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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

13.11.2022

Citrulline supplementation reduces muscle soreness and fatigue after an explosive workout

If you still have a lot to do after a heavy explosive workout, consider taking citrulline. A hefty dose of this amino acid, taken once before your workout, makes you less fatigued and experience less muscle soreness.

Study
In 2020, Hye Chang Rhim, a South Korean physiologist, published a meta-study in which he aggregated and then re-analyzed the results of 13 previously published trials. In the trials, in which a total of 206 subjects participated, researchers had studied the effect of L-citrulline supplementation on fatigue and muscle pain after short and explosive exercise.

In one study the subjects did strength training, in the other interval training. Rhim did not look at studies of the effect of L-citrulline on classical endurance efforts.

In most studies, subjects were given a single dose of citrulline malate, usually 8 grams, 1 hour before their workout. In other studies, subjects were given a single dose of free citrulline, usually 3-4 grams, 1 hour before their workout.

Results
Citrulline supplementation made the effort less tiring and exhausting. In the studies used, researchers had measured exhaustion and fatigue on a scale of 1 to 10. There was one study with an extremely striking positive effect, but when Rhim removed it from his analysis, the positive effect of citrulline still existed.

That is what the figure below tells.

24 and 48 hours after exercise, citrulline supplementation also resulted in less muscle. Keep in mind that we are talking about a single intake of citrulline before a workout, not supplementation after exercise.

72 hours after the exercise, the researchers could no longer find a significant effect on muscle pain.

According to some studies, citrulline reduces the rise in lactic acid levels during intense exercise. This effect could partly explain the ergogenic effect of the amino acid, sports scientists suspect. However, the Koreans were unable to confirm whether citrulline supplementation reduces the increase in lactic acid levels caused by exercise.

Conclusion
"Athletes may benefit from ingesting either L-citrulline alone or citrulline malate 1 hour before exercise to resist fatigue or relieve muscle soreness", write the researchers.

"Citrulline supplements are especially recommended for power and strength athletes for them to adequately recover and subsequently train at their desired intensity level."

"Further evidence is needed to confirm the efficacy of citrulline supplementation among endurance athletes."

Source:
J Sport Health Sci. 2020 Dec;9(6):553-61.

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L-Citrulline

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