You know it’s the amino acids in protein that work to prevent excessive muscle breakdown while training and kick-start the rebuilding process during recovery. Most people associate those functions with Essential Amino Acids, particularly the 3 Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs). With 22 different amino acids at work in your body, they’re involved in many more important functions.

Take glutamine, for instance. This Conditionally Essential Amino Acid is the most abundant amino acid in your body. Under conditions of stress – including intense exercise – your body’s available stores of glutamine can become depleted. Since it’s important to both immune system support and recovery from exercise, supplementing with glutamine is smart nutritional insurance.

Citrulline is an amino acid involved with the control of nitric oxide levels. Increasing blood flow helps flush out the metabolic waste that builds up during exercise, and also promotes what weight lifters refer to as ‘The Pump’.

True Strength Moment: A wide range of meat and vegetable sources will supply some glutamine to your body, while you’d have to munch on watermelon rind to get your citrulline. There’s another way, of course. Many amino acid supplements provide plenty of glutamine and citrulline without a lot of carbs, sugar or fat. ON’s new Essential Amino Energy is one of them.