supplements advice

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manetta1
manetta1 Posts: 138
in Food and Nutrition
I'm considering investing into 2 different supplements. I have read mixed reviews on both of them. They are L-glutamine and Conjugated Linoleic Acid. Does anyone have any insight on these 2 supplements. Are they worth it if your trying to gain muscle and lose body fat?

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  • ShannanM
    ShannanM Posts: 4
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    I took CLA supplements for 3 months and noticed no significant difference in weight loss or fat loss/muscle build. I figured I'd save the money and stopped taking it.
  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
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    You probably won't get much insight here, You can create an account on bodybuilder.com for free and ask questions in their forums, I did it a year back when I didn't know what kind of protein to buy, haven't gone on since but it was helpful for that... good luck :smile:

    ~Leash :heart:
  • imagymrat
    imagymrat Posts: 862 Member
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    Glutamine supplements are supposed to help restore depleted levels of L glutamine in times of stress. There seems to be some debate on this issue. Guys that take them swear by them, and if you do research on glutamine supplements, you'll find lots of studies that support the theory that they do indeed help restore depleted levels. There's no conclusive evidence that glutamine supplements work to restore depleted levels of L glutamine in times of stress,so they may or may not work. The good news is, L glutamine in supplement form is relatively inexpensive and is safe to take so it doesn't hurt to give it a try and see what kind of results you get.

    If you're interested in taking CLA to help with weight loss, keep in mind that it's not a magic pill, and you will need to start a program of diet and exercise in order to successfully lose weight and keep it off. I found CLA to be ineffective, but your results could vary drastically from mine.
  • manetta1
    manetta1 Posts: 138
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    I'm not really looking to lose weight. I thought these 2 supplements may help me with gaining muscle mass. I want to lose fat off my body but not drop weight if that makes sense.
  • Phoenixflame
    Phoenixflame Posts: 560 Member
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    You mean body recomposition?

    Unless you're very new to weightlifting, you can't really gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. You can maintain your muscle while losing fat, through resistance training and sensible diet, but you can't get big and small at the same time.

    Before trying supplements, try eating closer to your maintenance levels and lift heavy. See if you like where that gets you.

    As far as glutamine, I take it and I like it. It helps me recover faster.
  • manetta1
    manetta1 Posts: 138
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    This month I have noticed my size and strength getting bigger. I'm not trying to shrink but I thought if you work out enough your going to gain weight but at the same time drop body fat percentage as long as your actively working out. My workout regiment consists of a cardio twice a week. I do chets, back, shoulders, biceps/triceps on separate days. Than repeat so I pretty much do the muscle groups twice a week. Abs currently I'm doing every other day. My weight has stayed the same in the last 3 weeks, but I do feel stronger, My body fat is being measured next week to see where I am at.
  • Phoenixflame
    Phoenixflame Posts: 560 Member
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    You're probably reaping what some figure athletes refer to as "newbie gains," which is when your body quickly puts on muscle when it's new to lifting. Hooray!

    And yes, besides newbie gains, you can drop body fat, but while your strength/endurance may improve, you are not going to see significant increases in size until you eat in a surplus. Keep in mind, as you drop bodyfat, your muscles will look more defined.

    If you want to dabble in supps, I recommend creatine. I definitely notice whenever I've taken it. But really, those are just extras.
  • imagymrat
    imagymrat Posts: 862 Member
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    You're probably reaping what some figure athletes refer to as "newbie gains," which is when your body quickly puts on muscle when it's new to lifting. Hooray!

    And yes, besides newbie gains, you can drop body fat, but while your strength/endurance may improve, you are not going to see significant increases in size until you eat in a surplus. Keep in mind, as you drop bodyfat, your muscles will look more defined.

    If you want to dabble in supps, I recommend creatine. I definitely notice whenever I've taken it. But really, those are just extras.

    But your calorie surplus should be coming mostly from protein, not just anything, up the protein, heavy weights, clean diet and you'll see results. You should also try to vary your muscle groups worked, there's no reason to keep working the same muscle groups every workout. I'll mix, bicep and chest, tri's and bi's, back and shoulders, I shake it up all the time. Also introduce, supersets, drop sets and pyramids into your workout, make sure you are also working the negative and including static holds, which will greatly increase muscle strength. I won't touch too much on creatine, because I didn't like the results I ahieved, it did put weight onto me that I didn't want. Counterproductive, I even played with the dosage in the end I decided to drop it all together, I use protein powder and on occasion a good fat burner when i'm close to competition.

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