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Playing and training for rugby takes a lot out of your body. In the glow of youth, you could probably recover pretty well by chugging down a beer and eating a post-workout hotdog. But, as you get older, and your playing and training become more serious, you’ll need more than a bunch of empty calories to put back into your body what rugby takes out.
Hard physical activity, either on the pitch or in the gym, deplete many of your body’s resources. Those resources need to be replaced so that:
a) recovery can happen
b) your body is ready for another bout of similar activity
For an hour or so after a hard session of training or playing, your body is like a dried-out sponge, and will “soak up” almost any nutrients that you send its way. If you miss this window of opportunity, you could delay your recovery. That’s why post-exercise nutrition is so very important.
With that in mind, we have designed what we think is the best post-activity supplement available for ruggers – Post-Rugby. This custom formula is designed to address the needs of even the most demanding rugger, facilitating recovery from a variety of different angles.
When you sweat, you don’t just lose water, you lose minerals called electrolytes too. These minerals are sometimes called salts. Electrolytes are vital for regulating fluid levels in and outside of your cells, and for controlling muscle contractions. That’s why the mineral imbalances caused by dehydration can lead to cramps.
Post Rugby contains a special blend of electrolytes designed to replace the salts you lose when you sweat. And don’t think that just because it was cold and you didn’t sweat much, you don’t need to replace water and electrolytes; you expel water every time you exhale too.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When you eat protein, your body breaks it down into free amino acids, rearranges them, and then uses them for muscle recovery, repair, and growth.
Playing and training for rugby is highly catabolic. That is to say, is causes a lot of muscle breakdown. Lifting heavy weights in the gym or hammering the opposition on the pitch causes micro trauma to your muscles. The sooner you can shore up this damage, the sooner you’ll recover, and the quicker you’ll be ready to do it all over again. This is super-important if you want to play and train optimally.
Post-Rugby contains the branched chain amino acids of Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine, so called because of the branch-like structure. Of all the amino acids that make up your muscle mass, these three are the most heavily catabolized during intense exercise. Studies suggest that supplementation with BCAAs may improve the speed of recovery, increase muscle mass, and prevent delayed onset muscle soreness. (1)
Glutamine, another amino acid, may enhance recovery, working in synergy with the BCAAs. The same goes for the semi-essential amino acid, L-Arginine, a central ingredient in our nitric oxide booster.
Creatine monohydrate is the daddy of sports supplements. No other supplement has been subjected to so much research. It’s been in use for over 20 years which, in the sport supplement world, is an eternity! Supplements only survive this long if they work – and work well.
Creatine is an important part of energy production, and is integral to the process of manufacturing your body’s energy currency, adenosine triphosphate – ATP for short.
Supplementing with creatine, before, during, and after exercise, has been shown (2) to enhance performance and recovery. There are lots of fancy creatine supplements around but, despite this, the original and best form is creatine monohydrate – the one you’ll find in Post-Rugby.
Post-Rugby mixes easily with water, and is available in two refreshing flavors – dragon fruit and cranberry-pineapple. All you need do to maximize recovery is drink a serving of Post-Rugby within 30 minutes of finishing your match or workout, and your rate of recovery will accelerate.
However, as great as Post-Rugby is, it’s not nutritionally complete. It is, after all, a supplement to and not a replacement for a balanced diet. A shot of Post-Rugby will get the recovery ball rolling, but you need more than even the best supplement to make sure you recover as fast and completely as possible.
Ideally, within an hour or two, and after you have consumed your shot of Post-Rugby, you should be tucking into a meal that contains plenty of complete protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats such as chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans, and olive oil.
However, because life can derail even your best healthy eating intensions, this is not always possible.
So, here are FOUR ways to use Post-Rugby in smoothies to make sure you provide your body with all the nutrients you need to maximize recovery. Taking no more than a minute or two to make, smoothies are ideal for after playing or training, when you may not have the time of inclination to make a solid food meal.
If you want to make your smoothies colder and thicker, make up some Post-Rugby ice cubes. Then, when it’s time to make your smoothies, just toss a few in to pump up recovery and improve the texture of your shake.
This combination of ingredients provides your body with everything it needs to bounce back quickly from even the toughest workout or game. Beets have an anti-inflammatory effect to ease your aches and pains, and are a vasodilator which increases blood flow. If beets aren’t available, use the next best thing – our Beet Elite supplement.
Directions:
Add all the ingredients you your blender and blitz on high for 30-60 seconds, until all the ingredients are combined and the mixture is smooth.
Sometimes, the best way to crack a nut is with a big hammer. This smoothie is simple, nutritious, and ideal for ruggers who want a more no-frills approach to post-exercise nutrition.
Directions:
Put the water in your blender, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend on high for 60 seconds, until the oats are fully pulverized and the mixture is smooth and lump free.
Some of the ingredients in this smoothie are a little “out there” but that doesn’t stop it from tasting good and being really effective. Best of all, it’s 100% vegan, so ideal for ruggers who don’t eat animal products.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Put everything into your blender and blitz on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.
Refreshing and tasty, this smoothie is ideal when your mouth feels as dry as an Arab’s flip-flop! It also packs a big protein and calorie punch, making it ideal for after hard training programs, or for players who want to bulk up a little.
Ingredients:
Method:
Just toss everything into your blender, and blitz on high for 30-60 sec until smooth.
Of course, if you want a really easy way to use Post-Rugby, just mix with water, add a scoop of your favorite protein powder, scoff a banana on the side, and eat a tablespoon of peanut butter straight out the jar. That combination of foods covers just about every one of your nutritional needs. But, for those with more discerning taste buds, make sure you try some of our post-rugby or whey protein recipes.
1) Nutraceutical Effects of Branched-Chain Amino Acids on Skeletal Muscle
2) Background on Creatine
We design & manufacture premium nutritional supplements specifically for the rugby community. Our range of supplements can help professional and amateur rugby players alike to perform, recover and live better.
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