss, increased strength or enhanced performance.

However, it is true that in a scenario where athletes train at high intensity and high frequency, the body may not be able to replenish glutamine levels and it is interesting to add glutamine externally.

What does protein powder do for sports performance?

Recovery: Expanding on this fact, we refer to the role it plays in helping to assimilate training sessions and generate subsequent adaptations, as well as finding ourselves ready for future sessions.

Protein powder is a very convenient way to “stick to the macros”, especially for people whose busy lifestyles do not allow them to prepare meals or who are simply looking for an excellent source of protein of the highest quality.