Nutrition

Nutrition for rugby

Introduction

One of the most critical factors for optimal performance in rugby is correct nutrition. However this remains one of the most neglected and misunderstood areas for rugby players.

The objective of this section is to give both players and coaches nutritional information relevant to rugby. It is vital that you should know and understand the basic rugby nutrition concepts and principles if your objective is to raise your game!

Increasing lean body muscle mass

Rugby is a high-intensity collision sport, so good strength, muscle size, power and speed are important. Since the game has gone professional statistics have shown that players are getting heavier and more muscular. An important point to make however is that the obsession with getting bigger must not come at a cost to your other conditioning components.

Water

Sufficient water intake is absolutely critical to the performance of a player. It has been shown that just a 2% loss of body weight due to sweating can seriously impair muscular functioning, reaction time and concentration.

Vitamins

Although vitamins are not directly responsible for supplying energy to the body they are essential for the metabolizing of carbohydrates and fats which in turn produce the energy needed for muscle function. Vitamins can not be produced by the body and must be ingested from the diet.

Minerals

Minerals are also essential to many body functions. While training or playing your body regulates its temperature by sweating. When you sweat you lose essential minerals called electrolytes. Electrolytes are a combination of three minerals: sodium, potassium and chloride.

Nutritional guidelines during competition/in-season

There are three periods to take in fluids and nutrients for a game

Nutritional Supplements

The arrival of professional rugby saw an exponential increase in the marketing and sales of nutritional supplements that are meant to make you bigger, stronger, faster and leaner by just swallowing them!

Summary and Conclusions

Based on available research, short-term creatine supplementation may improve maximal strength/power by 5 to 15%, work performed during sets of maximal effort muscle contractions by 5 to 15%, single-effort sprint performance by 1 to 5%, and work performed during repetitive sprint performance by 5 to 15%.