Getting it right from the kick off!
Footballers in the lower divisions face a gruelling schedule. They have two or three matches a week on top of their training. Plus, because they don’t have the luxury of a big squad, they have to stay fit week after week throughout the long football season.
Preventing injuries and keeping up motivation is a major part of any coach’s regime and many are turning to fitness and nutrition experts to get advice and guidance to keep their team in tip top condition.
"Playing any physically demanding sport such as football places the body under unnatural stress," explains Kerry Kayes, founder of CNP Professional, a leading sports supplement supplier. "It is important to follow a good dietary regime in order to fuel the body efficiently for matches and to maximise recovery afterwards.
"You cannot get cardio-vascular fit without using your muscles and to help these muscles repair from the trauma of training they need a bio-available protein. So, if a footballer’s diet is deficient in protein, performance and recovery will be impaired. 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 this."
CNP’s Pro MR and Pro Recover are two nutritional supplements the footballer can add to his armoury to promote fitness, stamina and general good health. Pro MR is an especially formulated high protein, low fat meal replacement drink that combines fast- and slow-acting proteins for optimum muscle growth. Probiotic organisms have been included to help maintain and promote a healthier digestive system while complex carbohydrates and a balanced vitamin and mineral profile ensure a healthy and effective approach to nutrition.
Pro Recover is a post-workout recovery drink designed to give the body the nutrients it needs to recover from intense exercise. It contains a blend of high glycemic (fast-acting) carbohydrates and fast-acting proteins to aid muscle repair and strengthening.
Just before a match or training CNP recommends Pro Slam. Pro Slam is a pre work-out, protein-blend drink that helps delay the onset of muscle fatigue, so players can train or play with more intensity and recover faster. It can be drunk in less than 5 seconds and is protected in a virtually unbreakable container.
"Footballers at all levels can benefit from these supplements. In the past protein drinks were the preserve of body building and weight training but modern thinking has shown how a variety of different sports people benefit from them. I’ve advised people from disciplines as far apart as football, darts, motor racing and mixed martial arts and watched them all reach fantastic fitness targets and compete at the highest level," says Kerry.
Goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams at Stockport County FC was called up for the Welsh International squad last season so he knows all about keeping in shape and injury free. Goalkeepers tend to get buffeted about and need to be extra resilient, especially as they are on the field for the full 90 minutes.
"I’ve been taking CNP supplements since I was a teenager," he says. "I need to bulk up so I don’t get pushed around too much. In order to keep my weight up I use Pro MR as a meal supplement.
"One problem with being a goalkeeper is keeping focused. It’s easy to let your mind wander during a game but I find taking Pro Slam before we get started gives me the edge and sharpens up my concentration so I don’t have any of those lapses that can be all too costly."
CNP offers specialist downloadable advice to footballers on its website www.cnpprofessional.co.uk and there is usually an expert online to ask for extra help by clicking the ‘Click to talk online’ button. All CNP products are available on the website at specially discounted rates.
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, dart’s 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.