Need Lasting Endurance? 3 Ways Citrulline Can Help

When it comes to pre-workouts, an ingredient that is quite common in profiles is citrulline. In some formulations, you may see something called citrulline malate, which is simply citrulline with the addition of malate. For the sake of this article, we will be looking at specifically pure L-citrulline as a standalone supplement and ingredient.

While supplementation is generally the easiest way to take in citrulline, you can also take it in through the foods you eat. Some of the common foods that contain citrulline include watermelon, cucumber, and pumpkin. Speaking of watermelon, a fun little fact is that citrulline actually comes from the Latin word “citrullus,” which stands for watermelon. Now, you can go impress all of your friends and show your brain matches your brawn.

That said and all joking aside, taking in the supplement form of citrulline (such as what’s included in a pre-workout product) is absorbed much faster by the body than having to break down a whole food source such as freshly cut watermelon into amino acids, not to mention you can get a much higher dosage from supplements rather than trying to eat a massive amount of watermelon in order to get the same total grams necessary to show any ergogenic benefit.

What is Citrulline? 

Citrulline is a nonessential amino acid that is most commonly known for its vasodilation properties (expanding the blood vessels and making them temporarily larger).

Through the use of citrulline, a process is started which can help enhance the “pump” that so many people chase while in the gym working out. Citrulline can be broken down and converted into arginine can then be converted into nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is something that should sound familiar to you if you commonly use pre-workouts that claim “nitric oxide” or “NO” benefits.

From a muscle-building standpoint, the process of creating nitric oxide through citrulline supplementation can help more easily shuttle nutrients to the muscles to help them recover and grow (indirectly).

Endurance and Recovery Benefits – Maximizing Citrulline Supplementation 

As mentioned earlier, one of the most common reasons for supplementing with citrulline is to help create nitric oxide and enhance the pump and vasodilation. However, one aspect that isn’t discussed all that often and is overlooked is the endurance benefits associated with citrulline. 

When used as a pre-workout supplement, citrulline can improve muscular endurance. Let’s take a deeper dive into exactly how citrulline can accomplish this.

1. Improve Oxygen and Nutrient Uptake in the Muscles

If you’re looking to increase your exercise capacity, you need to provide your muscles with oxygenated blood and beneficial nutrients that support overall performance. Those who utilize citrulline as part of their pre-workout supplement regimen have the ability to improve their workout and muscle endurance to better maximize their time in the gym.

All of this is made possible through the vasodilation properties that citrulline plays a role in.

2. Help Flush Out Lactic Acid

An aspect of exercise that not many people put much focus into is the waste products created through resistance training. It’s commonly known that when exercising, muscles can build up with what is called lactic acid – this is the burning sensation you feel towards the end of a long and grueling set. Once you hit a certain threshold, you simply cannot contract the muscle any longer, and you have reached muscular fatigue.

Those who can push through the pain that lactic acid can cause or delay the onset of the build-up may more effectively progressively overload the muscle fibers and provide them with a greater stimulus than their previous workout. 

Through the use of citrulline and its ability to dilate the blood vessels to help shuttle oxygen and nutrients into the muscle, it can also help remove waste and lactic acid from the muscles to help you push your body harder and longer than exercising without the use of citrulline.

3. Reduce Muscle Fatigue and Soreness 

Citrulline plays a role in helping the body produce more ATP (a form of energy used during resistance training). The more ATP, the better (and longer-lasting) energy you may have during workouts. Those who supplement with citrulline prior to resistance training have been found to be able to push out more reps than those who didn’t supplement with citrulline. In addition, citrulline can also help lower perceived exertion during exercise, which plays a direct role in your ability to minimize muscle fatigue and improve muscular endurance. 

This specific amino acid does not only help those who are focusing on resistance training, though. Endurance athletes such as cyclists have also been shown to benefit from citrulline supplements. Not only can it help them produce more force to the pedals, but it can also help them maintain a high level of performance and output longer – potentially giving them an edge over their competition. 

The final benefit to consider when looking at citrulline is its ability to help reduce muscle soreness. If you aren’t able to reduce soreness, you may not be able to train as hard the next time you walk into the gym. Your performance will be negatively affected, and ultimately your results diminished. Citrulline can help boost muscle protein synthesis and aid in rebuilding torn-down muscle fibers to improve your post-workout recovery.

Amplify Your Workouts… And Push Yourself HARDER 

Do you want to push yourself harder in the gym? Do you want to stop being “that guy” in the gym who never seems to make any progress? Then it’s time you hop on the Apollon Nutrition Hooligan train and take the ride of your life. Truth be told, your workouts may never be the same with the power that this engine provides.

Apollon Nutrition Hooligan is not for the faint of heart and should be used with caution as this is a powerful pre-workout that is formulated to produce maximum results. Not only does Hooligan provide you with a high dosage of citrulline to provide you with all of the endurance benefits mentioned above, but you also benefit from the ability to increase strength, power, focus, and intensity. Combine that with zero fillers and a transparent label, you’ll feel confident knowing what you’re putting in your body can help you achieve the results you desire.

With mouth-watering flavors that will send your taste buds into orbit, Apollon Nutrition Hooligan will quickly become a staple in your pre-workout supplement regimen and something you’ll look forward to before every training session. In fact, with Hooligan, you may actually look forward to leg day, knowing you’re able to get in the trenches and push some serious weight around. Don’t believe us? Your ticket is already punched. All you need to do is hop aboard and try Apollon Nutrition Hooligan for yourself!