Nutrition gives footballers an energy kick
The British Premier league places particular demands upon footballers, and not only in terms of superior skill level. Fitness and recovery times are essential elements of the game, especially when scheduling runs tight and there can be as many as four matches in ten days.
To maximise player potential and protect their signings, clubs employ sports science specialists alongside physios, coaches and trainers so that all aspects of a player’s health are covered. Everything is geared up to help get the best out of the players so they recover quickly from matches and keep playing as consistently as possible, at the highest level. This is especially important for those Premiership clubs who do not enjoy the luxury of a large squad.
At Blackburn Rovers FC, Mark Howard, senior fitness coach has put all the players onto a regime of protein shakes to keep their bodies in tip top condition throughout the football season. He’s sourced them from CNP Professional whose products have been developed by sports people, for sports people.
“The importance of quality nutrition cannot be underestimated,” says Mark. “It’s is the basic groundwork to maintaining a high level of performance. Training can be compromised if the body is not receiving the correct amount and types of proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc.”
In the past, protein supplements have been the preserve of endurance sports and body builders, but modern sports science recognises the importance of protein supplements for footballers. Protein is essential for the maintenance, recovery and strengthening of the body’s muscles. It is not just weight training that causes muscle break down, any physically demanding sport does.
"Playing football regularly places the body under unnatural stress, and the gruelling Premiership schedule doesn’t give the body much chance to recover," explains Kerry Kayes, founder of CNP and a former professional bodybuilder who is now a nutritional and fitness advisor to top sports personalities across all disciplines. "To help muscles repair from the punishment of training and matches they need a bio-available protein. So, if a footballer’s diet is deficient in protein, it follows that recovery will be impaired and performance will be degraded.”
“I especially like the timing and type of CNP’s fast- and slow-releasing proteins,” explains Mark “They enhance muscle repair after tough training sessions and games. Our players drink a Pro MR protein shake at night before they sleep. It is made with CNP’s high quality, low temperature processed protein and has a slower release than other similar products, so it helps continue recovery while the body is resting or asleep.”
To further aid recovery and make sure the players are ready to train as soon as possible after a match they use CNP’s Pro Recover. Pro Recover contains a blend of fast-acting carbohydrates and fast-acting proteins that aid muscle repair.
“Pro Recover is so convenient,” says Mark. “Just shake and take. No measuring out. We have it all ready and lined up for the players to take as soon as they finish training or a match. It is formulated to get straight into the bloodstream to accelerate the replenishment of glycogen stores and begin repairing tired muscles. So they take it within 20 minutes of the end of the match.”
All the Rovers players use CNP’s Pro Slam daily before training or match play. Pro Slam is a beta alanine pre-workout supplement to delay the onset of muscle fatigue.
“It gives the players extra sprint power and focus,” explains Mark. “It was developed for high intensity work and translates really well into football to boost performance. The players also use it at half time so they can keep going at top level for the whole 90 minutes.”
High levels of fitness also rely on the underlying health of the player and Rovers has been looking at ways to take pro-active measures to protect the players.
“There has been a lot of research recently into the benefits of fish oils and omega 3 in particular,” says Mark. “We have found that CNP’s Pro Omega is one of the best blends of EFAs around. It gives the players a positive health boost in many areas, acts as an anti-inflammatory, promotes cardiovascular health and helps maintain optimal body composition.”
Mark also recommends CNP’s Pro Peptide to Rovers players wanting to build muscle tissue without eating vast quantities of food. Pro Peptide is an advanced blend of fast- and slow-acting proteins that are easily digested and adsorbed into the body.
As football is all about teamwork it makes sense for all the players to be on supplements from the same manufacturer. That way it’s easier to control what is going on, monitor progress and make any adjustments to the regime if necessary.
“We are pleased with the results we are getting with CNP,” says Mark. “Kerry is there to offer advice if we need it and I can be sure that the products are of the highest quality. And they taste good – they are certainly popular amongst the players.”
CNP Professional is one of the UK’s leading sports nutrition specialist companies. For more information visit www.cnpprofessional.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 161 320 1212 for sports nutrition advice and +44 (0) 161 320 8145 for sales.
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Notes for editors
CNP Professional is a leading supplier of sports nutrition supplements including protein shakes, protein bars, creatine supplements, meal replacements, mass gainers, weight loss supplements and post work out shakes, all designed for the ultimate in sports nutrition.
Kerry Kayes, the founder of CNP Professional, is a former national bodybuilding champion. He has been involved in sports nutrition for many years and his dietary expertise has established him as ‘the man in the know’ to a wide variety of sportspeople worldwide such as the Ericsson Round the World Yacht Team, boxer Ricky Hatton, darts champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, international strongman Glen Ross and Sean Long of Hull FC.
CNP Professional supplements are carefully formulated to ensure that the body is able to make best use of the nutrients. Unlike many nutritional supplements, CNP Professional’s products are easy to drink.
There are several articles explaining protein nutrition supplements on the CNP website – go to the home page and click on ‘nutrition’ under the articles section.