Can IBS Effect Your Muscle Gains?

Can IBS Effect Your Muscle Gains? How Gut Health Effects Muscle Gains

by Lisa stewart on May 17 2025

Are you hitting the gym, eating right, and still not seeing the results you are working so hard to get? The missing link might not be your training or macros—it might be your gut. True fact, IBS could be silently undermining your fitness goals. IBS is more than bloating and discomfort—it can disrupt digestion, nutrient absorption, and recovery.  This all makes it harder for your body to build and maintain lean muscle.


How IBS Can Interfere with Muscle Development

IBS affects the gastrointestinal system in ways that extend far beyond what we see. Frequent digestive symptoms like gas, distention, cramping, and irregular bowel movements can signal deeper problems—ones that impact your ability to recover, perform, and grow muscle effectively.

1. Nutrient Malabsorption

IBS interferes with how your body digests and absorbs key nutrients, including amino acids, fats, and vitamins. If your gut isn't functioning properly, you may not be absorbing enough fuel for muscle repair—even if your diet seems to be the perfect one for your specific goal.  

2. Inflammation and Gut Barrier Dysfunction

IBS is most often than not, associated with gut inflammation This can raise cortisol levels and encourage muscle breakdown, while reducing recovery from workouts.

3. Fatigue and Poor Recovery

We all know that chronic digestive distress takes a toll on your energy levels and your nervous system. IBS flare-ups often lead to fatigue, stress, brain fog and more prone to injury.  This can lead to inconsistent training—all factors that can sabotage your fitness or wellness goals. Recovery slows, soreness lingers, and performance drops.


Creatine + L-Glutamine: Smart Support for Gut and Muscle

If you’re navigating IBS—just like Volare co-founder Lisa, who spent 20 years managing symptoms before finally finding relief—you’re not alone. Volare’s Creatine + L-Glutamine was created with gut repair in mind/  An effective way to support muscle development without disrupting your digestive system and repairing all in one.

Creatine: Power, Recovery, and Lean Mass

Creatine helps your body make quick energy, especially when you're working out hard. It’s like extra fuel for your muscles, so you can train harder and recover faster. It also helps your body hold onto lean muscle—who doesn't want that?!

Let's not forget, creatine supports hydration in your muscles and recent studies are showing that 10g a day can help with mental focus.  During IBS flare-ups, our mental focus is effected as our body is putting all its energy towards repairing the gut. Whether you're focused on workout strength or taking time to heal your gut, creatine helps keep your strength and energy up.

L-Glutamine: Gut Soothing and Muscle Sparing

Glutamine is a double acting amino acid that plays an important role in not only digestive health but also for muscle repair.  It feeds the cells that line your intestines, helping maintain and repair the gut lining, supports your immune function and calms inflammation often triggered by IBS and prevents muscle breakdown during periods of stress and fatigue.

For those dealing with IBS, glutamine helps bridge the gap between healing and training by supporting both gut integrity and muscle retention. 

Tip from Volare Owner Lisa: Take 2 scoops of 5g Glutamine a day to help your gut repair and your mind stay sharp. Get Started On Yours Today


Who Should Consider It?

You might benefit from this combo if you:

  • Struggle with IBS symptoms like bloating, irregularity, or abdominal pain

  • Find it hard to gain or maintain muscle despite working out

  • Experience fatigue, soreness, or slow recovery

  • Want a supplement that supports both digestion and muscle repair


Muscle gains start in the gut.


When IBS gets in the way of nutrient absorption, energy production, and inflammation control, your training efforts can only take you so far. Volare’s Creatine + L-Glutamine is designed to work with your body—not against it—supporting muscle performance while giving your gut the nourishment it needs.

Balance your gut. Boost your strength. Break through the plateau.

Let's Go Beyond ♥︎