Benefits of Citrulline Malate

Evidence-Based Benefits

• Training volume — Pérez-Guisado & Jakeman (2010) found 8 g citrulline malate increased upper-body reps to failure by 52.9% and reduced muscle soreness by 40% at 24 and 48 hours post-exercise
• Nitric oxide production — citrulline raises plasma arginine and NO levels more effectively than equivalent doses of L-arginine due to bypassing hepatic first-pass metabolism (Schwedhelm et al., 2008)
• Aerobic performance — Suzuki et al. (2016) showed citrulline supplementation improved cycling time trial performance and increased plasma NO metabolites
• Muscle soreness reduction — multiple RCTs confirm 30-40% reduction in delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) with pre-exercise citrulline malate dosing

What the Research Says

Citrulline malate is a well-researched pre-workout ingredient with demonstrated benefits for athletic performance and recovery. A landmark randomized controlled trial by Pérez-Guisado & Jakeman (2010) found that citrulline malate significantly improved resistance training performance and reduced muscle soreness. Mechanistically, citrulline bypasses hepatic arginase, leading to higher plasma arginine and nitric oxide levels compared to oral arginine (Schwedhelm et al., 2008). The malate component may also support aerobic metabolism by acting as a TCA cycle intermediate, though this mechanism requires further investigation.

Recent studies have confirmed its efficacy in various contexts. A systematic review and meta-analysis by Aguiar & Casonatto (2022) highlighted the positive effects of citrulline malate on muscle strength in resistance-trained adults. Additionally, Vårvik et al. (2021) conducted a meta-analysis of eight studies involving 137 participants, showing that acute citrulline malate supplementation increased repetition performance by 6.4% (p=.022) during strength training compared to placebo.

However, not all studies have shown consistent benefits. For instance, Selvaraj et al. (2025) found no significant improvement in aerobic, anaerobic, or CrossFit performance with acute L-arginine and citrulline malate supplementation in a study of 46 participants. Similarly, Martín-Olmedo et al. (2025) reported no significant neuromuscular performance benefits from citrulline malate in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial involving 43 trained young adults.

Overall, while citrulline malate has shown promise in enhancing strength training and reducing muscle soreness, its effects on other types of exercise performance may vary depending on the context and population studied.

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