I Love watching the six nations, rugby is a great game (it also helps that its full of handsome men in tight tops and shorts!), I often watch Bedford Blues play and it is great to see some of the old Bedford Blues players now playing for England! These professional rugby players don't just get by on eating well and working out a lot, they have a very strict fitness regime and a specific daily diet that they follow. Many individuals who want to bulk up for rugby make the mistake of hitting the gym 24/7 and not concentrating as much on diet or having a good old binge on anything you want and ignoring the quality of foods. These are not the answer to help gain weight and strength and will not benefit performance.
70% of the battle is with nutrition, 30% is with an intense training programme to gain strength.
Start by following these 5 steps to get on the right tracks:
1) Eat MORE
Increase your calorie intake. In order to gain weight, you have to take in more calories than you burn. You have to eat big. It has been suggested you should split it over 5-6 meals or feedings a day. Others have found it better to have 3 huge meals spread throughout the day followed by little snacking. My advice is you follow what suits you best and what fits your schedule. Start by thinking you need to eat more each meal and stock up your cupboard weekly to ensure you don't go hungry. During pre-season training, elite rugby players require somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 calories a day. The average diet, in contrast, consists of about 2,000 to 2,500 daily calories.
2) Eat BETTER QUALITY
Many make the mistake of have a binge on anything and everything, ignoring the quality of foods. If you have tried this you will know you evenutally just end up getting big and FAT.. and this is NOT what you want, although some fat gain is normal and we need that but the art is to make this as much muscle as possible.
Become an organic junkie or grass fed meats, organic fish and poultry. The off-shoot of this is that your testosterone levels will rise as a result.
Your strength and muscle levels will also raise bettter with these meats. In a nutshell, higher nutrient density foods are absorbed and used by the body a lot more effectively than inorganic foods. More raw materials for your muscles - this may well be more expensive however which can bring you back down to step 1. Plan it carefully and shop around for the best deals on these types of foods. Pre-planning is key.
3) Snacking
Snack throughout the day. Between rugby practice and workouts, it can be hard to fit in enough calories for weight gain. Carrying snacks that you can eat quickly during the day is essential to get in all the necessary food to gain weight. Pack items such as protein bars, rice cakes sandwiches or nuts. Slip several snacks into your rugby gear bag so that you can grab one on the go. Another option is to drink your calories--milk and protein shakes provide plenty of quick protein for rugby players.
4) Carbs for Breakfast
Eat Clean, Unrefined Carbohydrates at Breakfast and in the Two Meals Post Workout.
Out with the inflammatory wheat and gluten based products and in with sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, white potatoes. The best time to consume these is at breakfast and in the window following your workout. Once a week have a day of eating clean carbs and make sure you train before hand too which leads us on to our next step...
5) Increase Training
Increase your weight training. Since rugby players already hit the gym to lift weights, all that's left is to add to the routine. Increase the sets and repetitions that you're already doing to build muscle.
The key to success with this is to STAY WITH IT 90% of the time. Stick with the above for a minimum of 6 weeks before you decide to a) tweak it or b) pack it in.
Give it a shot and see how you get on. In the meantime, let me know how you find it, I would love to hear what works/doesnt work for you
Best of Luck!
P.S. Who do you think will win the six Nations 2013?
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