Recovery must be an essential part of all training programs, and must be carefully planned and programmed in order to be optimally effective.

Recovery requires an approach that addresses all aspects of the rugby lifestyle, such as sleep, nutrition, overall stress levels, etc. 

Rugby can produce high levels of fatigue, and given the length of rugby seasons and the number of games played, proactive recovery is an area that can give rugby teams and players a real advantage. An important element of any recovery program is to develop a specific recovery strategy for use after matches.

At Rugby Renegade, through knowledge and experience we have designed reliable recovery protocols for players to follow.

Recovery protocols range from nutrition to active recovery. What you do in the hours post game/training will have a profound affect on your performance for the following weeks game. Here are some recommendations to implement into your weekly training programme…

Post Game / Training Nutrition Protocols

Below are the best Post Game/Training Nutrition Protocols that you should follow in order to maximise your post game recovery week in, week out.

Make Sure

• Weigh yourself after the game/training, and then replace each 1kg of weight lost with 1 litre of water over the next 3-4 hours.
• Start replacing lost glycogen with high GI foods as soon as possible
• Aim for 0.75 grams of carbohydrates per kg of body weight (75g for a 100kg athlete) immediately after the game, then again 1 hour later, then 1 hour after that.
• Drinks are best for this initially then real food afterwards.
• After 2 hours switch back to lower GI carbohydrates

Avoid

• Avoid drink alcohol until properly hydrated; take it easy when you do. Alcohol impairs muscle development if drunk in excess and also makes any soft tissue injury much worse by increasing inflammation.
• Avoid drink caffeine until properly hydrated.
• Avoid forget about protein, tired fatigued muscles need building blocks as part of proper recovery.

Activities are decided by the individual post match in order to reach 50 points will help to optimise recovery.