Rugby is one of the most physical sports there is. Intense impact, high workloads, lots of lifting, running, throwing, kicking. It causes a lot of strain on the body just playing the game, that’s without thinking about the training that takes place throughout the weeks.
To get the proper nutrition your body needs to repair and build muscle from this wear and tear would be extremely difficult through natural intake. Luckily there are a wide range of supplements available to fill the gap and help you reach peak performance. Here are the best supplements for rugby players:
Clean Bulking
It doesn’t matter if you’re a forward or a back, being big is always beneficial to putting in the big tackles and push off defenders. However, being too big will affect your speed and damage your game – so you need to be clever with how you bulk.
Taking weight gainer supplements such as Nutrabolics IsoGainer will help you to bulk up quickly, increasing the amount of energy you have to repair muscle tissue, while keeping you lean. Trying to naturally get the benefits you need will mean consuming around 4,500 calories every day, not only is that a lot of food to be eating but it won’t give you the same lean bulk.
Creatine
One of the most important substances you can take while rugby training is creatine. This will give you a competitive edge when it comes to explosive power and endurance and can massively increase the way in which you’re able to train.
One of the best products on the market is Creatamax from Maximuscle, which helps your body produce rapid energy. This release of energy will allow you to train harder and more frequently, helping you to build up muscle and fitness levels at a much faster pace.
Glutamine
The physicality of rugby can often lead to muscle tears and strains – which can lead to muscle loss and therefore increased risk of injury. By taking glutamine you can prevent your muscle wasting away as it acts as a source of fuel and stimulates the release of growth hormones.
The Glutamine Capsules from Optimum Nutrition are one of the best products on the market for rugby players at the moment. They’re designed for rapid disintegration and maximum absorption which is perfect for quick recovery after a hard and strenuous game.
Whey Protein
This is a must have supplement for full recovery after a match or training – helping to get the repair process started as quickly as possible. Whether that’s helping to recover from a session on the scrum machine or repairing your leg muscles from running sprints, Whey Protein helps you to recover much faster after intense exercise.
Currently the Platinum Series from Protogen is the best whey protein on the market – containing premium protein sources and Aminiogen that help your body break down and digest the protein faster.
Multivitamins
It’s not all about bulking and keeping lean, if you’re regularly training you may need to take multivitamins to boost your immune system and help with natural recovery. Ensuring you get all the essential vitamins is a great way to stay fit and healthy. Vitamin E for example will help reduce the pain you feel from delayed onset muscle soreness, allowing you to train more efficiently.
It is important to remember that supplements only help to enhance the training you do, they don’t replace the hard work you need to do. Make sure that you follow the proper instructions when using each in order to get the maximum advantages.