Sunday, May 17, 2026 · 9:41 AM
ok genuine question for u
is collagen powder actually doing anything or is it just expensive flavored sand
lmao depends what you want it to do
for building muscle? basically nothing
for everything around the muscle? actually a lot
think of your body as a machine
whey protein builds the engine. the actual muscle fibers that contract
collagen builds the chassis. tendons, ligaments, the connective tissue mesh that holds the engine in place and transmits power to the bones
ohhh totally different jobs
exactly. people compare them like they're competing and they're just not
ok but protein is protein right
why is collagen specifically bad for muscle
this is what everyone gets wrong
muscle building is triggered by ONE specific amino acid. leucine
it flips a switch in your cells called mTOR. that's the actual "grow now" signal
whey has tons of it. like 3-4g per scoop
collagen has almost none. and it's missing tryptophan entirely
on the official protein quality score whey is 1.3. collagen scores literally zero
wait the score is ZERO???
yeah
the metric is gated on whatever amino acid you have least of
collagen has 0 tryptophan so the whole thing collapses to 0
ok but here's what's been confusing me
i've seen studies where collagen users gain MORE lean mass than placebo. like measurably more
explain that one
ok this is the best part of the science
the studies are real. the gains are real. but the measurement is lying to you
researchers measure "muscle mass" with a DEXA scan
but DEXA doesn't see muscle fibers specifically. it just measures everything in your body that isn't fat
bone, organs, water, glycogen, AND connective tissue all count as "lean mass"
ohhhhh
so when collagen thickens my tendons and fascia
the scanner reads it as muscle gain. yep
the actual force-producing fibers aren't growing more. but the scaffolding around them genuinely is
🤯that is wild
ok but doesn't stronger scaffolding help indirectly though?
like i can lift heavier without snapping something
yes and this is where it actually gets interesting
thicker tendons + reinforced fascia = muscle handles heavier loads
heavier loads = more mechanical tension = bigger hypertrophy signal
so collagen doesn't build muscle. it builds the platform that lets the muscle get pushed harder. which builds muscle
chassis upgrade so the engine can rev higher
ok so what do i actually do with this
depends on the goal
building muscle? whey is non-negotiable. 25-40g a few times a day, spread out
achy joints, heavy lifter, runner, lots of jumping? add collagen on top
15-20g collagen + 50mg vitamin C, about 60 min before training
wait why vitamin C specifically
your body literally cannot assemble collagen without it
vit C is the cofactor for the enzyme that locks the triple helix together
scurvy is literally what happens when you run out. connective tissue falls apart
ok TIL
and why 60 min before, not after?
peptides peak in your blood right when you're loading the tendon
fibroblasts grab them and weave them in while you're actually training
post-workout is too late, the window is closing
ok this finally makes sense
tldr whey for the muscle, collagen for the rope that holds the muscle to the bone
perfect summary
and don't let supplement marketers convince you collagen is a "protein replacement." it's a structural ingredient, not a substitute
🙏thanks this has been bugging me for months
anytime. now go lift something heavy
Read Sun, May 17 · 9:59 AM