Chris Lowe

As we know, carbohydrates drive physical performance and having low carbohydrate availability, i.e. low amount of carbs in the diet and carbs stored within the muscle, liver and blood can be detrimental to performance.⁣⁣In footballers, carb intake on game day is very much dependent on two main factors:⁣⁣1) Intensity of the game.⁣2) Number of minutes … Read more

Previously, we discovered that rugby players have a heightened caloric demand after game day (GD). More precisely, it was shown that a players resting metabolic rate increase by ~10% from GD-1 to GD+3 (~231kcal). The players increase in RMR was a result of elevated muscle damage that’d been caused by contact. i.e. the breakdown of muscle … Read more

Muscle growth can be broken down into three simple factors: 1) Progressive weight training.2) An energy surplus.3) Adequate protein. If one of these three factors is not met, it can be said that rates of muscle growth will become blunted. However, athletes have the pursuit of gaining the maximum amount of muscle mass whilst minimising gains in fat … Read more

This week, we explore the best approach to build your custom nutrition programme to drop body fat. With regards to the approaches, the two common methods are: 1) Flexible dieting (IIFYM)2) Rigid Dieting (Diet Plans) There’s been much debate as to what method is considered to be the most effective for fat loss success whilst being able to … Read more

Offsetting fluid loss during exercise is believed to be an important recommendation to maintain athletic performance.There’s much debate as to whether an athlete should drink to thirst or whether a prescribed hydration strategy is warranted to negate dehydration. To add further insight to this question (drinking to thirst vs prescribed), de Melo-Marins et al (2018) examined … Read more

Following on from last week’s #D2EW where we investigated the link between creatine supplementation, water retention and weight gain. This week, we’re looking at whether creatine leads to dehydration and cramping. As covered last week, creatine supplementation increases the creatine pool within the muscle. Creatine is also an osmotically active substance which attracts water and therefore has … Read more

It’s been widely accepted that creatine supplementation always increases body mass. This notion originated from early research showing that supplementing with creatine (20g/day x 6 days) increased water retention. Further research then showed that total body water (TBW), extracellular (outside the cell) and intracellular (inside the cell) water increased after only three days of supplementation (Antonio et … Read more

This week, we look at the heightened calorie demand pro rugby players experience from playing competitive games. As you’re highly aware, rugby is a contact based sport where collisions during tackles, breakdown and set piece can result in muscle damage and perceived muscle soreness. Knowing this, players need to adjust their nutrition intake to meet the elevated … Read more

This week, we look at the potential association of body fat percentage with muscle damage from heavy eccentric exercise Ultimately, when athletes are exposed to a stimulus they’re unaccustomed to, they’re gonna be sore. As you know, the intensity of competitions isn’t always controlled. Therefore, the large spikes in workload cause higher amounts of muscle … Read more

Sleep, diet and exercise has been coined as the three pillars to peak health and performance. Furthermore, ignoring one pillar can cause the other two to suffer (Vitale et al, 2019). Traditionally, exercise and nutrition have been given greatest attention, where sleep falls by the wayside. As you’d know, sleep deprivation can negatively impact physical performance, mental … Read more