Does Citrulline malate work? I’ve recently had a few questions about this supplement and before a bunch of positive research surfaced about its effectiveness at improving resistance training performance I was more inclined to reject its use with my usual snark, “lol, bring me the bloody evidence,” like comments.
However, nerdy researchers (thank you to those in the trenches) did, in fact, bring me that evidence and I am here to rectify my previous recommendations.
Does Citrulline malate work?
Citrulline Malate has actually come up with somewhat positive performance outcomes within the research. First, a study by Pérez-Guisado and Jakemen in 2010 showed that supplementing 8 g of CM before a chest workout consisting of 16 sets lead to more reps done and decreased soreness two days post-workout (1). The only real drawback was an upset tummy but that was only in 14.36% of subjects.
source: https://seannal.com/articles/supplementation/citrulline-malate-review.php
Another study from 2016 by a bloke named “Wax” (legit) and his mates demonstrated that trained collegiate males improved their resistance training performance when supplementing the same 8g/day (2). Similarly, another study by Wax and more of his mates in advanced weight lifters showed that the same 8 g dose of CM improved lower-body resistance training performance. Participants who supplemented that 8 g dose could perform more reps on various leg exercises (leg press, hack squat, and leg extension machines).
Does Citrulline malate work? Another study in 17 female tennis players (51 ± 9 years) demonstrated performance improvements. When participants took 8 g of CM before testing, they improved their grip strength, vertical power, peak power and explosive power. One limitation of this study was that it was completed in a lab and transfer over to the actual tennis court is questionable.
So, I guess I can sort of recommend this supplement now. It’s not fantastic. Research is still limited in my opinion when compared to the likes of Creatine and Beta-Alanine but it’s still pretty good none the less. However, if you were to have a pre-workout with CM in it definitely wouldn’t be the redundant ingredient I thought it used to be. For more on supplements and nerdy stuff, leave a comment or shoot me a DM!
NOTE: Before you start thinking, well does this mean science let us down because it was already in pre-workouts? Well, no. Science gave us confirmation that this actually works and isn’t just some filler ingredient that companies may or may not have put in their supplement to increase their cost.
REFERENCES
1. Pérez-Guisado J, Jakeman PM. Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2010 May 1;24(5):1215-22.
2. Effects of Supplemental Citrulline-Malate Ingestion on Blood Lactate, Cardiovascular Dynamics, and Resistance Exercise Performance in Trained Males.
3. Wax B, Kavazis AN, Weldon K, Sperlak J. Effects of supplemental citrulline malate ingestion during repeated bouts of lower-body exercise in advanced weightlifters. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2015 Mar 1;29(3):786-92.
4. Glenn JM, Gray M, Jensen A, Stone MS, Vincenzo JL. Acute citrulline-malate supplementation improves maximal strength and anaerobic power in female, masters athletes tennis players. European journal of sport science. 2016 Mar 24:1-9.