Nutritional Strategies for Rugby Athletes: A Comprehensive Guide

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................2
LO1........................................................................................................................................................3
LO2........................................................................................................................................................4
LO3........................................................................................................................................................5
LO4........................................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................8
1

INTRODUCTION
Protein is an important macronutrient for the functioning of body and providing the
required energy. The protein requirement for a normal individual and an athlete differs
because for a normal person the protein required is just to meet the process of repair of the
body tissues, whereas the athlete needs extra protein in diet to build the muscle mass and
also to increase the endurance of the strength based sports. Amino acids are the building
blocks for protein. The athletes take an extra supplement of protein apart from having a
protein rich diet because they have to build extra muscle. The hypertrophied muscle has
extra blood vessels for blood supply and extra oxygen carrying units which leads to delayed
fatigue (Tipton, K.D. and Wolfe, R.R., 2004). Rugby is a type of sport where the person is
always exposing the body to higher energy demands and so they are in need of high protein
content in their diet. Generally there are two main components of an athlete’s nutrition
intake- the type of training undergone and the natural nutritive substance taken.
2

LO1
The human body consists of a balanced diet which includes a combination of macro and
micronutrients in it. Macronutrients are one which are necessary for the body to meet the
requirements of bodily processes such as providing energy, repairing of the worn out tissues
etc. Micronutrients contain the vitamins, minerals, salts etc necessary for the other things of
the body. Carbohydrates, protein, fat are some of the macronutrients which are the building
blocks of the human body. The protein is used in more amount by the athletes, specially the
strength athletes because they need the hypertrophied muscles which have a large number
of oxygen carrying units and blood vessels to prevent premature fatigue and help them
perform better (Tipton, K.D. and Wolfe, R.R., 2004). Before the competition the athlete has
to undergo various different sessions which include training, adaptation and competition.
The training period consists of high intensity exercises. The exercises which load muscles
heavily and help them get hypertrophied are helpful in this. Apart from this the main
component of training is nutrition (Phillips, S.M., 2012). Nutrition helps in recovering of the
muscle tissue and also helps build more units of muscle tissue. This will help them improve
their endurance and perform well at the time of game.
The period of adaptation is the time taken by the muscle to adapt to the load given and the
type of macronutrient added in the diet. Here the muscle adapts itself to the newly imposed
changes and acts according to the need of the time (Lemon, P.W., 1995). Here the muscle is
loaded with ample of energy providing substance called protein which breaks itself at the
time of sport and provides the energy to the body.
Competition is the day of final sport and the muscle is loaded with protein fat and
carbohydrates so that when in long term sport such as rugby the athlete’s body will first use
up the carbohydrates then fats and then the protein to meet the energy requirements. The
sequential breakdown of these substances will help them get the energy to run, throw etc.
Not only the protein but carbohydrates and fats are also equally important in the diet of an
athlete because the body first utilises the carbohydrates then fats and then protein for
energy purposes. So it is recommended that the athlete should be given all these three
components before the game for better performance.
3

LO2
Various plans have to be carried out for an athlete before, during and after the game. This is
because the athlete needs to taper all the reserves of his/her body before the game. During
the sport the athlete is provided with sports drink which is generally an energy drink and
helps restore the lost salts, minerals and energy while playing (Teixeira, V.H., 2013). The
meal after the sport is usually not seen because the player needs to have some rest in order
to calm down all the systems of the body. The calorie requirement of the endurance athlete
is higher and they need the protein and carbohydrate in higher amount. The plans can
include a low carbohydrate and high protein diet (Phillips, S.M., 2012). This diet will contain
fewer amounts of carbohydrates before the competition and high protein to gain the lean
body mass. But at the day of competition the athlete’s body is fuelled with carbohydrates
because they are the easily breakable substance in the body at the time of starvation. The
other diet includes the high protein diet which is the keto diet. This mainly focuses on the
muscle mass of the body. The main aim of this diet is to build up more and more of muscle.
At the day of competition also the primary source for providing energy is protein. The
disadvantage of this diet is that the athlete suddenly crushes down due to lack of immediate
source of energy in the body which is also called as bonking (Moore, D.R. et al2014). This
diet is not used in endurance athletes. They have to maintain the energy levels in all the
parts of the game and hence they require carbohydrates for this purpose. The other diet is
good for the weight lifters because they once have to lift the weight and do not have to
maintain te energy levels for a longer duration of time in their bodies.
After sports diet is mainly based on replenishing the sources of energy. This includes a diet
based on the carbohydrates, fats and a lesser amount of protein. Because the protein then
catabolises itself and creates a problem in urination. This might lead to some major ailment
of the kidneys. So the after performance diet contains less of protein and more amount of
water and other drinks.
The diet before competition focuses on energy sustenance, boosting of performance,
hydrating oneself, and building muscle mass and recovering from any kind of injury (Neil C.
Williams, et al).
Diet at the day of competition helps in hydration, immediate fuel, boosting performance
and decrease anxiety and depression levels. Caffeine is used mainly for this reason.
Post game diet aids in speedy recover, hydration, refuel, build muscle mass and improve the
future performance.
4

LO3
It is seen that there is no specific diet plan for all the athletes. Each and every athlete is
different from the other and their requirements are also different, so by keeping this i mind
the diets are made for the athletes.
Different types of sports are there which include- endurance sport, aerobic sport, anaerobic
sport, weight lifting sports etc. Weight lifting sports include a short period of time. The
athlete has to just lift the weight with all his/her might and then leave it back. This type of
sports requires only one time maximum effort and so they do not need more of protein on
the day of event (Helms, et al 2014). They are given a diet which has protein content in the
initial phase and then protein is made constant and carbohydrate is exceeded.
The other type of sport is anaerobic sport where the body needs energy despite of body
stores of oxygen being replaced or not. They mainly require a lot of protein and fat because
when catabolising these substances provide more amount of energy to the body.
Aerobic sports include one which replenishes the oxygen stores of the body along with the
game (Teixeira, V.H., 2013). They are sports of longer duration and they are not that
exhausting.
Endurance sports are sports of longer duration and they need energy sources for every
minute to perform well. Rugby is the endurance sport which includes running, throwing
jumping and all other activities of such type. For this there must be a diet of protein and
carbohydrate which will provide sufficient energy and strength too.
5

LO4
As per the current studies and researches it has been proved that all the three
macronutrients have their own role before, during and after the competition. These
macronutrients not only help in building body but also provide energy by breaking up
themselves at the time of starvation (Lemon, P.W., et al 1992). The micronutrients help in
preventing unnecessary injury and if injury occurs then help in speedy recovery.
Protein before the game helps in building muscle, reduces the chances of injury and
overflows the blood with the essential amino acids when needed. Carbohydrates before the
game will help in fuelling the body and aids in good training, preserves the glycogen stores
of muscles and liver stimulates the secretion of insulin. Role of fats before the game neither
improves nor diminished the performance, slows the process of digestion and thus blood
glucose levels remain constant for sometime in the bloodstream.
Protein during the game prevents muscle breakdown. Fats should be avoided during the
game as this will hamper the performance. A carbohydrate during the game provides
immediate resource fuel, and facilitates faster recovery. The data given by some of the
researchers suggest that there is an improvement in the performance of those athletes who
were tried with a unique combination of protein and carbohydrates in different types of
sports. Now a days diet also has a major role in the athlete’s performance. If the diet is not
maintained properly then in spite of heavy training and proper practice the athlete will not
be able to give his/her best. Soothe latest literature suggests that in order to get good
results from the sports player it is necessary to have a track on what all he eats and how
much he eats.
6

CONCLUSION
The athletes have a different lifestyle, training patterns, eating habits from the normal
individual. This is because the normal individual just has to manage his/her daily
requirements of the body and on the other hand the athlete has to maintain the fuel
reserves of his/her body full in order to perform well. When asked to perform it is not just
the diet which matters but it is the pattern of taking meals and the amount of meals taken.
The athlete has to take care of the injuries also and has to prevent him/herself from being
injured. Hydration helps in doing this (Phillips, S.M., 2004). Certain minerals help maintain
the elasticity of the ligaments of the body and so prevent them from getting injured. The
athletes have to maintain a high calorie diet because they have to meet their body needs as
well as the requirements of the game. The type of nutrition depends on the type of sport
played and so they have to be trained accordingly. Suppose an athlete who is sprinter the
coach will have to train him/her in a manner such that the aerobic capacity of the athlete is
good and the reserves are filled with fuel. This athlete will be given a diet mainly more of
carbohydrates less of protein and little amount of fat (Neil C. Williams, et al). The fat will
provide insulation to the body parts and help prevent injury but the carbohydrates will
provide instant energy. The muscle is depleted to its maximum capacity and then loaded
again so that at the day of competition the player does not fall short for energy. This is
called as packaging up of carbohydrates. In this the carbohydrates are slowly and gradually
increased day by day and the protein content is kept constant so that the muscle is also built
up. In case of starvation the body does not crush down but utilises the fat stored and then
the protein from the reserves.
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REFERENCES
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2. Lemon, P.W., 1995. Do athletes need more dietary protein and amino acids?. International
Journal of Sport Nutrition, 5(s1), pp.S39-S61.
3. Phillips, S.M., 2004. Protein requirements and supplementation in strength
sports. Nutrition, 20(7-8), pp.689-695.
4. Phillips, S.M., 2012. Dietary protein requirements and adaptive advantages in
athletes. British Journal of Nutrition, 108(S2), pp.S158-S167.
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requirements and muscle mass/strength changes during intensive training in novice
bodybuilders. Journal of Applied Physiology, 73(2), pp.767-775.
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protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher
intakes.
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Mora Custodio, R., Yáñez García, J.M., Morales Alamo, D., Pérez Suárez, I., Calbet, J.A.L.‐ ‐ ‐ ‐
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Nutr. Res, 83(1), pp.48-58.
11. Moore, D.R., Camera, D.M., Areta, J.L. and Hawley, J.A., 2014. Beyond muscle hypertrophy:
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