.gif "IP Gear")
Greetings Fellas, recently I stopped taking Tadalafil/Cialis pre-workout because it was causing some pulsatile tinnitus in one of my ears. It worked so well for an amazing pump but it had to be done. I began to look for something else that could provide the same pump effect. That something else is L-Citrulline. Below is some useful information I've found on the subject.
What is it:
L-citrulline is an non-essential amino acid, meaning it can be made from other amino acids present in the body. But unlike some amino acids, L-citrulline is not used to make protein, it is instead has a role in protein homeostasis and as an intermediary in the urea cycle, the process in which our bodies handle ammonia.
What does it do:
L-citrulline increases NO biosynthesis indirectly by increasing l-arginine synthesis, which in turn leads to improved blood vessel vasodilator function, aka increased pumps. L-citrulline is not processed in the liver, unlike other amino acids like BCAA's which are poorly metabolised, but synthesised in the intestine and kidneys preventing hepatic uptake of precursor amino acids (arginine, glutamine) activating the urea cycle preventing amino acid catabolisation. The preserving nature of l-citrulline in this cycle has a down stream effect in protein synthesis, content and functionality.
Practical application:
What it does is all well and good, but what about practical application and real word efficacy.
Reduced blood pressure and cardio vascular health:
blood pressure reduction from 4-15% after 8 weeks of supplementation at a very low dose. Though L-citrulline should not be used as a replacement for medication, if you are looking for something to help manage your blood pressure then L-citrulline may add benefit here. I did not track my blood pressure during my time using only L-citrulline.
Muscle Pumps:
Increased muscle blood flow induced by L-citrulline has been shown to be as high as 11% in one study at 6g per day. I couldn't find studies measuring intramuscular vassal dilation at higher does of L-citrulline unfortunately. However anecdotally when supplementing with 10g of pure L-citrulline not the malate mix over a period of 8 weeks I measured a consistent visual pump that was greater than when experimenting with 6g as touted in the study.
Gym Performance:
One study showed a 52.92% increase in total work done with pectoral loading with 8g of L-citrulline malate, the mix ratio was not specified, though the most common is 1:2 giving roughly 5-6g of L-citrulline per serving. Though anecdotally I can give credence to the muscular endurance properties of L-citrulline, because this was mixed with malic acid that can help with lactic acid build up, the 53% increase in work load may be a byproduct of this mix.
Better erections:
Supplementing at 1.5g for 1 month men with mild erectile disfunction reported hardened erections while supplementation occurred. Like with the blood pressure L-citrulline should not be used as a replacement for any medication being used with ED, however it may be useful as a potential adjunct. Anecdotally I don't have an issue here so didn't notice anything above and beyond what is normal, if you're looking for a replacement for Viagra, you wont find it here.
Protein synthesis:
Supplementing from 10-22g of L-citrulline directly relating to the participants body mass showed a significant increase in protein synthesis which is a potential reason why an increase in lean mass in trainees has been observed in other studies.
Muslce recovery:
Post resistance training participants reported greater reduction in muscular soreness 24-48 after. So if you know someone fairly new to the gym or if you are changing up your routine and getting DOMS then L-citrulline may help.
Lean mass:
Lean mass was shown to increase over a period if 8 weeks in a group supplementing with 2.5g of L-citrulline in comparison to those who supplemented with L-citrulline malate at 2.5g or the placebo. An average of 2.4lb lean massed gained was observed over the 8 weeks which is pretty significant. Anecdotally I used L-citrulline during a body recomp training block and though made changes to my physique I cannot purely attribute this to L-citrulline.
Dosing:
Clinical dosing of L-citrulline has ranged from as low as 0.5g to as high as 22g, making it fairly hard to directly pin point the dose at which we start to get diminishing returns or no increase benefit at all. Some studies suggest scaling L-citrulline intake to lean body mass as you would do with measuring protein intake. Anecdotally I found most success at 10g at 110kg of body weight at a roughly 11% ratio, though some may find more or less is beneficial.
When to take:
No studies that I can find suggest an optimal time to ingest L-citrulline in a pre workout context, though inferring from popular opinion anywhere between 30-60 mins pre workout seems fine. Personally I take mine about an hour prior to working out.
Conclusions:
I am actually very impressed by my results. I've had some insane pumps using this stuff with no pulsatile tinnitus. I believe L-Citrulline/Citrulline Malate is usually one of the main ingredients in pump products, definitely worth a try if you have not used it.
What is it:
L-citrulline is an non-essential amino acid, meaning it can be made from other amino acids present in the body. But unlike some amino acids, L-citrulline is not used to make protein, it is instead has a role in protein homeostasis and as an intermediary in the urea cycle, the process in which our bodies handle ammonia.
What does it do:
L-citrulline increases NO biosynthesis indirectly by increasing l-arginine synthesis, which in turn leads to improved blood vessel vasodilator function, aka increased pumps. L-citrulline is not processed in the liver, unlike other amino acids like BCAA's which are poorly metabolised, but synthesised in the intestine and kidneys preventing hepatic uptake of precursor amino acids (arginine, glutamine) activating the urea cycle preventing amino acid catabolisation. The preserving nature of l-citrulline in this cycle has a down stream effect in protein synthesis, content and functionality.
Practical application:
What it does is all well and good, but what about practical application and real word efficacy.
Reduced blood pressure and cardio vascular health:
blood pressure reduction from 4-15% after 8 weeks of supplementation at a very low dose. Though L-citrulline should not be used as a replacement for medication, if you are looking for something to help manage your blood pressure then L-citrulline may add benefit here. I did not track my blood pressure during my time using only L-citrulline.
Muscle Pumps:
Increased muscle blood flow induced by L-citrulline has been shown to be as high as 11% in one study at 6g per day. I couldn't find studies measuring intramuscular vassal dilation at higher does of L-citrulline unfortunately. However anecdotally when supplementing with 10g of pure L-citrulline not the malate mix over a period of 8 weeks I measured a consistent visual pump that was greater than when experimenting with 6g as touted in the study.
Gym Performance:
One study showed a 52.92% increase in total work done with pectoral loading with 8g of L-citrulline malate, the mix ratio was not specified, though the most common is 1:2 giving roughly 5-6g of L-citrulline per serving. Though anecdotally I can give credence to the muscular endurance properties of L-citrulline, because this was mixed with malic acid that can help with lactic acid build up, the 53% increase in work load may be a byproduct of this mix.
Better erections:
Supplementing at 1.5g for 1 month men with mild erectile disfunction reported hardened erections while supplementation occurred. Like with the blood pressure L-citrulline should not be used as a replacement for any medication being used with ED, however it may be useful as a potential adjunct. Anecdotally I don't have an issue here so didn't notice anything above and beyond what is normal, if you're looking for a replacement for Viagra, you wont find it here.
Protein synthesis:
Supplementing from 10-22g of L-citrulline directly relating to the participants body mass showed a significant increase in protein synthesis which is a potential reason why an increase in lean mass in trainees has been observed in other studies.
Muslce recovery:
Post resistance training participants reported greater reduction in muscular soreness 24-48 after. So if you know someone fairly new to the gym or if you are changing up your routine and getting DOMS then L-citrulline may help.
Lean mass:
Lean mass was shown to increase over a period if 8 weeks in a group supplementing with 2.5g of L-citrulline in comparison to those who supplemented with L-citrulline malate at 2.5g or the placebo. An average of 2.4lb lean massed gained was observed over the 8 weeks which is pretty significant. Anecdotally I used L-citrulline during a body recomp training block and though made changes to my physique I cannot purely attribute this to L-citrulline.
Dosing:
Clinical dosing of L-citrulline has ranged from as low as 0.5g to as high as 22g, making it fairly hard to directly pin point the dose at which we start to get diminishing returns or no increase benefit at all. Some studies suggest scaling L-citrulline intake to lean body mass as you would do with measuring protein intake. Anecdotally I found most success at 10g at 110kg of body weight at a roughly 11% ratio, though some may find more or less is beneficial.
When to take:
No studies that I can find suggest an optimal time to ingest L-citrulline in a pre workout context, though inferring from popular opinion anywhere between 30-60 mins pre workout seems fine. Personally I take mine about an hour prior to working out.
Conclusions:
I am actually very impressed by my results. I've had some insane pumps using this stuff with no pulsatile tinnitus. I believe L-Citrulline/Citrulline Malate is usually one of the main ingredients in pump products, definitely worth a try if you have not used it.
