Me doing a 300 pound squat clean for the first (and likely last) time 😅
I’ve written before about why I favor high-quality animal proteins, and why collagen and whey sit at the top of the protein list for supplemental needs. See The Best Protein Supplements For Fat-Loss And Strength and The Food My Family And I Eat.
I’ve also written about why resistance training is not optional if you want the body to function optimally. See Building Muscle And Optimizing Immunity and There Are No Quick Fixes When It Comes To Getting Healthy.
A new study shows the synergistic effects of using both those elements to create optimal health.
Researchers took 40 resistance-trained men through eight weeks of supervised lifting, three times per week. They split them into four groups: whey plus collagen, whey alone, collagen alone, or a placebo.
The combination won.
Muscle mass rose most in the whey-plus-collagen group. Strength rose most there too, on both squat and bench. Lumbar spine bone mineral density improved in the combination group in a way the whey-only and placebo groups did not match.
Collagen supports the connective tissue network that holds the frame together. Whey supplies the amino acids that help rebuild muscle under load. Resistance training is the signal that tells the body those materials need to go somewhere useful. Remove the training, and the supplements have less to work with. Remove the protein quality, and the training has less to build with. Together, they do more than either does alone.
I have been saying a version of this over the last 11 years in practice: it is the synergistic combination of regular movement, a nutrient-dense diet, and a healthy nervous system that creates a healthy human.
Here is the part most people skip.
Muscle, bone, and connective tissue do not run on autopilot in a vacuum. They are under the influence of the nervous system.
The nervous system is the electrical signaling system that runs through the spine and is heavily influenced by its condition. When the structure of the spine shifts and wears, that signaling can get obstructed. The signal gets noisy.
You can eat well. You can lift. You can take quality whey and collagen. If the foundation under the nervous system is compromised, the body has a harder time organizing repair, recovery, and coordination the way it should.
If you obstructed 50% of the electrical signal to your blender, how well would it function? We want the brain communicating with the body at its highest potential.
At Complete Chiropractic, our focus is Structural Correction: finding and correcting Structural Shifts so the nervous system can signal cleanly and without obstruction. Complementarily, we recommend nutrition and proper movement to support the body in a synergistic way to create health.
If you have been training and eating with intent and still feel like the pieces are not adding up, we can talk. A complimentary consultation is a conversation, not a commitment. Call the office at 763-497-2211 if you would like to sit down and discuss things further.
Complete Chiropractic 