Citrulline Malate vs Citrulline: Do You Know the Difference?

There has been some debate over the years as to if citrulline is better than citrulline malate or vice versa.  The answer isn’t exactly black and white.  It comes down to what your goals are and what you’re looking for in a supplement.  Both citrulline and citrulline malate are great ingredients to supplement with, but you should know the difference between them in order to make the best decision for you personally.

Far too many people voice their opinion on which is better and that may not be the best fit for you and what you are trying to accomplish through training and your time in the gym.  Therefore, in this article, I want to break down what exactly citrulline and citrulline malate are and what they do for you.

 

Why Would You Want to Use Citrulline or Citrulline Malate?

If you lift weights, you know the pump you can achieve when working out.  That pump is attained when blood rushes into the muscle and engorges it.  If you were able to enhance the pump, you could more easily shuttle nutrients into the working muscles and look more swole and vascular – which wouldn’t that be a good thing?  Absolutely!

There have been supplements used in the past that over time were found to not really help increase the nitric oxide and the pump (such as arginine which some have found they suffered from digestive issues upon using the ingredient), and therefore, brands have been on a hunt to find the next magic ingredient to include in their formulas to help produce some dramatic vasodilating effects.

What exactly is this “pump” we seem to chase every time we step into the weight room?  The pump is where nitric oxide is produced in the body which helps to dilate the blood vessels and ultimately increase blood flow to the working muscles.  This brings oxygenated blood into the muscle while also help eliminate byproducts (waste) from the muscle so they can continue to function and perform optimally.

Now, it’s time to get a little nerdy and get into exactly what citrulline is and does as well as citrulline malate.

What is Citrulline?

When you look at citrulline, it’s essentially a non-essential amino acid.  What this means is that the body can produce it by itself.  The bad news is, going the natural route without the use of supplementation isn’t going to produce a drastic or significant change when it comes to improving nitric oxide levels and muscle growth.

The role of citrulline is to help be converted to arginine in the kidneys which can then be converted into the almighty nitric oxide we demand during our workouts to cause a pump and help make the muscles look full.  Citrulline can help not only increase nitric oxide levels but it can also reduce the onset of fatigue during exercise, improve workout performance, and remove waste from the muscle that is produced during intense bouts of exercise (such as lactic acid and ammonia).

Click here to continue reading…


supplement coupon codes

donate

*Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links or ads, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. These commissions help support the operation and maintenance of our website, allowing us to continue producing free valuable content. Your support is genuinely appreciated, whether you choose to use our links or not. Thank you for being a part of our community and enjoying our content.

PLEASE CONSIDER SHARING THIS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP OTHERS LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC. SIMPLY CLICK BELOW!

Matt Weik

Matt Weik, BS, CPT, CSCS, CSN, is the Owner and Head Keyboard Banger of Weik Fitness. He is a well-respected, prolific writer with a global following and a self-proclaimed fitness and supplement nerd. Matt’s content has been featured on thousands of websites, 100+ magazines, and he has authored over a dozen published books.