Why Collagen Should be Part of Your Spring Training

The days are getting longer and warmer (cue birds chirping and flowers blooming) and many of us are emerging from our winter slumbers with an increased focus on our fitness. There is something so satisfying about watching your body become faster and stronger with every workout. During class you’re a bench-leaping, kettle bell-swinging, burpee machine. The endorphins are running high and you’re feeling great…

…Until it’s over, which is when our body starts to lodge a few complaints. If you’re killing it in class, but not paying attention to your recovery process, you can actually dilute the effectiveness of your workout and slow progression toward your goals. Fortunately, collagen is here to help.

Science is showing that supplementing with collagen peptides can not only speed-up your recovery, it can also help with activity-related joint pain and may even help prevent injury! Even the IOC (International Olympic Committee) recently recognized collagen as one of six supplements that may assist with “training capacity, recovery, muscle soreness and injury management”. If the best athletes in the world are using collagen to support their training, performance and recovery…sign us up! So for those post-workout days when lifting your coffee cup is a battle and even your hair hurts, it’s time to incorporate collagen into the mix!

Collagen for Athletes: The Highlight Reel

Protect Your Joints

Any athlete will attest that joint pain can seriously derail your progress in the gym (or on the track, field, trails… you get the picture). Some discomfort is par for the course during athletic pursuits, but if you find your joints stopping you from achieving your personal best, perhaps collagen can help. Collagen is the most abundant protein found in the body and plays a significant structural role contributing to the elasticity, strength and integrity of our connective tissues (like the cartilage and ligaments found in our joints).

So, it’s no surprise that a study conducted at Penn State University saw a statistically significant improvement in activity-related joint pain among athletes that we’re supplementing with 10 g of collagen peptides daily. The study also suggests that collagen supplementation may even reduce the risk of joint deterioration. Moral of the story—don’t ignore your joints until you can’t ignore your joints! Show them some love by adding collagen to your pre or post-workout meal.

Injury Support

Injuries are an unfortunate reality for many athletes. No one wants to be sidelined during training when everyone else is making gains. While rest and rehabilitation are key, collagen may help get you back in action sooner. A recent study conducted at the Australian Institute of Sport reported that runners suffering from chronic running-related injuries (specifically Achilles tendinopathy) were able to return to running more quickly when supplementing with collagen than those who did not. While the research is still in its infancy, the results are definitely promising. Adding a serving of collagen may help you recover from injury faster.

In Recovery Mode

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like you’ve been hit by a bus the day after a particularly tough workout (🙋‍♀️). The stiffness and achiness that may have you avoiding that set of stairs can be partly attributed to microscopic damage to your muscle fibers…ouch.

The muscles in your body are in a continuous state of being broken down and repaired, especially after a tough workout. In order to maintain or build muscle mass, your body needs enough essential amino acids. Without adequate building blocks, you could be doing your body more harm than good – enter collagen.

Hydrolyzed collagen is a valuable source of both essential (which must be obtained through diet) and non-essential amino acids, which are the building blocks for muscle repair. The amino acids Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine (three branch-chain amino acids, or BCAAs) seem to be especially important when it comes to muscle synthesis. All three are present in both marine collagen peptides and grass-fed collagen peptides, though slightly higher in grass-fed. Reach for some collagen post-workout and you may feel less resentment for your trainer the next day.

So now that you’re up to speed on the benefits of collagen for athletes, how do you incorporate it into your daily routine? Simple. Add a scoop to your pre-workout oatmeal or post-workout protein smoothie. Even easier, add a scoop of Sproos Up Your Joints with cold water to your water bottle. It contains a synergistic combination of five active ingredients (grass-fed bovine collagen, glucosamine sulfate, MSM, organic turmeric and hyaluronic acid) all designed to work from within to defend, soothe and regenerate tired, achy and stiff joints. What you do during recovery from a workout is almost as important as the workout itself, so show that hard-working bod some love and Sproos up your recovery with collagen!