Citrulline and Whey Protein; the right pre and post workout supplements for you to enhance your workouts

After my previous blog, hopefully it is now clear that calorie restrictions from fad diets are not the
answer to weight loss or muscle gain. The true solution is a balanced diet along with increased
physical activity, whether that be going on a run or lifting weights in a gym... You can decide.
Whatever you end up choosing, workout supplements are beneficial in preparing your body before
a session as well as repairing it afterwards. They can resolve deficiencies in regards to your body's
nutrients needs, elongate workout capacities and muscle growth periods, and make for a stronger
body overall. I suggest trying out citrulline for pre workout and then whey protein for post (figure 1).

Figure 1: A man post workout drinking a

whey protein shake in order to replenish his body

and help repair his muscle tissues.

To begin, here is a short explanation on cellular respiration. First, glucose from your food being
digested enters glycolysis in the cytosol, splitting into two pyruvate molecules over 10 steps. 2
net ATPs and 2 NADHs are made. In presence of oxygen, the pyruvates then travel to the
mitochondrial matrix and undergo oxidation, releasing a CO2 and producing an NADH. Acetyl
CoA is now created and ready to cycle through Krebs cycles. This cycle is a series of enzymatic
actions that fully oxidizes the remains of glucose. It produces 1 ATP, 1 FADH2 and 3 NADHs. All
these FADH2 and NADHs are electron carriers and proceed to the electron transport chain where
they get reduced and give away their hydrogen atoms. The electrons are stripped off and travel
down an increasingly electronegative chain to oxygen where water is formed with the electrons,
protons and oxygen. The protons left after electrons have been stripped from them are pumped into
the intermembrane space using electron movement energy creating a proton gradient. This forces
protons back into the matrix through ATP synthase producing ATP molecules from ADP and high
energy phosphate groups. The roughly 38 ATPs produced in total are used for cells to function and
allow the organism to perform their daily tasks. Visuals of all these steps are shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: A diagram displaying the complete pathway that glucose

takes to produce ATP for life. Phosphorylation type is clarified at the bottom.

In general, many workout supplements work by providing more of the necessary components to
run or speed up cellular respiration. Increases in endurance, blood flow and even focus can be
obtained. Citrulline is a pre workout amino acid supplement able to reduce exhaustion during a
workout, as well as pain and stiffness after. It's a nonessential amino acid, meaning its produced
naturally by the body and in supplemental form, comes as either L-citrulline or citrulline malate to
increase its concentration in the body, increasing its effects. L-citrulline is the pure citrulline amino
acid while citrulline malate has a malic acid molecule attached to each citrulline molecule, enhancing
the absorption of citrulline into the body. Product shown in figure 3 below. This version provides
krebs cycle with more malate, one of the compounds created then used up in the cycle, made of
the malic acid. Having more malate will increase the rate of krebs cycle, producing more ATP and
electron carriers to be used by the electron transport chain.

Figure 3: Citrulline comes as a light blue powder

or in capsules for easier consumption.

Getting into the science of things; How it works...

The citrulline is converted by the body to L-arginine through a series of reactions called
the urea cycle. The arginine is then converted to nitric oxide using another series of
reactions called the nitric oxide cycle, all occuring in the cytosol and mitochondrial matrix
of the liver cells. NO is able to relax blood vessels, allowing them to widen, shown in
figure 4. This increases blood flow throughout the body, which in turn increases the amounts
of oxygen being transported from your lungs to your tissues. Since cellular respiration is
aerobic, requiring oxygen in the electron transport chain phase, an increased oxygen
concentration is beneficial to producing more ATP at a faster rate. This explains the ability
to workout for longer since ATP is your body's energy currency, the compound allowing your
cells to function and your body to run, jump or lift weights. The more oxygen delivered to cells,
the more ATP produced, the more energy you have to complete a long and effective workout.
It also explains the reduction in soreness after workouts. Humans experience this pain due to
lactic fermentation in the muscles. After glycolysis, the anaerobic stage of cellular respiration,
the two pyruvate molecules can go one of two ways. If oxygen is available, it will continue on
to krebs cycle then electron transport chain to make ATP for your body like normal. However,
when oxygen is limited or has run out (which tends to occur during intense workouts, you get
short of breath), fermentation will occur. In human muscles during workouts, lactic
fermentation occurs. The pyruvates from glycolysis are reduced into lactate which is what
causes muscles to be sore. Eventually this soreness goes away when blood courses through
the muscles and flushes out all the lactate produced. So, this means that when blood flow
and oxygen amounts increase, there will be no need for fermentation. All pyruvates will be
able to continue on the aerobic cellular respiration path and continue to produce sufficient
ATP. This leaves no traces of lactate in the muscle cells, therefore no pain after workouts.

Figure 4: Blood vessels open wider in the prescence of nitric oxide

as it relaxes the vessels. This allows for more blood to pass through

the vessels delivering more oxygen to where its needed around the body.

Citrulline supplements are available for purchase at a variety of locations including
Walmart, Amazon or Popeyes for roughly 20$ per 300 grams, depending on whether you
go for L-citrulline or citrulline malate. The recommended dosage is 6 to 8 grams of citrulline
malate around an hour before your workout, about the same for L-citrulline. You are not to
exceed 10 grams per day as minor side effects may occur as discussed later on. Amino acid
supplements, such as citrulline, do not need to be cycled, meaning taking the supplement
for x days and then taking a break for x days and repeating. This is because this product is
needed constantly (for each workout session) to be most effective. Its effects are used up
quickly and so must be replenished if the effects are wanted for all workouts.

A study was performed on citrulline to test the limits to its effects in 2010 using 41 men.
They were put through two workouts, one with an 8 gram dosage of the citrulline supplement
and one without. Results showed that repetitions in a set noticeably increased when citrulline
was used for the workout, as did the number of sets. Also, muscle soreness reports
decreased by 40% when citrulline was in use. This is due to less fermentation, the process
is shown in figure 5. Another study was able to calculate a 34% increase in ATP synthesis
based on 18 males given a dose of 6 grams of L-citrulline per day over 22 days. The men
also noticed that they were more energized and awake than normal. These two cases create
the conclusion that citrulline is truly effective in enhancing your workouts and energizing your
day to day life.

Figure 5: This shows the process lactate takes to be produced and

then broken back down by the liver. Without oxygen, the glucose forms lactate.

With enough oxygen, the glucose wont have to ferment, it will be able

to continue on the path to more ATP production.

With the many benefits of citrulline come a few side effects. Compared to other nitric oxide
enhancers, this supplement has very minor effects. The main con being gastrointestinal
distress, pain or discomfort, most often when the supplement dosage is disregarded.

For a post workout supplement, I would recommend whey protein. Its almost full amino
acid profile makes it a complete protein, able to be digested and absorbed quickly. Its amino
acid profile is displayed in figure 6. This quick acting supplement is great for after workouts
since this is when muscles are in need of fuel to repair damaged muscle fibers.

Figure 6: Whey proteins amino acid profile is full, it contains 18 of the 20

amino acids. This makes it great for restoring and repairing muscles after a workout.

Muscles grow in a way that fibers are damaged and then they repair and become bigger and
stronger over each repair. The new myofibrils increase in thickness and amount over multiple
workouts, resulting in muscle growth (muscle anatomy in figure 7). Its normal after a workout for the muscle protein synthesis to increase
and for the breakdown to decrease, but with the added amino acids from whey protein, this
process can be much more effective. Giving your body what it needs when it needs it can
make the difference in muscle growth. Whey protein post workout is able to increase the
muscle protein synthesis as well as decrease its breakdown, allowing for more larger
reparations to be made. This in turn increases the rate at which muscles grow significantly.
Whey protein is just as accessible as citrulline, it can be purchased anywhere from Walmart
to Amazon at an approximate price of 24$. The recommended dosage varies for each
brand but typically, around 70 grams of protein powder is required per day by an active
adult. It, like citrulline, is also uncycled since its effects are pretty immediate, therefore to
see the effects every workout, it should be taken after every workout without need of breaks.

Figure 7: The muscle is made of many fibers and myofibrils as seen.

During workouts, they are stretched and compressed to the max,

often damaging them. Whey protein aids in the re-synthesis of

the fibers, building back muscle tissue bigger and better than ever.

Studies comparing workouts with and without the use of whey protein as a post workout
supplement show that using whey protein in shakes or meals after a workout make muscle
growth and gains more substantial. Whey protein is safe for use, however will have some
negative effects if overused. Nausea, thirst, increased bowel movements, headache, etc
can be expected if the amount of product used in a day is more than the daily recommended
dosage.

So, to finish off, these are two great pre and post workout supplements to increase the
effectiveness of a workout. Using these will ensure you see results faster than without
them, improving your body at a noticeable pace. Dieting is always an option, NOT fad
dieting though, however balancing your diet while adding in some more exercise is the
best option for improving physical health. Using these supplements will help make your
journey to health a little quicker and easier.