Whilst anyone who knows anything about fitness will tell you there's no magic bullets in the supplement world - there are certainly some that go a long way to making muscle gains easier.
And one of those supplements is citrulline malate, which research suggests might be one of the best muscle supplements out there.
WHAT IS CITRULLINE MALATE?
Citrulline is a non-essential amino acid, while malate is an organic compound.
Citrulline is found in watermelon, whilst malate is made by all living organisms, and is one of the forces behind the sour (but nice) taste of fruits.
At this stage, the research looks pretty good into citrilline malate.
Research shows this sports supplement may increase ATP production (2).
ATP is your body's high powered energy molecule responsible for energy - so increasing this is a good idea!
The harder we push, the better results we may get.
This research found that when subjects were given 6,000mg for 3 days, their phosphocreatine's depletion rate was 28% slower (1,2) with replenishment rate during rest increased by 20% (2).
This means that their energy molecule ATP was in a better working order for longer - just what we need!
Throw some citrulline malate in with your creatine, and you could certainly be enjoying a good edge.
CITRULLINE MALATE FOR BODYBUILDING
Furthermore, citrulline malate has found to increase repetitions in the gym by about 53%, and decrease muscle soreness by 40% at 24 and 48 hours post-workout (3).
Not bad!
Also, the data doesn't look that bad into protein synthesis either.
Citrulline malate does not activite the key pathways for muscle protein synthesis in the way leucine has been observed to, but it does at least appear to restore muscle protein synthesis rates (4,5).
There's also data into it improving muscular function following food restriction (6).
Also, citrulline malate has been found to help with nitric oxide production.
Nitric oxide is important for blood flow to the muscles for the uptake of more nutrients.
By getting more nutrients into our muscles we just be giving ourselves a better chance at the results we're after!
WHAT'S THE REQUIRED DOSAGE?
Current recommendations are 6-8g about an hour before training, in order to give yourself the best shot at benefiting from the results above (7).
Always start at the lower end of the scale, and work your way up. Don't take too much too soon!
So far, the results and science into citrulline malate looks promising.
Give it a crack, and let us know how it works for you!
"Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!"
REFERENCES
(1) Giannesini B, et al. Citrulline malate supplementation increases muscle efficiency in rat skeletal muscle. Eur J Pharmacol. (2011)
(2) Bendahan D, et al. Citrulline/malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle. Br J Sports Med. (2002)
(3) Pérez-Guisado J, Jakeman PM. Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. J Strength Cond Res. (2010)
(4) Le Plénier S, et al. Effects of leucine and citrulline versus non-essential amino acids on muscle protein synthesis in fasted rat: a common activation pathway. Amino Acids. (2012)
(5) Osowska S, et al. Citrulline modulates muscle protein metabolism in old malnourished rats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. (2006)
(6) Faure C, et al. Leucine and citrulline modulate muscle function in malnourished aged rats. Amino Acids.(2012)
(7) Sureda A, et al. L-citrulline-malate influence over branched chain amino acid utilization during exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. (2010)
Author
Dayne Hudson