Meal Plan for Rugby Player – Training Day

Rugby is a popular sport played all over the World. Those who play in a team typically have their rugby training one or two evenings during the week, with a match on a weekend day (see meal plan for a match day). Many players also visit the gym two or three times per week for weight training or cardiovascular fitness work.

Rugby players aim to be fit, strong and well built, whilst maintaining agility and stamina. For optimal performance in rugby training you will need a lot of energy for long lengths of time, so it's essential that you have a well structured nutrition programme not only to provide energy for a training session, but also to provide fuel for recuperation for the next day's exercise. Both energy and protein should be high with the aim to keep body fat at an acceptable level in order to optimise power to weight ratio.

The meal plan below is an example for a team rugby player to follow for a typical training day:

* This includes team rugby training and gym sessions

The above plan provides sufficient levels of all nutrients and sustained slow released low glycaemic carbohydrates to help provide energy for long and intense training sessions. Porridge or muesli for breakfast will provide slow released energy, and oatcakes and granary bread will top up this up through the daytime. See our Glycaemic Index Tables for GI values of foods.

However, the plan is merely a general guide, and portion sizes will need to be adapted to suit your daily routine. You must eat a variety of different meats/fish, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables every day, and drink plenty of water.