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Collagen and creatine are two of the most popular supplements on the market, so you might be wondering whether you can stack them together or if there are unintended consequences.
So, can you mix collagen powder with creatine? Yes, you can mix collagen powder and creatine because they do not interfere with one another.
In fact, creatine and collagen are complementary because collagen helps contribute to your daily protein intake to maintain muscle mass and creatine encourages further muscle growth.
Even though you can mix collagen powder and creatine, there are things to be aware of when doing so.
In this article, you will learn:
- Benefits and drawbacks of mixing collagen powder with creatine
- How to properly add collagen powder to creatine
- When to consume collagen and creatine
- Who should and should not mix collagen with creatine
Want to learn all the ways to mix collagen? Check out our complete guide How To Mix Collagen Powder + Tips On Making It Taste Better
Benefits of Mixing Collagen Powder With Creatine
1. Better Consistency In Taking Your Supplements
One of the main benefits of stacking your creatine and collagen supplements is that it can help you remember to take each of them more consistently.
The effects of collagen and creatine are not immediate; instead, their benefits are maximized over time through consistent supplementation.
This means that if you are constantly forgetting to take them, they won’t be as effective. Taking both supplements together can help you remember to take your supplements, and help you to maximize the benefits of both collagen and creatine over time.
2. Improves Your Energy Levels
Another benefit of taking creatine and collagen together is that they both help provide you with additional energy in different ways.
Creatine works by increasing your phosphocreatine stores. Phosphocreatine is a type of energy that your body uses for short and explosive movements like weightlifting, jumping, and sprinting.
Therefore, increasing your creatine intake will give you more power and better performance for high-intensity training.
Collagen also improves your energy levels by slowing down the digestion of carbs to provide more sustained energy.
If carbs are eaten without a source of protein (like collagen) then they provide quick energy that also dissipates quickly, but when paired with a protein source, the energy from carbs lasts longer.
Pro tip: For the ultimate energy-boosting cocktail you could mix collagen, creatine, and a source of carbs like Gatorade.
3. Encourages Muscle Growth
Creatine and collagen both work to support your muscles, so when taken together their benefits are amplified compared with taking just one or the other.
Collagen peptides count towards your daily protein intake, so taking collagen can help you meet your protein requirements for muscle growth.
Additionally, there is research suggesting that supplementing with collagen peptides can improve body composition and muscle strength.
Creatine supplementation also benefits your muscles because it stimulates muscle protein synthesis, which is a precursor for muscle growth.
It also provides you with more energy to squeeze out more reps in your strength training, which encourages your muscles to adapt and become stronger.
Therefore, combining creatine and collagen can help you build muscle more effectively.
Want to learn all the ways to mix creatine? Check out our complete guide to 8 Ways To Mix Creatine (Plus Liquids To Avoid)
Drawbacks of Mixing Collagen Powder With Creatine
The only drawback you might experience from mixing collagen powder and creatine is that creatine can sometimes cause stomach distress for certain individuals.
However, there do not appear to be any digestion issues related to collagen supplementation.
For certain people, creatine supplementation causes digestion issues like bloating, gas, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. However, this typically only occurs with higher doses of creatine at one time (>5g).
To avoid any digestion issues, start with a lower dose of creatine (2 to 3g at one time) and slowly build it up to a 5g serving (the standard daily dose for creatine supplementation).
- Related Article: Creatine Makes Me Sick: Why & How To Fix
How To Properly Mix Collagen Powder With Creatine
To mix collagen powder and creatine so that it dissolves without clumping, follow these steps:
Step 1
Grab a glass and pour 1-2 oz of the liquid of your choice (i.e. milk, orange juice, Gatorade). Ensure your liquid of choice is room temperature or warmer because both collagen and creatine dissolve best in warmer liquids.
If your liquid is cold, then this mixture will be clumpy.
Step 2
Add the creatine and the collagen to the glass with the liquid. Mix together using a shaker, blender, or milk frother until everything is dissolved. If you don’t have access to these tools then you can use a fork, but it may not be as effective.
Step 3
After the liquid and supplements are combined, you can top it off with more of your desired liquid and add ice to make your beverage colder and more enjoyable.
What Liquid Should You Use To Mix Collagen Powder & Creatine
Water or water-based liquids are best when mixing collagen and creatine because a uniform consistency will work best to prevent clumping.
Liquids that I would recommend are:
- Water (with or without flavor drops)
- Sports Drinks
- Coffee
- Tea
- Kombucha
- Milk (regular or plant-based)
- Coconut water
- Fruit juices (without pulp)
Will Creatine Dissolve When Mixed With Collagen Powder? (And Does It Matter)
Yes, creatine will dissolve when mixed with collagen powder as long as you follow the steps discussed above; however, the extent to which these supplements dissolve won’t affect their effectiveness.
The temperature of the liquid has the greatest impact on whether the supplements will dissolve or not. The colder the liquid, the less likely that collagen and creatine will dissolve without forming clumps, so opt for a room temperature or warmer liquid.
With that said, a clumpy mixture will still have the same benefits as a well-dissolved mixture so you don’t have to worry about a clumpy shake affecting your results.
- Related Article: Here’s what to do if your creatine doesn’t dissolve.
How Many Scoops Of Collagen Should You Mix With Creatine?
Research suggests that collagen is most effective when taken in doses of 2.5 to 15 grams. One scoop of collagen provides between 5 to 20 grams of collagen depending on the brand, so adding one scoop of collagen to your creatine should be effective.
Creatine is most effective in doses of 3-8 grams (~ 1 scoop), so for the best results, you should mix one scoop of collagen and one scoop of creatine with your liquid of choice.
Does The Collagen Interfere With Creatine Absorption?
No, there is no evidence to suggest that collagen interferes with creatine absorption or vice versa. Therefore, there is no reason why you cannot mix creatine and collagen together.
When To Consume Collagen Powder With Creatine
Collagen and creatine supplements don’t have immediate effects, so you can take them at any point throughout the day and still accumulate benefits over time as long as you’re consistent.
However, collagen is a source of protein so it can help to keep you full. For this reason, you may want to take this mixture at times during the day when you’re more likely to feel hungry.
Here are some options:
Between Meals As A Snack
If you have a hard time staying full from one meal to the next, then you could choose to take these supplements as a snack because the protein from collagen will help hold you over until your next meal.
Collagen can help increase your level of satiety and prevent you from snacking on other high-calorie foods (pretzels, chips, cookies).
Before Bedtime
Taking these supplements after dinner can also help curb any sweet cravings that you might get in the evenings and help keep you satisfied overnight so that you aren’t waking up hungry.
If you’re someone who doesn’t get quality sleep because you get hungry throughout the night, then it would be worth taking these supplements before bed.
Who Should Mix Collagen Powder With Creatine
Those who would benefit most from mixing collagen powder with creatine are:
Those Who Are Dieting
Mixing creatine and collagen is a great option for those who are dieting because research shows that adding creatine while cutting can help preserve muscle mass or, in some cases, increase it.
This is extremely helpful when dieting because when you diet, there is an increased risk of losing muscle. When you lose muscle you burn fewer calories per day, making weight loss more difficult.
However, with creatine’s assistance in maintaining or even gaining muscle, you can continue burning calories at your normal rate or perhaps even increase it, making weight loss easier.
Additionally, the protein that collagen provides can help you meet your protein goals and keep you full, even though you’re consuming fewer calories.
- Related Article: Does Creatine Help With Weight Loss?
Those Who Are Bulking
Mixing collagen and creatine is also beneficial for those who are bulking because both supplements can help you gain muscle, which is generally the goal when you’re bulking.
Creatine can help you squeeze out extra reps in training to encourage your muscles to grow stronger and adapt, and collagen can contribute to your daily protein intake to ensure you’re meeting your daily requirements so that muscle growth can occur.
Note: While you can take these supplements for both weight gain and weight loss goals, whether you want to achieve one of those goals or the other has more to do with whether you’re in a caloric surplus or deficit – not the supplements you take.
Older Individuals
As you age you naturally lose muscle mass, so it’s even more important to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to retain muscle mass as you get older.
Collagen and creatine can both help you to retain muscle mass, so taking both of these supplements would be extremely beneficial for older individuals.
According to a study performed on older individuals, those supplemented with collagen had better body composition and muscle strength. In addition to this, collagen has been shown to decrease joint pain, which is a common concern among older individuals.
In another study, those supplemented with creatine not only had better muscle performance and strength but also significantly improved cognitive function.
They also had improvements in their sleep quality (which is a constant concern for older individuals).
Who Should NOT Mix Collagen Powder With Creatine
There aren’t many people who wouldn’t benefit from taking collagen powder and creatine together.
The only people who may not want to take collagen and creatine together are those who are vegetarian or vegan because most collagen powders are from animal sources.
Rather than mixing creatine with collagen, those who don’t eat meat would be better off mixing their creatine with a plant-based protein powder like this one to ensure they’re meeting their daily protein requirements.
Best Collagen Powder To Mix With Creatine
The best collagen powder on the market that I recommend mixing with creatine is:
Momentous Collagen Peptides
Momentous Collagen Peptides is made using FORTIGEL, which is a type of collagen that has been proven to stimulate collagen production in tendons and ligaments. It also has a neutral taste and smell, making it a great option to add to any beverage.
The company also has third-party testing, meaning it has been tested by an outside party to ensure it contains the ingredients it claims to contain in the correct dosages. So you can rest assured that you are getting a supplement that actually works.
Finally, the reason why I like this company is that they have a bundle of creatine and collagen, which shows that they know this is a powerhouse combination.
I recommend saving some money by purchasing these supplements in a bundle rather than separately.
What To Read Next:
References
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