How Collagen Works To Improve Bodybuilding Performance

A great supplement, collagen can work to improve your overall health and performance.

Maybe you’ve heard of collagen supplements. Most often it is referred to in the context of better skin, offering a nice glow, or better hair, offering growth and a nice look. But collagen is a protein and the benefits to your workouts and recovery are not something to overlook. While other supplements may do more in terms of helping you see results faster, what collagen can do may be more subtle but will definitely be of great assistance, even if its just to your overall health. And at the end of the day, better health overall drives our training to be better, our performance to be top notch, and the results we want to happen every time.

Let’s take a look at collagen supplements and see what they can do for your overall health and performance. While it is still being looked at for concrete evidence, what it can do may just help open doors to areas of your health and performance potentially lacking.

What Is Collagen?

Collagen is actually a protein and it is the most abundant one in the body. As one of the major building blocks of bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, it is vital for your overall physical health and performance, especially for athletes who constantly put their bodies through repeated wear and tear. There are 16 types of collagen in the body and each performs its own unique function, but on the whole, it makes up the structure of those bones, skin, and tendons, is found in cartilage to cushion joints, and supports the structure of muscles, organs, and arteries (1,2). As an essential protein in the body, it would be a huge disservice to neglect the importance of collagen.

Benefits Of Collagen

Taking collagen has many great benefits that can greatly influence your overall health and physical performance. Whether that be for performance and recovery, or simply aiding in bodily functions, it plays a big role in a host of areas that are important for your overall development and growth as an athlete and a person.

Benefits of collagen include:

• Relieve joint pain: Since collagen works to improve the integrity of cartilage, you work to strengthen the cushion that protects your joints which is something that anyone who lifts can benefit from (3).
• Improve bone health: This can help strengthen bones to give them better structure and prevent breakdown to keep you strong and stable, which is crucial for having a strong, healthy physique.
• Increase muscle mass: Collagen can keep your muscles strong and working properly to increase muscle mass and improve overall strength for optimal performance.
• Improve skin, hair, and nails: Since this is a major component of skin, it can work on elasticity and hydration for better skin health. It can also stimulate hair and nail growth (4).
• Potential weight loss: Studies have yet to fully prove this, but collagen can potentially increase your metabolism to aid in weight loss (5).

Collagen For Workouts

For those wondering how collagen can affect their workouts, by building more solid and strong bones and working on relieving joint pain, you are able to push yourself hard and for longer without fear of injury. Since it does improve muscle function overall, you can put an increased focus on boosting muscle mass and working to increase overall performance in terms of both endurance and muscle strength. Of course, other supplements like a pre-workout or intra-workout BCAA can give you a great boost in terms of energy and fighting fatigue, but the effects of collagen should not be overstated when it comes to improving physical performance.

Collagen For Recovery

When it comes to recovery, the amino acid content in collagen can be helpful in terms of muscle repair and overall recovery while working to reduce inflammation and soreness. By strengthening the cartilage around your joints, you also give yourself a great chance to alleviate any joint pain that can cause discomfort and hurt your chances of seeing those gains you want most (6). With faster recovery time, you can bounce back faster and stronger to tackle any other workout that comes your way. Looking to other supplements for those post-workout gains like protein powders can greatly affect growth and recovery, but similar to collagen and your workouts, it should not be overlooked for the aid to recovery.

Featured Collagen Supplement

While many collagen supplements do exist, finding the right one can be a challenge and you certainly want only the best on your shelf and in your routine. A complete supplement stack will include only those supplements with top tier ingredients, high quality formulas, and reputable companies backing them. Whether it be a pre-workout, protein powder, intra-workout BCAA, or multivitamin, a collagen supplement can pair well with these supplements to give you the best chance at seeing those desired gains you want most.

Transparent Labs Collagen Hydrolysate

Our favorite collagen supplement is Transparent Labs Collagen Hydrolysate, however this time it is making the list specifically for how well it can be digested. Transparent Labs Collagen Hydrolysate is smooth on the stomach so you do not have to deal with any nasty side effects, and it tastes great on its own, but will also make for a good addition to a shake or smoothie if you’d like to throw it right in your shaker cup.

This option of supplement from Transparent Labs is clean, effective, and can work wonders for all your needs.

All of these benefits, and it also comes in a great chocolatey flavor!

Price: $34.99

Wrap Up

Collagen is a great supplement to stack with all the others on your shelf for its ability to aid in your workouts and recovery, as well as your overall health. While this may not be the most popular supplement out there, give yourself the edge when it comes to seeing those gains you want most. With benefits to increasing recovery, boosting your workouts, strengthening bones, and promoting better skin, hair, and nail health, this well-rounded supplement can work wonders for your gains if you give it a try. Check out some great collagen supplements and see what they can do for your goals today.

Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

*Images courtesy of Envato

References

1. Moskowitz, R. W. (2000). “Role of collagen hydrolysate in bone and joint disease”. (source)
2. Rodriguez, Maria I. A.; Barroso, Laura G. R.; Sanchez, Mirna L. (2018). “Collagen: A review on its sources and potential cosmetic applications”. (source)
3. Clark, Kristine L.; Sebastianelli, Wayne; Flechsenhar, Klaus R.; Aukermann, Douglas F.; et al. (2008). “24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in the athletes with activity-related joint pain”. (source)
4. Bolke, Liane; Schlippe, Gerrit; Gerb, Joachim; Voss, Werner (2019). “A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study”. (source)
5. Hays, Nicholas P.; Kim, Helen; Wells, Amanda M.; Kajkenova, Oumitana; et al. (2009). “Effects of whey and fortified collagen hydrolysate protein supplements on nitrogen balance and body composition in older women”. (source)
6. Gavura, Scott (2011). “Collagen: An implausible supplement for joint pain”. (source)