Citrulline malate is one of those supplements that’s been on the market for a while. But it’s only recently that I’ve got round to trying it.
I’ll share the results of my “experiment” in a moment.
First, here’s a little background.
Broadly speaking, citrulline malate is an “anti-fatigue” supplement. Much like creatine and beta-alanine, it’s popular mainly with people who want to boost their performance during high-intensity exercise.
The supplement itself has been used for a lot longer than people think. In fact, studies going back to the 1970′s show that citrulline malate, in the form of a product called Stimol, helps to reduce both mental and physical fatigue in geriatric and post-surgery patients.
Stimol has also been shown to improve muscle performance in subjects suffering from asthenia, a condition which describes the loss or lack of body strength.
In recent years, citrulline malate has become popular as a way to boost performance during intense exercise.
And, unlike a lot of supplements out there, citrulline malate has got some research to back it up.
The most recent trial, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that a group of trained men were able to do more reps on the bench press after being given a pre-workout drink containing 8 grams of citrulline malate 60 minutes before training.
A group of 41 men from Spain took part in the study. Each man took part in two testing sessions with a 7-day gap between each one. Here’s what each testing session involved:
Bench Press 4 sets
Incline Bench Press 4 sets
Incline Flyes 4 sets
Bench Press 4 sets
Each subject received either citrulline malate or a placebo the first time around, and then the one they didn’t get during the second test.
The number of reps performed in each set of the bench press was recorded. The results for each set are shown in the table below.
As you can see, citrulline malate did improve performance, with the benefits showing up mainly towards the end of the workout.
In the fourth set, for example, citrulline malate led to a 17.5% gain, with the average number of reps performed going from 6 to 7.05.
But in set 16, there was a 53% improvement, with the men able to grind out, on average, an extra two reps.
If you do plan to spend your money on citrulline malate, there are a few things worth considering.
Volume. First of all, this was a relatively high volume workout, with 16 sets for chest alone. The rest time between each set was also very short — 60 seconds between each set and 2 minutes rest between each exercise.
If you’re following a program that involves a lower training volume and longer rest periods (such as one of the 5×5 workouts), chances are you’re not going to see the same results.
The researchers acknowledge as much, writing that:
“It is likely that citrulline malate supplementation would be less effective in enhancing the performance of anaerobic sessions with sufficient rest time or high enough intensity, where lower levels of acidosis, lactate, and ammonium production would occur.”
In other words, you’d probably see similar gains in performance simply by inserting an extra minute or two of rest between each set.
Dosage. As I mentioned earlier, the researchers used 8 grams (roughly 0.1 grams per kilogram of bodyweight) of citrulline malate.
It’s possible that you might get the same results with a lower dose. But we don’t know for sure, as research looking at the effect of lower doses on exercise performance in trained individuals has yet to be published.
Keep in mind that many pre-workout products won’t contain anywhere near 8 grams of citrulline malate.
Very few supplements list the precise amount of citrulline malate they contain, preferring instead to include it in their “proprietary blend” of ingredients. This lets them hide the fact that their formula contains very little of the active ingredients listed on the bottle.
What’s more, most pre-workout formulas contain a bunch of other ingredients besides citrulline malate, including creatine, caffeine, beta-alanine and so on. This study doesn’t tell us whether citrulline will deliver performance gains over and above what you might expect from those other ingredients.
There are also side effects associated with citrulline malate, with 15% of the subjects reporting a feeling of “stomach discomfort” after taking citrulline.
When I tried citrulline malate, I can’t say I was expecting much. I took 6-8 grams of plain citrulline malate around 60 minutes before training (I’m currently following the 4-day version of Muscle Evo),
But I was pleasantly surprised. My reps went up a lot more than I was expecting, even in the exercises where I was doing heavy weights, low(ish) reps and taking several minutes of rest between sets. I didn’t notice any side effects either.
A placebo effect? Maybe.
As you’ll see in the video below, the placebo effect can be very powerful.
However, I’m always trying out new supplements. Most end up in the “don’t buy again” bin. Citrulline malate is something I intend to keep on using.
If you’re the experimental type, and assuming that your training program and diet are in order, citrulline malate does merit a place on your “worth a try” list. If you want to use it, go for a bulk citrulline malate powder so you can make sure you’re using the right amount.
For fast muscle building and fat burning workouts, take a look at my Members-Only Area.
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please do me a favor and use one of the buttons below to share it with your friends and the rest of the free world.
Let Me Help You Burn Fat, Build Muscle and Get Strong
If you want to gain muscle size and strength faster than ever before... drop fat and reveal your abs... get fired up and motivated about training... all while spending less than four hours per week in the gym, then my Muscle Evo 12 Week Coaching Program is just what you're looking for. If you're one of the rare "action takers" of this world, click here now to learn more about what Muscle Evo will do for you.
