Citrulline malate is a proven pre-workout that boosts strength and endurance
Mostly falseThe Claim
Citrulline malate is a staple of pre-workout products, marketed as reliably increasing strength, reps, endurance and 'pump' through higher nitric oxide.
Origin
The claim comes from citrulline's role as a precursor of arginine and nitric oxide and from a few early trials reporting more repetitions to failure.
What Science Says
A 2026 meta-analysis of 30 RCTs (644 participants) found only a small overall improvement in exercise performance (g = 0.16) with wide prediction intervals and low to very low certainty, and no significant effect on perceived exertion. A meta-analysis in resistance-trained adults found no significant effect on muscle strength (SMD 0.13, 95% CI -0.21 to 0.46), and a meta-analysis of 9 studies found no benefit for endurance time-to-exhaustion or time-trial performance.
Verdict
Mostly False
Sources
- PMID:42356270 Effects of Citrulline Malate Supplementation on Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review and Three-Level Meta-Analysis.
- PMID:34176406 Effects of Citrulline Malate Supplementation on Muscle Strength in Resistance-Trained Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
- PMID:37155582 Effects of citrulline on endurance performance in young healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.