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5 Important Ways Collagen Helps Your Fitness
In the highly competitive world of health and fitness, it’s safe to say that supplements are hugely popular and are considered to be a fitness staple by many. In terms of popularity, there are some that have ruled the roost for decades, and that doesn’t look set to change anytime soon. You have your whey proteins, your creatines, and your amino acids, but is there anything else proven to really work? Actually, yes there is. Lately, more and more fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike, have been using collagen supplements to supercharge their workouts, and results have been astonishing. To emphasize just how beneficial collagen supplements can be, here are 5 important ways that collagen can help your fitness and improve your workouts.
Great for the joints – One of the most prominent benefits associated with collagen, is the fact that it helps to ease joint pain and strengthen joints tissues. As virtually all forms of sport and fitness are high impact and place a lot of stress on the joints, many keen fitness enthusiasts often suffer with joint pain and discomfort. Collagen peptides work to regenerate cartilage in the joints which can ease pain and discomfort. You see, collagen is the most prominent protein in the human body, and is a building block for many things, including connective tissues in the joints. As collagen helps to strengthen joint integrity, lubricate joints, and ease inflammation, you experience less soreness before, during, and after a workout.
Great for muscle growth – Collagen, as mentioned, is the most abundant protein in the human body. Protein plays a crucial role in the process of building new muscle tissue and repairing damaged muscle tissue. Without protein, our bodies would simply not be able to recover after a workout, so no muscle growth would occur. Collagen supplements can provide the body with essential amounts of glycine which is needed to synthesize creatine. Creatine occurs naturally in muscles and essential for the contraction of muscle tissues during intense muscle activity. Collagen provides amino acids needed for optimal muscle growth and recovery to occur.
Improved recovery rates – When we exercise, we aren’t actually building muscle at all, in fact, we do the exact opposite. When we exercise, we are damaging and destroying existing muscle tissue. We build muscle when we rest, providing that the body has access to the proteins, amino acids, and other nutrients needed for protein synthesis to occur. Improving collagen levels in the body plays a key role in enhancing the rebuilding of muscle tissues thereby improving the recovery process. The result is that we find ourselves recovering faster after a gruelling workout, so we not only build more muscle, we also experience less fatigue, our strength levels increase, our energy levels increase, and we find ourselves ready to work out again the next day.
Increased metabolism – Collagen is a protein, which means it is thermogenic. A thermogenic compound is something that causes an increase in the body’s core temperature. You see, protein is much harder to digest and break down than other macronutrients, which is why we feel full for much longer after consuming protein. To try to digest it, the body needs more energy, so it burns more calories and works harder to break it down. This in turn can contribute to metabolism increases. Collagen supports lean muscle growth and since muscle needs more calories for maintenance than body fat, you burn through calories faster. An increased metabolism is not only ideal for losing fat, it’s also great from an athletic perspective, as it means that we have more energy to exercise in the first place.
Promotes a positive Nitrogen balance –In order for optimal muscle growth, function, and recovery to occur, a positive nitrogen balance must be achieved. Basically, the body needs nitrogen in the muscles in order to synthesize new muscle tissue and to repair damaged muscle tissue. Collagen supplements have been proven to help achieve a positive nitrogen balance within the muscles, creating the perfect environment for muscle growth.
