Does collagen help Hyrox athletes?
For the tendons and joints that Hyrox hammers, the evidence says it may help, and for the day-after soreness there is one short trial in its favour. It will not push a sled for you, and it is not a replacement for the carbohydrate, creatine and complete protein that a 60- to 90-minute race actually runs on. Hyrox is unusual because it stacks two kinds of load in one event: eight kilometres of running that load the Achilles and calves the way a road race does, and eight stations that load the shoulders, hips, knees and low back the way a strength session does. That combination is exactly what the collagen research has looked at from both ends: pre-loaded gelatin before jumping exercise, and months of daily collagen peptides alongside strength training. This page lays out the tissues Hyrox stresses, the protocol the trials used, what those trials found (including the one that found no effect) and how a ready-to-drink 20g sachet fits into a Hyrox training week and race week.
What Hyrox does to connective tissue
Walk through the eight stations and you cover most of the body's major tendons. The SkiErg and rowing load the shoulders, lats and lumbar spine. The sled push and pull put the Achilles, patellar tendon and hip flexors under sustained, near-maximal load with the trunk braced. Burpee broad jumps are plyometric: repeated landings through the Achilles and patellar tendon. Farmers carries load the grip, forearm tendons and the traps. Sandbag lunges hit the patellar and quad tendons unilaterally with a load on the back. Wall balls finish the race with a hundred deep squats and overhead throws, which is why the rotator cuff and the knees are what most people feel on the Monday. Between each station is a kilometre of running on a hard indoor surface, so the Achilles, plantar fascia and shins never get a break.
The result is a training load that looks like a runner's from the ankle down and like a lifter's from the hip up, plus a level of whole-body soreness (DOMS) that neither sport produces on its own. Tendon and ligament are mostly type I collagen with slow turnover and a poor blood supply, so they adapt to this more slowly than muscle does. Athletes who arrive at Hyrox from running tend to feel it first in the shoulders and knees; athletes who arrive from the gym feel it in the Achilles and calves. Either way, the connective tissue is the limiting factor in how fast you can add volume.
The protocol: dose and timing for Hyrox
The research protocol has two halves. Before the session that loads the tissue, take 15β20g of hydrolysed collagen with vitamin C 30β60 minutes beforehand, so that glycine and proline peak in the blood while the tendon is working. On the other days, keep a smaller daily dose going, because the tendon and joint trials that showed results ran for three to six months. For Hyrox, creatine is not optional in the way it might be for a pure runner: it supports the repeated high-power efforts on the sled, the lunges and the wall balls.
| When | How much | Why |
|---|
| 30β60 min before a station session, running intervals or a simulation | 15β20g hydrolysed collagen with vitamin C | Shaw 2017 pre-loading window; Lee 2023 dose-response up to 30g |
| Easy and rest days | 5β10g | Dose used in the 12- to 24-week joint and tendon trials |
| Creatine monohydrate | 3β5g every day | Kreider 2017; supports repeated high-intensity efforts across the stations |
| Vitamin C | 50mg or more with the collagen | Cofactor for collagen cross-linking |
| Minimum commitment | 8β12 weeks | Tendon adapts on a months-long timescale |
Collagen is low in leucine, so it does not replace your post-session whey or your meals. Treat it as a tendon-specific addition on top of a normal 1.6β2g/kg protein intake. The full breakdown is in collagen dosage for athletes.
What the trials show
Pre-loading. Shaw 2017 gave 15g of gelatin plus vitamin C an hour before six minutes of jump-rope exercise and saw blood markers of collagen synthesis roughly double compared with placebo. Lee 2023 tested 0g, 15g and 30g and found a clear dose-response, with 30g producing the largest rise. Hyrox's burpee broad jumps and running intervals are the closest real-world equivalent to the jump-rope stimulus those trials used.
Tendons and ankles. Jerger 2022 gave 5g of collagen peptides daily for 14 weeks alongside calf strength training and measured a greater increase in Achilles tendon cross-sectional area than in the placebo group. Praet 2019 followed people with Achilles tendinopathy for six months on 2.5g a day plus eccentric rehab and found better symptom scores and return to running. Dressler 2018 found 5g a day for six months improved stability in chronic ankle instability, which is relevant if you have rolled an ankle stepping off a sled lane.
Knees, joints and soreness. Zdzieblik 2017 gave 5g daily for 12 weeks to young active adults with activity-related knee pain and found a greater reduction in pain during activity than placebo; Clark 2008 found 10g a day for 24 weeks reduced joint pain in athletes. For soreness, Clifford 2019 gave 20g of collagen peptides a day for nine days around a bout of drop jumps and found lower muscle soreness at 48 hours than placebo. Nine days is short and one trial is one trial, but it is the study most relevant to the whole-body DOMS that follows a Hyrox race or full simulation.
Strength training. Zdzieblik 2015, Kirmse 2019 and Jendricke 2019 each combined 15g of collagen peptides a day with 12 weeks of resistance training and reported greater gains in fat-free mass and strength than training alone. Those results are modest and the mechanism is debated, but the dose is the one a Hyrox athlete would use on a strength day anyway.
Creatine. Kreider 2017 (the ISSN position stand) sets out 3β5g a day as the maintenance dose and reviews the safety record; Antonio 2021 addresses the common myths (water retention, kidneys, cramping) and finds them unsupported; Avgerinos 2018 reviews evidence that creatine may support cognition under stress, which is worth something in the last 500 metres of a race.
The honest null result. Aussieker 2023 gave 30g of collagen protein straight after a resistance session and measured connective-tissue protein synthesis in muscle over the following hours: no increase compared with placebo. So the timing matters, the post-workout window is not the one to aim for, and collagen should not be sold as a muscle-building protein. The evidence base is promising on tendons over months, thin on acute effects, and honest people say so.
How KUDU fits a Hyrox week
Hyrox athletes train in odd places: a gym at 6 a.m., a running track at lunch, a car park sled session. A powder that needs a shaker and a tap is the thing most likely to be skipped. KUDU's 20g Liquid Collagen Protein is a 63ml ready-to-drink sachet with 20,000mg of hydrolysed bovine collagen (type I and III), 85 kcal, 0g sugar and 0g fat, dairy free and gluten free. Drink it in the car park 30β60 minutes before the session and you have hit the pre-loading dose. Four flavours (Sour Cherry, Peach, Orange, Strawberry & Vanilla), made in the UK, Informed Sport certified for anyone competing under drug-testing rules.
On strength and station days the Collagen + Creatine sachet does both jobs in one: 10g hydrolysed collagen, 5g creatine monohydrate and vitamin C, 44 kcal, mixed with water, in Mixed Berry or Tropical. A box of 14 liquid sachets is Β£34.95, from Β£1.99 a sachet on subscription; the Β£12 Sampler Box covers all four flavours. 60-day money-back guarantee, 4.8 stars from 480+ verified reviews.
A Hyrox weekly collagen plan
| Day type | Collagen | Creatine | Timing |
|---|
| Station or strength session (sled, lunges, wall balls) | C+C sachet (10g) or 20g sachet | 5g (in C+C) | 30β60 min before |
| Running intervals or compromised running | 20g sachet | 3β5g any time | 30β60 min before |
| Full simulation | 20g sachet before, 20g daily for the next 2 days | 3β5g | Clifford 2019 soreness protocol |
| Easy or rest day | 10g (half a sachet) or C+C | 3β5g | Any time |
| Race week | 20g daily, last hard session pre-loaded | 3β5g daily | Mornings; nothing new on race day |
| Race day | 20g sachet 60 min before the start, if practised | Already loaded | Then carbohydrate as normal |
Hyrox guides
Collagen for Hyrox: FAQs
Can I take collagen and creatine together for Hyrox?
Yes, and it is the sensible combination for a sport that mixes running with loaded strength work. Collagen supplies the amino acids tendon is built from; creatine (3β5g a day, Kreider 2017) supports the repeated high-power efforts on the sled and wall balls. They do not interfere with each other, and the C+C sachet puts both in one drink.
Is collagen a Hyrox supplement or a running supplement?
Both, because Hyrox is both. The pre-loading trials used jumping exercise, which is closest to the running and burpee stations, while the strength-training trials used 15g daily alongside resistance work. The same 20g sachet covers either session; the difference is only what you train that day.
Will collagen reduce the soreness after a Hyrox race?
One nine-day trial (Clifford 2019, 20g daily) found lower soreness at 48 hours after damaging exercise. That is encouraging but limited, so treat it as a possible help rather than a guarantee, and keep doing the things that definitely work: sleep, carbohydrate, complete protein and an easy walk the next day.
Should I take collagen before the run or before the stations?
Before the whole session. A single 15β20g dose 30β60 minutes before you start covers a typical 60β90-minute Hyrox workout, because blood amino acid levels stay elevated for a couple of hours. You do not need to re-dose between stations.
Does collagen count towards my protein target?
Only partly. It is 20g of protein by weight but low in leucine, so it is poor at stimulating muscle growth on its own (Aussieker 2023 found no connective-tissue synthesis boost from 30g post-workout either). Count it as tendon support, and hit your daily protein target with complete sources. See collagen vs whey.
Other sports: runners, CrossFit, cyclists, rugby and football, the gym. Browse the full liquid collagen range and the Collagen + Creatine collection.
