Recovery can be one of the most painful aspects of your whole workout. You’ve done the hard work, but you have to wait for your muscles to recover from the stress of the workout itself.
This is when the microtears in your muscles start to repair themselves, which is the whole process of building your muscles. The good news is that there are plenty of supplements on the market that can make your recovery much easier, and even ease the pain of the whole experience.
Glutamine is one of those supplements that can aid your recovery. It is renowned for its ability to help your muscles recover after an intense workout. It can even encourage protein synthesis, which is the whole process of building new muscle.
So taking an L-glutamine supplement is a no brainer. But with so many products on the market, how can you be sure that you’ve found the best glutamine supplement?
We’ve done all the hard work for you. We’ve researched and reviewed hundreds of products to bring you the best of the best. So you can rest assured that the below glutamine supplements that we’ve reviewed in detail will be perfect for your needs.
These L-glutamine supplements can help improve your recovery and aid you to smash through your workout goals.
Best Glutamine Supplement Reviews
Optimum Nutrition L-Glutamine Muscle Recovery Capsules
The Optimum Nutrition L-Glutamine Muscle Recovery Capsules are the creme de la creme when it comes to glutamine supplements. Optimum Nutrition is a tried and trusted brand that delivers great results every time.
There’s a reason that the professionals opt for ON as their supp brand of choice!
These particular L-glutamine supplements are capsules. This will make them super easy to take as part of your daily routine. All you need to do is take 2 capsules for a complete serving as part of a healthy diet and exercise routine.
ON recommend taking these L-glutamine capsules as a pre workout so that your body can readily absorb them once you’ve finished exercising.
What’s really great about these glutamine capsules is that they use only pure L-glutamine.
Each capsule contains a high concentration of glutamine to ensure that you get the right amount of amino acids to help with your recovery. There is an impressive 1,000mg in the suggested serving of 2 capsules.
Pros
- Trusted brand – delivers solid results and is often used by professionals
- Pure L-glutamine – won’t need to worry about added fillers
- Supports muscle growth – aids in recovery and encourages protein synthesis
Cons
- Gelatine – not suitable for vegans or vegetarians
Now Foods Supplements L-Glutamine Capsules
The Now Foods Supplements L-Glutamine Capsules gives you the perfect blend of glutamine to aid in the recovery process. This particular product gives you 120 capsules to use as directed. It can be taken as a pre workout and/or post workout, or even taken as a daily supplement for ease.
What’s really great about this L-glutamine supplement is that it meets a wide variety of dietary requirements. Whereas other glutamine capsules make use of gelatine, this product uses a veggie capsule. So it is suitable for use by vegans and vegetarians. You also won’t have to worry about any allergens such as dairy, nuts, eggs, gluten, or soy. These capsules are also halal and kosher.
You’ll get the perfect blend of glutamine in every serving with this product. Each capsule contains 500mg for you to use. This will be more than enough for the body to consume after each workout.
Pros
- Easy to use – no need to mix with water before consuming
- Dietary requirement friendly – doesn’t contain a wide variety of allergens, is suitable for vegans and vegetarians, and is both halal and kosher
- Budget friendly – more affordable than some competitive products
Cons
- Smaller size – contains enough servings for 40 days if taking 3 tablets a day as suggested
Body Fortress Pure Glutamine Powder
Prefer to opt for a powdered supplement? Then the Body Fortress Pure Glutamine Powder is just the thing you need.
This particular powdered L-glutamine supplement will give you all the glutamine you need to aid your recovery. Each serving includes an impressive 4,500mg for your body to absorb as needed.
It will be super easy to use this glutamine supplement. All you need to do is follow the instructions and add a single teaspoon of the glutamine powder to your favorite drink. You can also add it in with your protein shake, BCAAs, or other supplements that you take each day.
This particular L-glutamine powder will give you the best results when consumed as a post workout supplement. This will aid your recovery and encourage protein synthesis for stronger, bigger lean muscle.
Pros
- Easy to use – simply mix a single teaspoon with your favorite beverage
- Boosts recovery – designed to improve your recovery after a workout
- 4500mg a serving – gives you the perfect blend of L-glutamine for the best results
Cons
- No scoop – you will need to use your own teaspoon to measure each serving
Optimum Nutrition L-Glutamine Muscle Recovery Powder
Want a powdered L-glutamine supplement that will deliver solid results every time? Then the Optimum Nutrition L-Glutamine Muscle Recovery Powder should be the top choice of supp for your needs. This particular glutamine supplement features a highly concentrated dosage of glutamine, with 5,000mg of pure L-glutamine in every serving.
You won’t have to worry about any nasty aftertastes with this powdered glutamine supplement.
The Optimum Nutrition L-Glutamine Muscle Recovery Powder is unflavored. This makes it great for stacking with your other supps such as protein powder or BCAAs. You can even drink it when mixed with plain water.
It couldn’t be easier to use this powdered L-glutamate supplement. Simply mix one heaped teaspoon with your drink of choice. It will give you the best results when used as a post workout drink. It will also mix easily and you won’t get any lumpy bits of unmixed powder.
Pros
- Highly concentrated – you’ll get a whopping 5,000mg of L-glutamine in each serving
- Easy to use – simply mix a heaped teaspoon with water or your favorite drink
- Multiple sizes – choose between 3 different bottle sizes
Cons
- Expensive – one of the more expensive brands for supplements
MuscleTech Glutamine Powder
The MuscleTech Glutamine Powder is another excellent choice of powdered L-glutamine supplement. You’ll get an impressive 5,000mg of pure L-glutamine in every serving. This will be essential for improving your recovery and helping with protein synthesis.
A great feature of this glutamine supplement is that it is unflavored. So you can easily mix it in with your additional supplements such as your protein shake, or take it on its own with plain water.
This particular glutamine supplement is designed to be taken as a daily supplement. So you will get the best results when you take it as both a pre workout and post workout supplement, as well as taking it on rest days.
Pros
- Unflavored – no unpleasant taste or smell when you take the supplement
- Highly concentrated – contains 5,000mg of L-glutamine in every serving
- Daily workout supplement – designed to be taken daily
Cons
- Narrow opening – can be hard to insert the scoop if you have larger hands
Buyer’s Guide
Trying to find the best glutamine supplement for your needs can be a real challenge. If you’re relatively new to glutamine supplements, it can be difficult to know what to look for in a product.
Should you opt for capsules or powder? How much are you meant to take each day? When is the optimal time window for taking your glutamine supplement to ensure that you get the most out of it?
We’ve put together this handy buyer’s guide to help you. As long as you bear the below factors in mind when choosing your glutamine supplement, you can rest assured that it will be perfect for your needs.
If you follow the advice we set out in this guide, you can rest assured that you are making a fully informed decision when it comes to choosing your next glutamine supplement.
Take a look at everything you need to know about glutamine supplements below, or skip ahead to the frequently asked questions.
Capsule Vs Powder
The main thing you will need to think about when choosing the best glutamine supplement for your needs is whether you would prefer to use a capsule or a powder. L-glutamine is available in both variants, and it will mostly come down to your personal preference as to which is better than the other.
Capsules will come in a small tub, and require you to take one or two tablets as a complete serving. Instructions may vary, but the manufacturers will generally advise that you take a single serving after each time that you exercise.
Most people like to take this version of the glutamine amino acid purely for ease. You don’t have to worry about mixing it with anything, you can simply take the serving as instructed on its own or with a drink.
However, the capsules can often become expensive, as the bottles won’t contain very many servings.
So if you are using your glutamine supplement every time you exercise, which could be twice a day, then you will go through quite a few capsules. So it’s easy to see how this can add up over time.
Powder will come in tubs of various sizes. Some products will include a scoop to help you get consistent measurements every time, or you may need to use a spoon to get the serving that you’re after.
You will need to mix a serving with the beverage of your choice. Most people will do this with water, or even mix the glutamine in with their protein shake and other supplements such as BCAAs.
Using a powdered glutamine supplement can require a little extra effort on your part, however, it can also cause faster results as you’re not having to wait for your body to digest any capsule casings first.
It can also help you to save money, as most powdered glutamine supplements include more servings per tub than their capsule variant.
You will notice that price varies from product to product, especially so if they are made by trusted brands such as Optimum Nutrition.
Number Of Wervings
Next, you will need to think about the size of the product that you are buying.
How often will you be using your glutamine supplement? Will you only be taking it as a pre workout and post workout, or will you be taking it on your rest days as well? This could dictate how much L-glutamine you will need to purchase.
If you will be taking glutamine as a daily supplement instead of as a post workout supplement, then you will need to have more L-glutamine available to use.
No matter whether you opt for capsules or powder, you will need to check how many servings are included. You may think you’re saving money by opting for that 60 serving tub, but if you’re using it as a daily supplement, you will need to purchase more of it sooner than you think.
Easy To Use
Make sure that you select a product that is easy for you to use. If you have selected capsules, does the bottle come with a simple set of directions for you to follow?
If you have selected a powdered glutamine supplement, does it include the scoop you need for consistent measurements? How easy is it to mix your new powdered supp with water or with your protein shake?
The easier your glutamine product is to use, the more likely you are to use it throughout the day. The vast majority of people like to opt for capsules as these give you an easy, no fuss solution.
Dietary Requirements
Another factor that you may need to bear in mind is if you have any dietary requirements. This can include things such as allergies to dairy, soy, or nuts. You will need to ensure that your chosen L-glutamine supplement is safe for you to consume.
If you are a vegan or a vegetarian, we would recommend avoiding capsules. This is because the vast majority of manufacturers will use gelatine in their capsules.
So unless the product states that the capsules are made using a vegetarian or vegan friendly gelatine, they won’t be suitable for you to consume.
Those with religious dietary requirements such as halal and kosher will also need to look for this assurance on the packaging. Not every product will be able to adhere to these requirements, so it’s best to ensure that you have selected the appropriate product before you commit to your purchase.
Flavored Vs Unflavored
You will also need to think about whether you would like your glutamine to be flavored or unflavored.
Certain bodybuilders will have a preference for one or the other, so this is something that you should mostly bear in mind when choosing the powdered variant of glutamine supplement.
An unflavored powder will be easy to drink when mixed with water or when combined with additional supplements such as protein powder. It won’t give you any unpleasant aftertastes or odors each time you consume it.
Flavored powder can make the glutamine supplement more pleasant to drink when it’s combined with water. However, you may also have to think about any additional sweeteners or flavorings that have been added to the supplement to make it taste better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Best Glutamine Supplement?
The best glutamine supplements are:
- Optimum Nutrition L-Glutamine Muscle Recovery Capsules
- Now Foods Supplements L-Glutamine Capsules
- Body Fortress Pure Glutamine Powder
- Optimum Nutrition L-Glutamine Muscle Recovery Powder
- MuscleTech Glutamine Powder
Is It Worth Taking Glutamine?
If you’re an avid bodybuilder or enjoy regular workouts to stay healthy and build lean muscle, then yes, it is indeed worth taking glutamine.
This supplement works to help repair your muscle after a workout, and can help to enhance protein synthesis after an intense workout. Glutamine can also help to reduce the effects of fatigue, as well as improve your recovery after a workout.
Is It Safe To Take Glutamine Every day?
Yes, it is safe to take glutamine every day. However, we would recommend only sticking to the suggested dosage each day. Anything more than this and it could have potentially damaging side effects.
Also, your body will only be able to absorb so much glutamine at a time, so you will only be wasting your precious supplement if you were to exceed the stated daily dose.
When Should I Take Glutamine For The Best Results?
To get the best results out of your glutamine supplement, you should take it immediately after you have finished your workout. The ideal window for this will be around 30 minutes after you’ve finished exercising so as to maximize your nutrient absorption to help your body build the lean muscle that you’re after.
Your body needs lots of amino acids after a workout, so by taking your glutamine supplement then, you are ensuring that it will become quickly absorbed into your body.