Sports Nutriton, Stress Management

What Is The Role Of Citrulline Malate In Bodybuilding, Exercise Performance And Fatigue?

Posted on by Mukta Agrawal
Citrulline Malate in Bodybuilding
18
Sep
No modern pre-workout or pump-boosting supplement is perfect without Citrulline Malate. Here’s why this amino acid is acquiring its way to the ergogenic hall of fame! For more knowledge scroll down!!

Importance Of Citrulline Malate In Body Building

Generally, bodybuilders use citrulline malate supplements to gains lean muscle mass, but how does it really work? Citrulline Malate is an amino acid which is marketed as a pump booster, pre-workout formula, execution enhancer and recovery facilitator. Citrulline Malate performs an essential role in strengthening your body. A recent research shows that using citrulline malate for bodybuilding increases the levels of L-arginine in the blood. L-arginine is an amino acid which is converted to NO. Nitric oxide is a strong vasodilator (that dilates the blood vessels), promoting improved blood circulation throughout the body. Importance Of Citrulline Malate In Body Building Bodybuilders and other athletes use citrulline malate to induce relaxation in the smooth muscle cells (endothelium) that line blood vessels, the heart muscle and other tissues, organs and cavities throughout the body. When the endothelial relax inside blood vessels, they are able to open up in diameter and thereby displace more blood. This is a safe process for most individuals, without causing any increase in either systolic or diastolic blood pressure. By delivering more blood without increasing cardiac workload, using citrulline may also help to protect cardiovascular health. Research continues on Citrulline malate capacities to improve blood flow, regulate blood pressure, and balance cholesterol levels.

Dosage:

Begin with a once – regular dose of 6-7g If desired, the dose may be enhanced to 15-20g, splitting into multiple doses during the day.

Importance Of Citrulline Malate In Exercise Performance

Importance Of Citrulline Malate In Exercise From an athletic performance point of view, raised levels of ammonia decrease glycogen formation, which hinders energy production, resulting in fatigue. Citrulline malate proceeds as a “buffer” to ammonia buildup, which increases endurance and exercise performance whether you’re in the gym or on the field. Enhancing blood flow is key to improving exercise performance. Nitric oxide (NO) aids relax and dilate blood vessels, and arginine can produce nitric oxide. Citrulline can also assist in produce nitric oxide by building arginine levels. In this study, it is shown that severe cycling exercise on days six and seven of a 7-day supplementation period, 6 grams of citrulline, per day, in three alternating phases,  citrulline plasma levels increased during both the L-arginine and citrulline phases, as did signs of increased nitric oxide production. One popular study found an improvement in upper and lower body resistance exercise performance and lowered rating of recognized exertion during upper-body exercise when 8g of citrulline was taken one hour before. Another study found that one hour after taking of 8g of citrulline malate, there was an enhance in maximal and average grip strength and peak and explosive power in female master-level while performing the exercise.

Dosage:

However, two other famous studies used a slightly higher amount of citrulline, 0.18g/kg (~12g of citrulline for a 150lb person). One latest study gave five equal dosages of citrulline at three-hour intervals within 12 hours to boost circulating levels of citrulline, which increased citrulline six times its original amount and doubled plasma arginine levels. The other research found an increase in plasma arginine and an elevenfold increase in plasma citrulline. Therefore, citrulline supplementation can be used to improve citrulline and arginine availability in the body.

Importance Of Citrulline Malate In Fatigue

Importance Of Citrulline Malate In Fatigue Muscle fatigue is a common condition which reflects a declined muscle ability to generate force. It occurs when the body temporarily exhausts its supply of energy, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), glycogen and creatine phosphate. In addition, muscle fatigue may represent a consequence of the excessive accumulation of metabolites of muscle contractions such as adenosine diphosphate (ADP), magnesium (Mg2+), reactive oxygen species, lactic acid, ammonia and inorganic phosphate. A number of conditions can result in recurrent or chronic muscle fatigue.

These include:

Excessive physical activity/overuse, chronic infections, fibromyalgia, malabsorption, diabetes, congestive heart failure, lung emphysema. Experimental and clinical data in humans showed that restoration of the muscle energy supply can relieve muscle fatigue. Among the natural remedies suitable for therapy of muscle fatigue, citrulline malate occupies one of the leading places. Citrulline malate is a nonessential amino acid which stimulates ATP production and accumulation in the muscles and facilitates the elimination of lactic acid and ammonia from the blood. In addition, citrulline malate stimulates the production of nitric oxide and enhances blood flow and oxygen delivery to working muscles. Several double-blind clinical studies have clearly shown that citrulline malate has a restorative effect on muscle fatigue secondary to overuse, acute and chronic infections.

Dosage:

The recommended dose of citrulline malate is 3,000 mg/3 gm of powder with water or your favourite beverage, 1-2 times daily. For maximum benefit, consume up to 6 grams (6,000mg) per day. People exceeding the recommended doses must do so under the supervision of their physician due to the increased risk of potential side effects.

Few Side Effects Of Citrulline Malate

It is proved that there are no negative reported side effects from citrulline malate usage, but in a few instances, malic acid has been reported to cause transient nausea and diarrhea. Because citrulline is manufactured naturally in the body, it is not considered toxic to humans. Side effects from citrulline malate are rarely reported. Furthermore, citrulline malate has anti-hypertensive apparatus, and as such, should not be utilized in conjunction with medications used to cure high blood pressure (hypertension). Citrulline Malate should not be consumed with nitrates or PDE-5 inhibitors either, since this type of usage may result in low blood pressure (hypotension). Women who are pregnant or nursing are advised not to use citrulline malate supplements since there is not enough available data to determine its safety in these groups. In conclusion, it is best to speak with a doctor who knows about your health history before beginning to supplement with citrulline malate or any supplement. However, due to the clear effect of citrulline malate of resting blood vessels and improving blood flow, this nootropic should not be consumed with medication that treats high blood pressure. When in doubt, always consult your doctor before commencing a new regime of supplements. On the other hand, citrulline malate may cause an unexpected drop in blood pressure when combined with drugs like Viagra and other PDE5 inhibitors. If you are already consuming certain medicines for a heart condition, it is advisable to consult your doctor before you include citrulline malate in your daily diet. Its pharmacological action on your heart and arteries could put you at risk.

What is The Perfect Time To Consume Citrulline Malate?

Is Citrulline Malate the Best Pre-workout Ingredient for Increased Endurance? Citrulline Malate is well known as a pre-workout supplement. Citrulline Malate has obtained a solid reputation as a powerful fatigue fighter, leading many to consider it as a crucial pre-workout compound. So it can be taken before your workout. As formulated in the body during the urea cycle explicitly to dispose of nitrogenous waste (nitrogen-containing metabolic waste), the declared workout intensifier does much more than enhance physical endurance, particularly when combined with malic acid, which gives it excellent stability and bioavailability. Citrulline malate has become a key pre-workout intensifier for all athletes, especially those who do repeated sets of heavy lifting. If you are involved in the strenuous physical activity on a daily basis or are anxious about your cardiovascular health, then look no further!

What Are The Best Ways To Consume Citrulline Malate?

You can mix 2g of citrulline malate in 200 ml water, juice or your pre-workout drink approx. 30-45 minutes before you hit the gym. On non-training days consume prior to meals on an empty stomach. Do not exceed the dosage of 3 scoops (6g) in a day. As we come to an end, here’s an advice for you, following a citrulline malate workout plan and a regular exercise, is enough to help you. But if you do wish to improve your exercise performance more, talk to your doctor or dietician before taking citrulline malate supplements. Have you ever considered citrulline malate as a pre-workout supplement? How did it help you? Please feel free to share your experience with us by commenting below. https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/citrulline-malate-the-fatigue-fighter.html https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/36/4/282
Mukta Agrawal

Dt. Mukta Agrawal is a qualified dietitian and has done her post-graduation in clinical nutrition and dietetics, she has done her specialization in diabetes and cardiac care and also she is a certified bariatric nutritionist. She is a lifestyle coach and diabetic educator. She has 12 plus years of experience in the field of health and fitness industry. Mukta is passionate about educating people regarding the truths and myths of health through the INLIFE Blog. Her belief in the fact that good health is for everyone is one of the highlights of her writing.

2 thoughts on “What Is The Role Of Citrulline Malate In Bodybuilding, Exercise Performance And Fatigue?”

  1. Aashish says:

    Hi, am type 2 diabetic. Can u take caffeine 200mg pills, citrulline malate 3grams and MCT oil 1tbsp before workout empty stomach in the morning as pre workout before gym.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *