Training Secrets of the World's Greatest Footballers by James Witts

Author:James Witts
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472948465
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2019-03-16T16:00:00+00:00

Post-match recovery

Once that final whistle goes, either to the tune of triumph or a chorus of contempt, it’s into the changing room and time to refill the muscles with glycogen and repair and rebuild damaged tissue. ‘I’d say like every club, I give the players a carbohydrate-and-protein shake after the game,’ says RB Salzburg’s Asker Jeukendrup. ‘It gives me peace of mind that whatever the players do, they’ve had a certain amount of protein and carbohydrate.’

How much a player should consume is open to debate. There’s evidence that glycogen in fast-twitch type IIa and type IIb muscle fibres, used heavily in high-intensity running, takes longer to replenish than glycogen in slow-twitch fibres used for walking and jogging. No one is certain why, but it could be down to the increased number of micro-tears in the muscle after intense exercise.

Jeukendrup aims for around 70g of carbs per player – maybe more for bigger players, less for smaller – and 30g protein. ‘Timing is key, so, after the shake, we’ll serve the players food while they’re still in the changing room. Something nutritious and easy to consume with a spoon, like chicken risotto, which the chefs will have prepared and brought with them. After that, if they played at home, they’ll probably go to the VIP area, spending time with family and friends and have another meal that’s focused on carbohydrates and protein, all within around 90 minutes of the match finishing.’

If a team’s playing away, that’s where the team bus comes in. As we mentioned earlier, Nemmer serves the Liverpool players on their customised bus. Things aren’t quite as sophisticated at Celtic, says the club’s head of sports science, Jack Nayler. ‘At the moment, our team bus isn’t really set up how we want it,’ he says. ‘We have a microwave oven and fridges but we’d like a much more complete kitchen set-up at the back of the bus, where the chef could prep the food.

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