While professional players may have the luxury of being consistently monitored by their doctors and medical teams, amateur rugby players often feel the brunt of various injuries and physical issues as a result of their beloved hobby – and still have to turn up to work on Monday morning!
If this sounds far too familiar, take a look at our hacks to fully recover between your rugby matches.
Recovery Hacks for Rugby Players:
Mind the pre and post-match food
It is important to appreciate the fundamentals of nutrition to aid your recovery. That is, fuel in means energy out. So, if you’re not eating enough calories (kcal) to aid your recovery, your body will turn to its fuel stores and muscle to breakdown instead – resulting in reduced immune function and slower rates of muscle protein repair. That’s a good enough excuse as any for a post-game pie if you ask us!
Also, don’t forget to drink plenty of water. Not only only is it refreshing after an intense 80 minutes, but it also carries nutrients and oxygen to your cells to help your body recover.
Give yourself a boost
No matter how healthy, well-fed, fit, or well-slept you may be, haven’t we all found ourselves feeling exhausted for seemingly no reason? That’s because it can be incredibly difficult to make sure you get enough of the essential vitamins we need every day. And when it comes to recovering when you come off the pitch, vitamin C in particular is critical.
Vitamin C not only props up your immune system’s defences, but it also helps you to feel more energised and to boot fatigue.
If getting the right levels of vitamin C into your diet to keep you going is proving difficult, fourfive have put together the Recharge Bundle Box. If you’re looking for an extra daily boost to help you feel more energised, whether that’s on the pitch or in the office, this is the monthly bundle for you.
For the more dedicated rugby player, there is The RUCK Bundle. For those that give it their all but need a little push to get them on the pitch for the last 20 minutes, this box of goodies has everything you need to keep performing at your best.
Get enough sleep
A crucial element of recovering from rugby is sleep, so if you’re staying out late on a Saturday night, we’re demanding you have a lay-in on Sunday morning!
A university study found that men’s rugby players who extended their night’s sleep to 10 hours ran faster in sprints, all improved their passing accuracy by at least 9%, and also reported improved physical and mental well-being. Early night, anyone?
