We’ve had the privilege of reviewing Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine along with a plethora of other BCAA supplements over the last few years.
Needless to say, BCAA Glutamine is one of the best options in our opinion, summarized by its #1 ranking on our top 10 BCAA powders to take.
So, what exactly makes BCAA Glutamine so good, what did we experience, and should you be taking it? We aim to cover all of this in our review.
BCAA Glutamine vs Mainstream Amino Acid Drinks
Branched chain amino acid supplements occupy an interesting corner of the supplement market.
We know that BCAAs are effective. But we don’t feel or see the effects of BCAAs necessarily in real time.
What this means is, good marketing can really pump up the placebo value of BCAA powders.
This is why many brands focus on the taste or low price of their BCAA or amino acid supplement, while failing to share how much actual branched chain amino acids are included.
BCAA Glutamine is dosed to be effective with one serving
Many branched chain amino acid supplements are similar in formulation with different marketing tactics.
BCAA Glutamine is quite the opposite.
Labeled right on the front, BCAA Glutamine showcases the exact dosages of ingredients you get with every scoop.
Each single serving of BCAA Glutamine provides:
- 8,000 mg vegan-friendly fermented branched chain amino acids in the 2:1:1 ratio.
- 5,000 mg pure l-glutamine.
- 1,000 mg coconut powder extract for electrolytes.
- 30 full servings per container
This may seem overly simplistic and even boring… But the point here is that BCAA Glutamine is delivering a complete BCAA formula that the majority of ‘top selling’ brands completely fall short on.
This is important because BCAA formulas that fall short, don’t work.
Digging Deeper into the ingredients
What do these ingredients do anyways? Here we cover why they are important.
Branched Chain Amino Acids – 8 grams
It’s no surprise that BCAAs are in this supplement, obviously it’s a branch chain amino acid product. However, what’s exceptionally special is the weight of BCAAs included. 8 whole grams. This is phenomenal in comparison to 3-5 grams as the industry average (and far less in pill form supplements).
Why is this important though? Well, for starters over in Europe an elite rugby team taking 7.2 grams of BCAAs per day were found to have reduce muscle damage and increased oxygen carrying capacity. During the study, amounts of 2.2 g, 4.4 g, 6.6 g, and 7.2 g were used, the 7.2 g dose produced the best response. Transparent Labs goes above that dose to ensure these benefits. See study here.
Preventing muscle damage is huge, and that’s a strong benefit to taking BCAA products. This study here explains how during exercise, fat metabolism increases. Interestingly enough, this same increase in fat metabolism also triggers massive BCAA catabolism, which over time can lead to muscle damage and wasting. Obviously not something you train and workout hard in the gym to do. For us, it’s all about building muscle and cutting fat.
L-glutamine – 5 grams
Glutamine is the most prevalent amino acid in the human body, and the body even has the capability to make this amino acid on its own. But, for us strenuous exercisers – blood glutamine levels can dip significantly from our efforts. This in turn can have a slight but noticeable negative effect.
According to this study, supplementing with glutamine in athletes was able to increase both blood alkalinity and growth hormone (view here). In addition, this study reported significantly reduced infection occurrences in athletes whom supplemented with glutamine versus those who did not.
Coconut Water Powder – 1 gram
Coconut water is loaded with micronutrients and electrolytes. By including coconut water powder in this BCAA, the idea is that it provides ‘healthy’ sports drink benefits.
What to Expect from BCAA Glutamine
If you take BCAA Glutamine pre or intra workout, expect to notice a significant endurance increase. This may even feel like a strength increase to some. For us personally, both were noticeable. In addition, for users taking BCAA Glutamine pre, intra, or post workout – expect reduced recovery time and far less DOMS intensity.
Final Conclusion on Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine
BCAA supplements have taken a lot of flak over the years, there is no denying that. But those supplements were under-dosed. Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine on the other hand is not under dosed.
Each serving of BCAA Glutamine packs everything you need to increase endurance and boost recovery; both of which will ultimately get you building muscle and cutting fat at the same time.
In our opinion, this is a solid buy for those looking to a BCAA supplement. Price wise, it’s pretty in line with the industry, despite having 2-3X the serving size! This specialty BCAA supplement is available on Transparent Labs website, transparentlabs.com.
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