Review on citrulline malate

January 24th, 2017 by

There’s not many supplements with a lot research behind them, but citrulline malate is one of them. This non-essential amino acid is found in foods (e.g. watermelon), but you may want try supplementing with it. In fact, here’s a recap on one of the more recent studies to be published, which shows how citrulline malate can be beneficial in a couple ways.

In this study, 15 women with an average age of 23 completed two trials. In one trial, the women consumed 8 grams of citrulline malate with 8 grams of dextrose an hour before performing bench and leg press. They performed 6 sets for each exercise and used a load equal to 80% of their one-rep max. They were told to do as many reps as possible. After the workout, the women filled out a questionnaire to determine their Rating of Perceived Exertion. (Note: Perceived exertion is how hard you feel like your body is working.) In the other trial, they basically did the same workout and filled out the same questionnaire afterwards, but they didn’t take any citrulline malate before training. Just 8 grams of dextrose.

The results showed that when the women supplemented with citrulline malate they were able to perform significantly more reps on the bench and leg press. Also, the women found the workout to be easier when they consumed citrulline malate. So if you’re looking to hit it hard in the gym then you may want to take citrulline malate before your workouts.

For more information:
Glenn, JM et al. Acute citrulline malate supplementation improves upper- and lower-body submaximal weightlifting exercise performance in resistance-trained females. Eur J Nutr (2015). doi:10.1007/s00394-015-1124-6