Can Watermelon Juice Help Reduce Muscle Soreness and Boost Muscle Growth? 🍉💪
- Julian Simpson
- Dec 10, 2025
- 11 min read
Can Watermelon Juice Help Reduce Muscle Soreness and Boost Muscle Growth? 🍉💪
If you’ve ever experienced sore muscles after a workout, you know the struggle of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Recent research is exploring simple, natural ways to help your body recover faster—and watermelon juice might be part of the solution.
A recent randomised controlled trial investigated the effects of watermelon juice on muscle hypertrophy, exercise performance, and muscle soreness in non-athlete men undergoing endurance training. Here’s what they found:
What Makes Watermelon Special?
Watermelon isn’t just refreshing—it’s packed with compounds that may support muscle recovery:
L-citrulline: A non-essential amino acid that boosts nitric oxide (NO) production, improving blood flow to muscles.
L-arginine: Helps with NO synthesis and nutrient delivery.
Antioxidants like lycopene and glutathione: Reduce oxidative stress and inflammation after exercise.
These compounds may help improve muscle oxygenation, decrease lactic acid buildup, and support muscle repair.
The Study Highlights
Participants: 38 men following an endurance training program.
Intervention: Daily watermelon juice vs. placebo over 8 weeks.
Results:
After 8 weeks, the watermelon juice group showed greater muscle thickness in the chest (pectoralis major) and thighs (rectus femoris) compared to the control group.
Muscle soreness 24 hours after exercise was significantly lower in the watermelon group.
Exercise performance improved in both groups, but no significant difference was observed between watermelon juice and control in the first week—suggesting benefits may take longer to appear.
Why It Matters
For anyone doing endurance training or strength work, managing muscle soreness and promoting muscle growth are key to consistency and performance. Watermelon juice could be a simple, natural way to:
Reduce post-exercise muscle soreness.
Support muscle adaptation and hypertrophy over time.
Provide hydration and essential nutrients during training.
How to Include Watermelon Juice in Your Routine
While this study focused on non-athlete men, the principles are broadly applicable:
Drink fresh watermelon juice daily, particularly after endurance workouts.
Combine it with a balanced diet and a consistent training program.
Remember, results are best seen over weeks of regular supplementation, not just one-off drinks.
Bottom Line
Watermelon juice is more than a tasty summer treat—it may help your muscles recover faster and grow stronger after training. While more research is needed for diverse populations, adding this natural, nutrient-rich juice to your post-workout routine could be a sweet way to support your fitness goals.
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