Performance Nutrition: Pre, During & Post-Exercise Recovery Ritual for Football and Rugby Athletes

By Jaime Hernandez Originally published Oct 26, 2018 – Updated

“A key to optimizing recovery is the consistent use of key strategies. A fundamental aspect of effective recovery is turning those strategies into daily rituals.”

Are you fueling your body with the right nutrients to meet the demands of your sport? Do you want to elevate your athletic performance and recover faster, stronger, and more completely?

Whether you're a rugby player powering through intense sprints or a football athlete enduring punishing collisions, understanding the timing and quality of your fuel—before, during, and after activity—is essential. The right ritual can make all the difference.

🧬 Why Nutrition Timing Matters

Research shows that if you don’t consume the right ratio of macronutrients post-exercise, you can lose up to 66% of the potential absorption needed to restore your energy stores. Worse yet, consuming the wrong combo of carbs, protein, and fats can lower testosterone levels—essential for performance and muscle repair.

Let’s keep it simple—this is a massive topic, but even the basics can be a game changer.

⚡ Understanding Your Energy Systems

There are two primary systems your body uses to create energy:

• Aerobic: Uses oxygen—dominant during endurance phases.

• Anaerobic: Doesn’t require oxygen—engaged during short bursts of high-intensity output (like sprinting or tackling).

Football and rugby players mostly rely on anaerobic bursts, which means quick recovery between efforts is crucial.

🔁 Your Game-Day Ritual: A Practical Example

Here’s a general guide based on a sample athlete:

• Gender: Male

• Age: 26

• Weight: 176 lbs

• Sport: Rugby/Football

• Goal: Increase speed

• Medical History: None

✅ Pre-Exercise (1–2 Hours Before)

• Carbs: 120g of complex carbs (e.g., 1 cup of uncooked brown rice = ~143g carbs)

• Hydration:

  • 16 oz water with whole-food meal

  • 16 oz water with creatine (taken 60–90 min before)

• Top off: Sip on a carb drink like Gatorade right up to game time.

💧 During Exercise

• Sip on a carbohydrate/electrolyte solution(Try a 3:1 ratio: Gatorade + Pedialyte)

Why electrolytes matter: Sodium, potassium, and chloride help your body retain fluids, regulate nerve signals, and support muscle contraction. They’re lost through sweat—replace them early and often.

🏁 Post-Exercise Recovery (0–2 Hours After)

• Hydration: 8 oz water every 20 minutes for 2 hours

• Within 30 minutes:

  • Protein shake (20g protein)

  • Glutamine

  • Creatine

I personally recommend high-quality, third-party tested sports supplements from Thorne.👉 Shop my recommended products here

I trust Thorne because their protein and glutamine formulations help support muscle nitrogen balance—key to recovery and continued growth.

• Additional supplements:

  • Multivitamin

  • Antioxidants

  • BCAAs (optional but helpful for recovery and muscle repair)

🛀 Beyond Supplements: Recovery Strategies

Recovery is more than what you eat and drink. Consider adding these tools to your post-game ritual:

• Hydrotherapy (contrast showers or cold plunges)

• Massage or self-myofascial release

• Ice therapy

• Sleep—often the most underrated factor in performance

⚙️ Need Help Personalizing Your Plan?

If you want help designing your exercise plan or dialing in your nutrition and supplement strategy, I’d love to work with you. Let’s make sure you’re recovering smarter—not just harder.

💬 Contact me through:🌐 www.HealthAndExercisePrescriptions.com

Thanks for reading, and stay strong! Jaime Hernandez Certified Medical Exercise Specialist

Visit My Supplement Store